Flute irish. A complete guide to learning. F. Vallely

Arco Iris Musical

The wooden, six-hole, ‘simple system’ transverse concert flute took on a new lease of life in the 1960s. This was particularly so in traditional Irish music which itself has extended out of its own national revival to become a free-standing international music genre played and listened to all over Europe and the US, even in Japan. Part of the flute’s popularity is due to bands like Ceoltóirí Chualann, The Chieftains, Bothy Band, Boys of the Lough, De Danann and Altan, more recently Dervish, Danú, Lúnasa and Ciorras, for each of which the instrument has been an anchoring sound. Also using flutes made of wood, Baroque music has undergone revival too. And not to be ignored are the humble ‘fife’ and the band flute, the small versions of wooden flute which are hugely popular still for marching music not only in Ireland, but in East-coast USA and the instrument’s land of origin, Switzerland.