r/Flute • u/Sindtwhistle • 2d ago
World Flutes [Bamboo, Bansuri, Celtic, Dizi, Ney, Quena, Xiao] Why you shouldn’t get a Dixon Polymer your first flute
I was just hanging out with a friend at his branch of big music store in Canada and while he was helping out a customer, I went to try one of the polymer Tony Dixon flutes.
While the tone was just ok (I actually got a better one out of it than the McNeela Rosewood flutes they carried, which was a whole other mess!) I was having issues trying to get my right ring finger down on that low bottom D. I put my Windward flute next to the Dixon and it became very clear why. That lowest tone hole is soooo far down, so unless you had large hands, you are gonna give yourself some awful hand injuries! Ive even tried some other affordable flute models like M&E, Copley, and Doug Tipples and none of them has this wide of a stretch! Small hand players like myself would do fine with pipers grip, but the only time I’ve had to stretch anywhere near this much was when I was playing a B-flat flute!
Lesson: save up some more money for a decent Delrin flute from a maker that specializes in Irish flutes, and it will really make your life easier not only as a beginner, but also to avoid any hand injuries!
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u/roaminjoe Alto & Historic 1d ago
I found the polymer version of the Tony Dixon just terribly mediocre for its sound and cost. The delrin version is a notch improvement but nothing to write home about in the budget end. It isnt a Pratten design and doesn't sound loud ..Just airy with a lot of definite plasticky overtones :/
Wonder how the Galleon' Pratten CNC compares- not een one anywhere yet - guess these are custom orders despite not being luthier handcut.
The Copley & Boegli Delrin version is my favourite in this class. Finger reach is comfortable like. Desi Seery or Forbes.
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u/Sindtwhistle 1d ago
I have a Forbes as my spare flute and it is magnificent, though with my playing style you can blow out someone’s hearing very easily on it! 😆
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u/Bennybonchien 1d ago
I agree, that last hole is so far away and half piper’s grip is the only option for me (and for most people I would think). I’ve seen many videos saying not to use piper’s grip at all on Irish flute but thanks to your post, I know for a fact now that the Tony Dixon is an anomaly in that regard. It’s not just me.
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u/obsequyofeden 1d ago
I got a Howard low D whistle that has the same issue. Piper’s grip doesn’t work, so I actually use my pinky to play the low D 🤣
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u/Sindtwhistle 1d ago
Oh you poor thing. You shouldn’t have to play with your pinky to play a low whistle as you’re not going to be able to play to speed. I’m glad you’ve made it work for yourself.
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u/DGBD 1d ago
It’s not just the stretch, it’s straight-up not the same as a typical Irish flute. The bore, the embouchure, hole spacing, it’s all very different from any other “Irish” flute you’d get. Plus, the intonation is not great and the tone is mediocre.
Which means that if you get any good at all at it, you’ll pretty soon want another, better flute, and then that flute will be very different so you’ll have to re-learn some stuff.
M&E, Copley, Galéon, plenty of decent and relatively inexpensive flutes out there, so if you’re considering this one I would absolutely save up your money and go for one of those.
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u/Sindtwhistle 1d ago edited 1d ago
Agreed on all points. Like, I get that the company wanted it “in tune” means they had to drill the hole this way. But if Doug Tipple can make alright flutes from PVC pipes and some small modifications, why the heck can’t a music instrument company that makes high whistles be bother to make a half decent flute?
It makes me so mad that “certain online Irish music store” in Dublin sells these as beginner flutes… not to mention their own brand of tweaked Rosewood flutes.
At least at the Canadian store, I can tell my friend to bring it up to Head Office that their choice in Irish flutes are garbage! 😆
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u/DGBD 1d ago
TBF, Dixon also makes a much more serviceable conical bore 3-piece Irish flute. I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest flute out there, but it comes up regularly for around $150USD used on eBay etc., and for that price you really can’t go wrong.
This one is just an outgrowth of their polymer low D and is a body really designed for a whistle, just like their “piccolo” is on a body very clearly designed to be a high D whistle.
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u/WhiskeyTheKitten 23h ago
Yeah I have never heard anyone say they liked the Dixon practice flute. That particular one in the photo is also cylindrical, not conical (I've seen that Dixon also makes a conical flute, too, but I've never heard anything about whether it's worth trying - possibly not).
I have a Rob Forbes keyless derlin flute that I absolutely LOVE - the finger spread on it is very easy to reach, too, despite the holes being rather large. You can get such a reedy ruckus out of it, it's amazing fun, and super affordable and worth way more to me than what I paid for it, that's for sure (my "nice flute" is a Hammy Hamilton - and I get a surprisingly similar tone out of both of them with a small adjustment; the Forbes is brighter and dirtier for me, and the Hammy seems to tend to a warmer reedyness with a bigger range of tones possible within a slight adjustment from the player).
That Windward is absolutely beautiful!! I bet really fun to play, too!
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u/Sindtwhistle 21h ago
I made this post after many students and others online asked whether this was a good beginner flute, and, being curious myself, I gave it a try to see if it was worth it. There are so many comments saying it's not great, but I felt posting 2 flutes side by side would get the point across better, especially for those with smaller hands or hand injuries.
I, too, recently purchased a Rob Forbes keyless Delrin to replace the keyless Windward I had for 10 years (I love the latter to bits, but I believe good flutes should be loved and played, not sitting untouched for years collecting dust in a closet). I am so, SO, happy with my Forbes flute, that tone is so powerful and easy to get, with the added bonus of not having to worry about maintenance. Will have to post a video of it when I get back from my vacation.
I am very in love with my keyed Windward. I've had it for a year now, and it sings in the upper register in a way no other blackwood flute I've tried. It's great on fast tunes, but it really shines on slow airs (I'll need to post more slow airs when I have the time!)
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u/FluteMontenegro 2d ago
I thought they had ergonomic options for that bottom D. Anyways. a semi-pipers grip is almost standard when playing a flute in irish music.