Visiting the House of Musical Traditions: looking at instruments including Irish flutes

May 28, 2012 · 2 minute read · Comments
musicIrish flutemandolin

One thing Abby and I wanted to do before we left Washington DC was to visit the House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, MD. We wanted to check out all their musical instruments. Abby wanted to look at their mandolin section, while I wanted to look at Irish flutes. I’ve been kind of thinking about getting an Irish flute since February when seeing again Gregory play his Irish flute at French dancing.

We weren’t planning to buy anything, but we had fun looking at a large variety of musical instruments, from mandolins and ukuleles to bongo drums and jaw harps.

Irish flutes

At the store, I looked at the Tony Dixon plastic flutes that I’d read about before the trip to DC. Unfortunately, as I suspected, they were rather large for my hands. Also, the plastic flutes did not produce a very attractive sound.

Casey Burns Folk Flute

I left the store knowing I would have to do more research on affordable keyless Irish flutes that might both fit in my hands and produce a decent sound. After doing some research online, I concluded that no plastic Irish flute was really going to be what I wanted. But there were rave reviews of the Casey Burns Folk Flute as a starter Irish flute, because of its quality and its unbeatable price.

Furthermore, I noticed that there was option to order a special ergonomic version for small hands, which is precisely what I seem to need, given my very real need for well-fitting instruments.

After we return to Pittsburgh, Abby and I will discuss whether my music goals and plans justify buying yet another musical instrument.

Conclusion

I would like to thank the people at the House of Musical Traditions for letting us look at their large collection of musical instruments and try some out. Meanwhile, I have learned that if I do get an Irish flute, I should start out with the nice wooden Casey Burns Folk Flute.