Introducing my Irish Flutes...The Orla Rosewood and Clódagh Cocuswood

Welcome back to my blog! I'd like to introduce you to two beautiful Irish flutes which I recently added to my collection...

Firstly the Orla rosewood Irish flute, an absolutely beautiful instrument -  I have had a lot of questions about this flute after it featured in my latest music video 'Now We Are Free' from Gladiator.

This flute is from Big Whistle, who asked me to try out their new wooden Irish flute range. I will also be reviewing the Clódagh Cocuswood Irish Flute later in this post.

Appearance -

The Orla is a beautiful looking flute. I love the simplicity of the traditional design and the deep colour of the rosewood with the contrast of the silver connectors - it looks as though it could have been crafted centuries ago by elven carpenters!

Sound and tone -

I absolutely love the sound of the Orla rosewood. It has a very woody and rich tone, and it resonates beautifully and ethereally. I have used it in many of my recent music videos and singles. It is great for recording with - has a very airy and subtle quality almost reminiscent of a pan-flute, which is perfect for slow, atmospheric pieces.

My music video and single 'Now We Are Free' featured the Orla rosewood Irish flute. You can watch the full video on my YouTube channel here - Gladiator - Now We Are Free

Playability -

The Orla rosewood flute was the first traditional wooden Irish flute I had played - before this I played the concert flute and the tin whistle, but I had always wanted to add an Irish flute to my collection!

If you have played the tin whistle before then transitioning to the traditional Irish flute isn't too difficult since the finger positions for the notes are the same, but it does take a bit of getting used to to play in a transverse position (holding the flute sideways instead of downwards like the whistle) and also to learn the embouchure technique.

I find you will need to use the piper's grip to play the Irish flute, which means using the middle pads of some of your fingers rather than the fingertips.

If you have played the concert flute before then the embouchure technique will come in handy, but the balance of the wooden flute is a little different and is more top-heavy. You will need to have good breathing technique to get the best sound as with any wind instrument, and this flute does require a good amount of air, but overall it is a beautiful instrument to play.

I think this flute is particularly suitable for a more atmospheric or slow style of song - for example I played this flute in my version of 'Now We Are Free' from Gladiator and in 'Romantic Flight' from How To Train Your Dragon.

However you can definitely also play faster pieces on this flute - I also played it on my single 'Morrison's Jig / Swallowtail Jig' - so it is quite versatile.

You can get the Orla rosewood Irish flute as well as a huge range of whistles and flutes for all levels of player from the Big Whistle website here - https://bigwhistle.co.uk/product/orla-rosewood-irish-flute/?ref=Leyna

The other instrument I'd like to talk about is the Clódagh Cocuswood Irish Flute.

This is another beautifully crafted instrument from Big Whistle.

Appearance

I love the look of this flute with the unusual blonde colour of the wood and the intricately shaped headpiece, it is like a work of art.

Sound

I find the sound of this cocuswood flute compared with the rosewood one to be less airy and more pure - you can still hear the character of the wood, but there is more clarity to the tone. It also has great volume and is louder in comparison to the Orla flute.

Playing some improvised melodies amongst nature on the Clódagh Cocuswood Irish flute. If you would like to see more of this video it will be available soon exclusively for members of my Patreon community, where you can also find behind the scenes content, tin whistle tabs and help support my music! - Join here

Playability

Compared to the Orla flute, I find that this flute requires a little less air to produce the sound, and the sound is a little more immediate when playing.

I think overall the cocuswood flute gives you a little more ease of playing, and has a lovely bright quality both in appearance and tone, but the Orla flute has a more dynamic and soulful sound - I would recommend both of them for their different qualities.

Thanks for reading, and if you would like to get one of these beautiful Clódagh Cocuswood Irish Flutes for yourself they are available from the Big Whistle website here - https://bigwhistle.co.uk/product/clodagh-cocuswood-irish-flute/?ref=Leyna

Some of the links included in my blog are affiliate links, which means if you click on one and go on to purchase an instrument, I will earn a small commission and you will also be supporting me! I only endorse instruments that I play and love ☺️