[Keith Ridenhour]

The Miyazawa is very hard for me to play with the in line G and just finger difference from my Powell. but I taped it and you can hear what you hear. I did a gig earlier and 90 minutes of practice so sax does still mess with my flute K

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

I probably should have done this in the morning before I play sax. but this is what I deal with on jobs after playing for a couple of hours and then switching back and forth. So I need fat and full and easy for me. But this is what it is. K

 

[SimonJazzSax]

I prefer the Powell by a long shot. I like the head on the Powell and the Powell body. It may not seem / be perceived as being as "big" or wide, but it has way more of a centered sound and way more core. Much more color and much more Sonic flexibility from the sound of it.

That "free blowing" / easy to play quality of the Miyazawa is like an instant gratification, but doesn't provide the same depth.

I know you've been going back and forth a little lately, but do yourself a favor and stick with that Powell! You already have a good grasp of how it plays and it sounds like you will grow with it well.

Wait until your embouchure and tonal flexibility is at a higher level to pick out some more gear. I say this not as an insult, but as a fellow flute player that's been exactly where you are.

Good luck.



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[kymarto]

Just want to mention, Keith, that the correct pronunciation is "MEE a zawa" not "MY a zawa"--for what it's worth. I can see now where you are coming from. You are still at a point where you do not really focus the sound. This is not a criticism, just an observation. In that state of affairs, I can see why you prefer an easy-blowing flute, since it seems to respond much better at the moment. I was seduced by a couple of newer Japanese designs, like the Sankyo and the Altus, which blow big and easy. They Miyazawas I have played are also like that. I actually found an Altus 1007 for $700 (silver body, plated keywork), which I bought. At first I was very impressed with how easy it was to play, but since then I have drifted back to my German flutes for banging around, because I find that at higher volumes the Altus has already hit its ceiling, and that is when the Hammigs have more expression, as they have held something in reserve, so to speak. I agree with what SimonJazzSax says about instant gratification.

That being said, I think that modern Japanese flutes are ideal for doublers, especially because (at least for me) picking up a flute after playing sax for a while, I do find that my embouchure isn't perfect, and in that case the freer-blowing flutes are more forgiving. Nor am I, who traded flutes promiscuously for a number of years and still have more than I need, saying that you should not have the instrument with which you feel most comfortable. You may find yourself changing flutes a number of times as you evolve as a flute player.

 

[KeithL]

Yeah, no question you sound better on the Powell in that video. However, you really need to spend more time on the Miyazawa to give it a fair shake as it takes time to adapt to a different headjoint.

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

My teacher has said the same thing. I don't take it as an insult at all. Thanks K

I prefer the Powell by a long shot. I like the head on the Powell and the Powell body. It may not seem / be perceived as being as "big" or wide, but it has way more of a centered sound and way more core. Much more color and much more Sonic flexibility from the sound of it.

That "free blowing" / easy to play quality of the Miyazawa is like an instant gratification, but doesn't provide the same depth.

I know you've been going back and forth a little lately, but do yourself a favor and stick with that Powell! You already have a good grasp of how it plays and it sounds like you will grow with it well.

Wait until your embouchure and tonal flexibility is at a higher level to pick out some more gear. I say this not as an insult, but as a fellow flute player that's been exactly where you are.

Good luck.

K

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[turf3]

Based on the video, I think some more work on focusing the air stream is in order, to get the "hair" under control. I wouldn't chase gear just yet.

That said, I have been playing flute a long long time, and I most certainly do NOT find my Miyazawa flute to be "too easy" to play. Let's not lose sight of the fact that each musician is a bit different. So while one person might perceive one instrument as "resistant, but yields a richer tone" and the other as "sounds superficially good but there's no depth to the sound", a different player may well find the first one to be "plays like blowing into a big ball of cotton" and the second as "lively and does what I want it to". When I selected my Miyazawa, from amongst Powell Haynes Muramatsu Sankyo Miyazawa and a couple others, I was looking for the best blend of responsiveness, evenness over all registers, and richness of sound when blown by me using my (long-established, for better or worse) embouchure; and I ended up going Miyazawa. Someone else might well have picked any one of the others.

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

With due respect, I think any limiting factor in how they play is the player rather than the flutes at this stage, so I don't think the comparison is fair.

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

Gordon, I was surprised to say the least. the Miyazawas I played in SF a month (two 101s and a 202) ago all to me were easily a notch above my powell. easier to play, fat full tone, the key work seemed faster. So I thought that this 400 would be all that and more. But I think this older Miyazawa has an older head and the new ones have newer heads. So I was surprised to not be "blown away by this 400. I expected at least as good of a result as the others from Flute world. I do expect to be a better player in a year no matter which flute I end up with but that being said, I'm 64 and have how many years left of getting better? K