Martin Doyle recently sent a flute to Russia and, after some initial delays, it finally reached the hands of its new owner who kindly expressed his joy with these words:
Hello, Mr Doyle!
I finally got the flute and it is incredibly beautiful! You are an expert in beauty and the sound is perfect! I have never seen and never played a flute easier than this one. This is a work of art for me!
Lately I’ve been studying a lot about the relationship between geometry and the sound of flutes. But the strong D of this flute – a mystery to me. I do not know how you manage to do this. This flute permits me to do the impossible! Unfortunately, I don’t quite know very well English, to tell you my impressions! But, believe me, it’s endless! I have very long dreamed of a flute like this and now the dream has come true!
Sincerely,
Ivan Pustovalov.
Martin Doyle recently completed a left-handed six key flute for Clare flute player Brian Morgan. An image of that flute has been loaded onto Martin’s website and can be viewed here »
New Tunes Added
Having received his new flute and being the enthusiastic type, Brian Morgan got together with Martin Doyle and Martin’s son Joe for a session at Martin’s home. Martin recorded Brian and Joe playing some tunes together and the results can be heard here »
(Many thanks to Ronan Browne for identifying the three reels in this set.)
Rob Portnoy is a renowned multi-woodwind performer, clinician and teacher who has worked with a plethora of superstar singers, musicians and performers including Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Mel Torme, Aretha Franklin, Wayne Newton, Nancy Wilson, Don Sebasky, Mickey Rooney, Red Skelton, Debbie Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole, Sarah Vaughn – to name but a few! He had the following to say about a wooden headjoint that he recently commissioned Martin Doyle to make for his concert flute:
Hi Martin,
I just wanted to thank you for the phenomenal work you did in creating my new headjoint. I recently played it on the show “Beauty and The Beast” and received many compliments on my “sweet” sound. The combination of my Altus Limited and your Blackwood Headjoint allow me a warmth that neither of my metal headjoints provide and enable me to play all octaves with a solid, centered sound which articulates quickly and doesn’t break up when pushed! I will surely endorse your craftsmanship so more flutists can experience the wonderful qualities of a Martin Doyle headjoint!
Best wishes,
– Rob Portnoy.
Martin Doyle’s web page about the wooden headjoints he makes for western concert flutes can be viewed here »
As mentioned in previous posts, Martin Doyle sometimes receives messages from people who have purchased flutes from him and write to compliment and thank him for his efforts. These kind comments are sometimes posted on Martin’s website, with the permission of the authors, and Martin recently received a very nice comment from Matthew Laurie – a community musician and storyteller from Derbyshire in England. These are Matthew’s kind words:
Hi Martin,
The flute [boxwood Celtic style flute] arrived today and I am in love! It is simply stunning and is far and away the finest flute that I have played and owned. I am amazed at the expressive range that I can achieve even on the first day of playing it. This flute will inspire me to play and practice more – I am very happy indeed. Thank you!
Some two weeks later Matthew commented to this webmaster that the flute had indeed inspired and helped him to practice more and to play at a higher level. I mentioned this to Martin Doyle who made the following comment:
Well for me the whole point of this flute making game is to make flutes that bring the players on – that’s my intention. Otherwise there would be no point in doing it.
Fair play to you Martin…
Matthew’s kind words and those of many others can be viewed on Martin Doyle’s Testimonial pages »
Martin Doyle has for many years had a close association with the members of the Hungarian Irish music group Bran and has travelled to Hungary on a number of occasions to take part in Irish music festivals to offer flute workshops and inspiration. Two of the members of Bran, Gáborján Kovacs and Judit Kuti, play Martin Doyle flutes and Martin has often commented on the enthusiasm that the Hungarians have for Irish music and of the joy and inspiration he has received from his association with Bran and the Hungarian Irish music festivals.
Bran has recently released a CD of Irish tunes that are linked by the common theme of ‘birds’. The title of the CD is Int én Bec – Birds’ Day – Rigmadár (‘Birds’ Day’ in Irish, English and Hungarian) and it is a delightful offering of simplicity, purity and joy that are distinctive features of Bran’s music.
A sample track, Birds At The Fairy Fulling, can be heard here »
And here is a video clip featuring the music of Bran:
Here is Martin Doyle‘s video pick for October 2012 – the Grammy Award winning flute player, Rhonda Larson performing the hymn Be Still My Soul. (Note Rhonda’s harmonic singing while playing the flute in the opening moments of the performance.)
About Rhonda:
Rhonda Larson says she was born wanting to play the flute – where that desire came from remains a mystery to her. It was finally at age 10 that Rhonda first picked up a flute, a journey that has taken her to the farthest reaches of the world. Her ‘practice room’ was a high mountain ridge outside her family home in Bozeman, Montana, where the sky is endless and the breathtaking mountains cut through your soul. It is not difficult, then, to understand that the depths of Rhonda’s music comes from a place in her heart that celebrates the beauty of the human spirit, found most alive in nature. “I began to see that music has a larger role for humanity: that it can truly speak to the shared expressions of our human souls.”More »
A very fine quote from Rhonda’s homepage:
“The dignity of the artist lies in their duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world.” – G.K. Chesterton.
Some weeks ago, Martin Doyle sent me links to the two videos offered below and said, “What do you think of them?” Naturally I liked them very much and was quite impressed with the spontaneity and freedom of movement. And the music being played for the dancers is excellent! “Sean-nós – what does that mean?” was my question to Martin. “Old style,” was his answer. So I did a little looking around…
For the uninitiated (like me), sean-nós dance is an older style of traditional solo Irish dance – the lesser known freeform solo type of dancing that many of Ireland’s older traditional musicians played for.
It is a casual dance form (as opposed to the more formal competition-oriented form of) Irish Stepdancing. “Sean Nós” in the Irish language means “old style” and refers to various activities, including sean-nós song and sean-nós dance. These less common forms of Irish dance and traditional Irish singing have been documented by folklorists and song collectors (aka ethnomusicologists), but still often form part of the traditional dance scene in Ireland. Read more »
The musicians in this first video clip include the renowned Irish ‘box’ (melodeon) player Johnny Connolly. Emma O’Sullivan is the dancer…
The second video clip was recorded in the late 1970s and, according to the pundits page at The Session, features the wonderful flute playing of Harry McGowan. Tom King is the dancer…
Martin Doyle has just received a very kind testimonial from the renowned County Clare flute player Garry Shannon after Martin finished a keyed flute for him. Garry’s testimonial can be viewed here »
Garry Shannon
Garry Shannon is the eldest of a celebrated County Clare family of musicians which includes Sharon Shannon (accordion) and Mary Shannon (banjo).
Garry won the senior All-Ireland flute title in 1988 and has since played with a number of respected groups. He is a member of the legendary Kilfenora Ceili Band, has recorded three solo albums, teaches flute extensively and is co-ordinator of the Irish music residential summer school Meitheal. Read more »
Here’s a recording of Garry playing reels from his album Loozin’ Air:
If you wish to visit Martin Doyle's main website, click on this link: Martin Doyle Flutes
About Martin Doyle
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Martin Doyle grew up in the seaside town of Bray in County Wicklow. One of four children in a family with music in their blood, Martin was influenced and inspired by his mothers melodious singing from a very early age – learning songs that have stayed with him to this day.
Read more: About Martin Doyle Contact Martin Doyle
Bran has recently released a CD of Irish tunes that are linked by the common theme of ‘birds’. The title of the CD is 
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Martin Doyle grew up in the seaside town of Bray in County Wicklow. One of four children in a family with music in their blood, Martin was influenced and inspired by his mothers melodious singing from a very early age – learning songs that have stayed with him to this day.
Rob Portnoy Comments On His Martin Doyle Headjoint
April 11, 2013 at 9:58 am · Filed under Concert Flutes, Flute Players, Martin Doyle Flutes, Musicians, Testimonials, Wooden Head Joints ·Tagged comment, Concert, Flute, head, joint, Rob Portnoy, western, wooden
Rob Portnoy
Rob Portnoy is a renowned multi-woodwind performer, clinician and teacher who has worked with a plethora of superstar singers, musicians and performers including Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Mel Torme, Aretha Franklin, Wayne Newton, Nancy Wilson, Don Sebasky, Mickey Rooney, Red Skelton, Debbie Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole, Sarah Vaughn – to name but a few! He had the following to say about a wooden headjoint that he recently commissioned Martin Doyle to make for his concert flute:
Martin Doyle’s web page about the wooden headjoints he makes for western concert flutes can be viewed here »
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