Archive for Testimonials
September 10, 2009 at 9:36 pm
· Filed under Flute, Flute Making, Flute Players, Ireland, Irish flute, Martin Doyle Flutes, Recently Added, Testimonials, Website
Tomás MacUileagóid, a flute player, fiddler and harp player/maker from Dublin, Ireland, has kindly added a testimonial to Martin Doyle Flutes. Tomás recently purchased a keyed flute from Martin Doyle.
“Hi Martin, I have thought a lot about writing to you since I got my keyed flute from you. I wanted to really feel my way into it and explore what it has to offer. I am astounded by the range of colour available, just waiting for me to exploit it. The tones available far exceed what I could get on the flute I got off you 10 years ago. I wanted the keys because I have a particular interest in the music of east Galway, Paddy Kelly and Paddy Fahey in particular, and you can’t really manage that without the F natural. Obviously since I have a keyed flute I notice other flutes much more, and I am continuously impressed by your standard of craftsmanship, and I understand how difficult it is to maintain such a high standard. Well done!! I don’t know what motivates you as an instrument maker, but I enjoy being able to create something that is unique with its own voice, that will hopefully live long after me and in some small way contribute to making the world a better place. I think you have already achieved this. Thank you. Regards, Tomás.”
Very thoughtful and insightful words from a fellow instrument maker — thank you for your kind and encouraging comments Tomás.
This and other testimonials from owners of Martin Doyle flutes can be viewed here: Testimonials
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August 13, 2009 at 4:27 am
· Filed under Flute Players, Irish flute, Irish traditional music, Music, Musicians, Recently Added, Testimonials, Website, Wooden Flutes ·Tagged band, County Kerry, Danu, Flute, Ireland, Irish traditional music, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, music sample, musician, player, Testimonial
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
is an accomplished flute and whistle player and singer from
Dún Chaoin in County Kerry, Ireland. She is the lead singer and flute player with the traditional Irish music group
Danú, and is a tutor at the
Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick.
Muireann plays a Martin Doyle flute and has been kind enough to offer a testimonial for Martin Doyle Flutes and a sample of her flute playing from the album Dual — a collaboration with Julie Fowlis, Éamon Doorley and Ross Martin that was released in November of 2008.
Muireann’s testimonial reads:
“I have been playing a Martin Doyle African Blackwood ‘D’ flute since 2001. As a touring musician I am delighted with its reliability and consistensy of tone, no matter where I am in the world. The flute is perfectly in tune which is very important when playing in a band context. I also love the fact that it can produce a variety of sounds from a powerful bark to a sweeter, clearer tone, making it a very expressive instrument and suitable for all kinds of music from wild Kerry Polkas to more subtle slow airs. I always recommend Martin’s flutes to my flute students.”
More testimonials from owners of Martin Doyle flutes may be viewed here: Testimonials — and Muireann’s music sample can be heard here: Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh
Our thanks to Muireann for her kindness. We have posted a video clip of Muireann playing her Martin Doyle flute after the fold — a lovely example of Irish traditional music…
Read the rest of this entry »
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April 29, 2009 at 1:17 am
· Filed under Flute Players, Irish flute, Martin Doyle Flutes, Recently Added, Testimonials, Website ·Tagged Added, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, Ireland, Martin Doyle Flutes, new, Paul McCarthy, Testimonial
Martin Doyle has just received a very kind testimonial from Paul MaCarthy – a self professed ‘flute player for the fun of it’ who hails from Clonmel in County Tipperary, Ireland. Paul’s kind testimonial is as follows:
Paul McCarthy playing his Martin Doyle cocus wood flute
“Having played other flutes (mainly African blackwood with headliner) and been dissatisfied with their somewhat capricious nature, I started searching for an instrument which did not have these flaws. After scratching around the country on and off for months and visiting several well respected flute makers, I failed to find what I was looking for. Maybe it was me and not the flutes but I found them very unacceptably fickle. Eventually in the autumn of 2005 I found myself in a snug workshop in Bray talking with a very relaxed and affable flute maker who invited me to sit into the corner and try any flute I could find. There were several on a rack on the table next to me so I started with the one closest to me and worked my way along about 7 or 8 of them. Being of a methodical nature, I played the same tune (a slip jig called A Fig For A Kiss) on each of them to better judge their performance. All were sweet toned, balanced and uncapricious. Then my eye lit on it. A nice looking Cocuswood, unkeyed, unlined flute at the end of the rack. The feeling I got on playing those first few notes I can still recall. Absolutely gorgeous tone, weight and balance, not a hint of fickleness and with that lovely soft, mellow reverberation which comes with good tone. Low D? No problem. Another fifteen minutes playing passed interspersed with question and answers with Martin. The decision to buy this particular flute was not made by me nor by Martin but by the flute. This thing of beauty is of the rare sort and gives massive enjoyment. Thanks are not enough Martin Doyle!”
Thank you Paul…
This and other testimonials can be viewed on Martin’s Testimonials, Testimonials 2 and Testimonials 3pages.
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June 2, 2008 at 12:00 am
· Filed under Martin Doyle Flutes, Testimonials, Website ·Tagged agent, Bangor, David Thompson, Gandharva Loka, Martin Doyle Flutes, Northern Ireland, Testimonial
02/06/2008:
New Testimonial:
Martin Doyle has just received a very kind testimonial from David Thompson who is a flute player and member of The Belfast and District Set Dancing & Traditional Music Society from Bangor, Northern Ireland. It reads:
“The Celtic style flute without tuning slide is the most satisfying flute I’ve ever played. It has a crisp and full low register — the low D really honks! I love the simplicity of this flutes appearance, yet the tone I can get out of it is truly awe inspiring and it’s always in tune. This is ‘flute minimalism’ at it’s finest!”
This and other testimonials can be viewed on Martin’s Testimonials and Testimonials 2 pages.
New Agent:
The Ghandarva Loka World Music Store in Christchurch, New Zealand, is now stocking Martin Doyle flutes and links have been added to Gandharva Loka from Martin Doyle’s Flutes and Links pages.
Gandharva:
A class of heavenly beings, famed particularly for their musical skills.
Loka:
World, habitat, realm or plane of existence.
Gandharva Loka, Christchurch, New Zealand
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May 16, 2008 at 8:34 am
· Filed under Martin Doyle Flutes, Recently Added, Testimonials, Website ·Tagged Isao 'Paddy' Moriyasu, Martin Doyle Flutes, new, Testimonials, two, Yusuke Usuda
Two new testimonials have just been added to Martin Doyle’s website. Both are from flute players in Japan who are involved in the Irish Traditional Music scene there. The first testimonial is from Yusuke Usuda who writes:
“I am very pleased with the two flutes Martin! I played the D flute for the set dancing with my friends last Saturday evening. I was pleasantly surprised at the excellent responses and the great capacity of the tone colours. For me, these flutes are saikou — the best!”
The second testimonial is from Isao ‘Paddy’ Moriyasu who, with his wife Masako, aka ‘Bridgit’, spend time in County Clare each year and have made two CDs of Irish traditional music. Paddy has this to say about his Martin Doyle Flutes:
“Martin is a great friend of mine. He’s not only an excellent flute maker but also (believe it or not) a master of the Japanese martial art of Aikido !! He regularly visits Japan for intensive Aikido training. I started working on a recording project called ‘The Complete Works of Turlough O’Carolan in 2007 — 7 CDs in all and have already finished recording 3 of them so far. I’ve decided to use Martin’s D and C flutes for the recording as his instruments always give me loads of inspiration and freedom. With his lovely flutes, I can explore a whole new world of Carolan music. Thanks Martin !! Looking forward to playing some tunes with you in Tokyo.”
I will add a blog post about Paddy in the near future because he is a very interesting character.
Martin Doyle’s testimonials page has been split into two parts which can be viewed using these links: Testimonials and Testimonials 2.
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Additions to Martin Doyle Flutes
July 16, 2009 at 11:29 pm · Filed under Martin Doyle, Martin Doyle Flutes, Recently Added, Testimonials, Translations, Website ·Tagged additions, comments, Irish language, Martin Doyle Flutes, new, Page, Testimonials, Website
And one from David Craig of Duluth, Minnesota, USA, who writes,
Three pages of testimonials from owners of Martin Doyle flutes may be viewed from here: Testimonials
Also added is a translation of the About Martin Doyle page into Irish. This page was kindly translated into Irish by the renowned Irish biographer and encyclopaedist Diarmuid Breathnach of County Wicklow, Ireland. The new page may be viewed here: Sceal Máirtín Ó Dubhghaill. Our thanks to Diarmuid Breathnach for his time and kind patience.
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