Good to know you folks are still playing!!   I have lot's of flutes, Native American by Michael Allen, a High Spirits, Ken Light's and Charlie Mont, Blue Bears.  My Bansuri's and Shakuhachi's etc. have been boxed for a good while now, since I wrecked a Trigeminal Nerve and playing them can set it off.  I really miss it, especially the Anasazi's and Japanese and Arabian flutes.  But, Lord willing this thing will pass.......I still have a box of 10 I got from Erik the Flute Maker when he was helping a little girl from Nicarauga pay for some of her care while getting surgery done at Baptist Hospital in Miami.

Since I love that music and you folk are into it, can I get you to do some audio.  In the mean time, dulcimer tunes it is for me.

Another HS flutes player here....I have 7.

I play Native American style flutes also.  Three of them are High Spirits flutes and are very well made.  I have another made by Stellar flutes.  I love the mellow, haunting sound.

Hi Irene.  I have several Mirlitons -- one almost identical to the one Peter is playing, made by the same Austrian builder. Very spendy…  

I've also started making them myself.  Not as pretty perhaps but they play just as well.  I've made three so far from bamboo that is 3/4" but not 1" in diameter, with lengths from 5" to 10".  The covers are made from joint ends of larger culms.  I'll post some photos later.  I have one crummy vid on my YouTube.  Having trouble finding a way to make vids that aren't 50-80 Mb.  The membrane is a 2x2 square of plastic grocery bag tied/glued over the ends and trimmed.

Here is fotmd's own Peter W. playing onion flute with mountain dulcimer:

Ken, I'd never heard of an "Onion flute" and went on youtube to see it played.  how fun is that!!!  Where did you get your onion flute?  aloha, irene

I play a bit of pennywhistle, but mostly Mirliton.  The Mirliton or Onion flute isn't really a wind instrument, it's a membranophone -- an ancestral kazoo more or less (but not as raucous or metallic sounding) from the 15th-17th century.  Sounds good with the dulcimer actually.  

Ever since getting my teeth replaced with an upper plate, I more or less lost the ability to whistle well; which I used to enjoy doing along with a friend's band.  The Mirliton lets me do almost all the complicated trills of whistling again.  

Same, John, in that, having a music education degree, I can supposedly play all of the band wind instruments, buuuuut.... I'm really a flute player. If I had access to the instrument and practice time, I have the foundational knowledge to pick any of them up.

I also do a little on soprano, alto, and sopranino recorder (mine are all plastic Yamahas, acquired for the purpose of teaching elementary children). Would love to learn pennywhistle, but haven't bought one yet.

I'm a weird (or lucky) duck on this topic.  I'm an instrumental music education major, so I can technically play any orchestral brass, woodwind, or percussion instrument.  Honesty compels me to report that I would only consider myself competent enough to perform in public on seven or possibly eight of the brass and woodwind instruments (but any of the  percussion instruments...let's go) lol.  I also do penny whistle and Native American flute.  The cool thing is that new and wonderful challenges are still lurking around every corner.  I've been blessed to do okay as a tuba major/percussion minor.  Learning musical instruments is fun!  

I began playing clarinet at age 11, then studied it all the way through university.  After moving overseas, I began playing the diatonic harmonica.  That got me into Old Time music.  Now I've started playing the dulcimer, too.

All 7 of my NAF's are High Spirits. Very good intonation, beautifully made and reasonably priced. I've been real happy with them. There are other good flutes out there too, but others would have to chime in about them.

Great! My oldest son (17) plays the recorder really well and messes around with a bansuri flute from India, but he keeps talking about getting another flute. Which Native American flute makers can you recommend?

I started with flute in 5th grade, then switched to alto saxophone in 7th grade. Since then, I've played around with several recorders and the tin whistle. But for the last couple of years I've gotten into playing Native American Flute.

I'm a bass trombonist and euphonium player. The dulcimer is my first try at a stringed instrument. 

Bob, I'd love to hear that same tune on the dulcimers you make.   sweet and slow....I loved watching you play on your pipes....almost like a sit down dance.   and Strumelia, I sooooooooo love all the sizes of recorders.  I have a wonderful book to recommend to you to learn from.  Mine are all plastic from Japan....Wood recorders in Hawaii had a very hard time.  My fav. to play is the bass....That's how I got acquainted with SACRED HARP MUSIC was playing the recorders. all separate lines...then heard and sang that fabulous music at the OLD PAL MUSIC FESTIVAL for the first time last year.  yep. going again this year.  ALOHA, irene

Thanks Strumelia :-) The bellows-pipes (aka cauld wind pipes ) are an interesting animal to tame but when you got it they are really enjoyable. I had the Scottish Small Pipe chanter made specifically to fit the Scottish Border Pipes, so the volume was much reduced and the fullness of the Border drones really was evident and makes for an almost haunting tone.

They can accompany and compliment Mountain Dulcimers nicely also. A few small pipe players I met also play Mountain Dulcimers. Must be a drone thing

Bob, that's so cool!  You are multi talented for sure.

Hi Strumelia, I just posted a  you tube video of my piping. The tune is a favorite of mine- MacPherson's Lament.

I didn't....I will check it out-Thanks!

Hewalker- beautiful recorders!  BTW did you know we have a thread here in this forum specifically about recorders:
https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/adventures-with-other-instruments/6926/recorder

Bob, I wish you'd post a clip of you playing one of your pipes!

Soprano-Smallest (I own) is a German Wesner

Alto-Middle is an Alpine

Tenor-Largest (I own) is a Wesner   All three are wood and have wonderful tone quality!

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I play a type of bagpipes called the cauld-wind pipes;  Scottish Small Pipes (a set in "D" and one in "A"). Also Scottish Border Pipes. I need to get them out more often!

HeWalker, what brand are your 'serious' recorders?  Can you post a photo of them here?  

I have a whole playlist on my itunes of medieval and renaissance recorder music. It's so beautiful to listen to!  I stick with penny whistles because recorders are simply too much of a learning curve for me at this point... and I had a much easier time learning the PW.  But I do think recorders sound the most heavenly.  

I have a few Ocarinas....fun to play.....I sometimes take one sailing and play when there aren't any waves!!!!

I built a Mirleton once -- the adult version of a kazoo. Also ocarina.

After reading Bill's post regarding Pennywhistle-I was curious what other wind instruments does everyone play.

I grew up on the Clarinet, Alto Clarinet and Bass Clarinet,  Recently (last year) started playing the penny whistle but most recently I have acquired and started playing the serious recorders.   I own a soprano, an Alto and a Tenor.  The alto is my favorite (I have tiny hands and it fits)