Guitar to pair with Flute

[LeftyArt]

Wow! Thank you for all of the comments, recommendations, and video clips. I look forward to diving in.

I've definitely considered the Irish guitar route; a friend owns a Lowden O-32 that amazes me each time I see and hear it.

I normally use my D-16H to play with her; it gives the overall sound plenty of bottom, but the slender neck is beginning to bother my wrist as I age...ugh.

Again, thank you for the information!

Art

[gr81dorn]

I mean a burst Les Paul paired with a flute worked for Jethro Tull for decades...

[jrb715]

With a live quintet for a play I directed, the guitar in flute and guitar sections was an HD28. The pairing sounded terrific.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by Sequimite

I've only seen duets with classical guitar and flute. That pairing works very well.

Hi Sequimite

A few questions...

1. By "larger neck" do you mean fingerboard width or thickness/shape of neck?

2. What is your budget, the absolute high end of it?

3. Is there any body shape and size you do not like...by looks or feel?

4. Is there a sound/tone that you have heard on a recording that you really like and are kind of leaning towards for your playing with your wife...and if so what is the song and recording of it, so we could give it a listen and get an idea...AND...is there any sound/tone that YOU hear in your head that you are really pointing to and thinking "that's the sound I want" and if so, what is it?

That info could really help us offer you good solid advice and Brand/Model recommendations.


duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[J Patrick]

...can’t say it means anything but when Ian Andersen...the flautist in Jethro Tull...had Martin design a signature model for him he went with an 0-28...

[Earl49]

Lefty, my wife plays flute, alto flute, and bass flute (for bass flute think of the solo in California Dreaming). She plays piccolo too but not around me - it's too shrill for my aging ears, even when played very well).

I have accompanied her on every guitar that I own at one time or another on stage, at midnight campground jams, at festivals, or at coffeehouse performances. Guitars range from a Martin J-40 and D-28, a twelve string, various Taylor models, Rainsong and Emerald CF guitars, ukulele, and classical guitar. What works best mostly depends on what kind of music you are playing. We play everything from classic rock & roll to Hawaiian slack key together. The last thing we worked on was a nice expressive and legato version of Ashokan Farewell with a modulation from G to D in the middle (arrangement by Sir James Galway). She was preparing for a flute retreat later this month, now cancelled due to the virus. I suggested nylon strings to pair with the bass flute, but finger style played on my steel strings works too.

As to the great flutist / flautist debate..... The National Flute Association membership officially voted a couple of years ago to call themselves flutists. Flautists are required to wear white shirts, black pants, and scowl when they play only classical music at least a century old.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by Earl49

As to the great flutist / flautist debate..... The National Flute Association membership officially voted a couple of years ago to call themselves flutists. Flautists are required to wear white shirts, black pants, and scowl when they play only classical music at least a century old.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by gr81dorn

I mean a burst Les Paul paired with a flute worked for Jethro Tull for decades...

Post of the thread, IMO!

[David Eastwood]

Martin Barre used a Les Paul and a Marshall stack to great effect with Ian Anderson in Jethro Tull a few decades ago.

Might want to consider this as an option.

[David Eastwood]

Drat. That will teach me not to catch up with a thread before posting.

skulks away, somewhat ashamed

Originally Posted by eatswodo

Martin Barre used a Les Paul and a Marshall stack to great effect with Ian Anderson in Jethro Tull a few decades ago.

Might want to consider this as an option.

[musicman1951]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Lefty, my wife plays flute, alto flute, and bass flute (for bass flute think of the solo in California Dreaming). She plays piccolo too but not around me - it's too shrill for my aging ears, even when played very well).

I'm fairly certain it was an alto flute in California Dreamin'. For bass flute I suggest people think of the wind moaning through the trees. Can you tell I've never owned a bass flute? :-)

I did bring a piccolo to church once for the Palm Sunday procession down the street. When we got inside I thought the rest of the music group would lynch me.

I've considered a wood headjoint, but I don't know that the flute community would express the proper enthusiasm for the debate about which wood was best.

[gr81dorn]

Originally Posted by eatswodo

Drat. That will teach me not to catch up with a thread before posting.

skulks away, somewhat ashamed

The glass half full way of thinking about it would be "great minds think alike" :-)

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by gr81dorn

The glass half full way of thinking about it would be "great minds think alike" :-)

I like it

[gr81dorn]

Originally Posted by J Patrick

...can’t say it means anything but when Ian Andersen...the flautist in Jethro Tull...had Martin design a signature model for him he went with an 0-28...

More than that, he actually played even smaller guitars much of his career - Martin Size 5 (terz) and then some stuff akin to a Size 2, but seemingly even smaller.

A little moot, ironically, as those instruments only came into play when he wasn't playing flute, so sorta the opposite of being the complement to the flute, they were the contrast.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by musicman1951

I'm fairly certain it was an alto flute in California Dreamin'. For bass flute I suggest people think of the wind moaning through the trees. Can you tell I've never owned a bass flute? :-)

The alto flute is in G, a half octave between normal concert C flute and the bass C flute. The ranges overlap -- the lower end of alto range is also the upper end the bass flute. She has both and we play that song both ways (in the same key). Given that experience I hear the recorded solo as being more likely a bass flute, but cannot say for certain. I have not researched the liner notes for the recording, if it is even listed.

No worries about the bass..... most people have never even SEEN a bass flute, much less owned one, and that includes flute players. She recently got a second upgraded bass as a retirement gift -- a Kotato vertical model -- that cost more than any five of my guitars. I will also say this: she recently spent decent money on an all wood Hammig piccolo and it has a sweeter sound than any metal one could, even with a wood head joint. We have a fleet 'o flutes going here....