Randal Hauck Polymer D Flute

New hand-made Irish Flute, from Randal Hauck Flutes. They are in the key of D, and have a tuning slide. Polymer construction makes it impervious to moisture and robust against mechanical damage. It has a fully tapered body, giving octave correction and a traditional complex tone quality. It has a strong low-D, and is an excellent session instrument. The embouchure hole is of the 'rounded rectangle' type.

This flute has the traditional tapered body that comes from the 19th century classical flutes. Please refer to the photos to see the difference in diameter from the head to the foot. [Modern orchestral flutes are tapered in the head-joint; classical flutes and Irish flutes are tapered in the body. Flutes that are cylindrical in both head and body play flat in the second octave.

The construction is truly robust. The tuning slide is not plastic, but is brass tubing. The head-joint plastic is formed over it, and it slides firmly but smoothly into the end of the left-hand body section, giving a good seal. There is no cork to wear out and no threads to re-wind. Environmental stress will not cause cracking. The right- and left-hand body sections join together in a tenon joint with 2.5mm tenon wall thickness, and 4mm containing-wall thickness – enough to give great strength.

The stopper is made of plastic, not cork or wood. This is a flute you can take backpacking or canoeing without any concerns about degradation, and yet it offers a strong presence in a session. [still not a good idea to leave it in a hot car or run it through the dishwasher.

"I really enjoy playing Randal Hauck's composite flute. It blows freely, easily and is quite responsive. It has a solid sound with a strong, vibrant low end; that includes a meaty low D. The sound is full and consistent throughout the entire range. Intonation is good and very comparable to flutes of similar design. Construction seems very durable and very well manufactured. It’s a great second instrument, very affordable. It can be taken anywhere without regard to temperature or humidity, which can have a detrimental affect wooden flutes. Thanks Randal!"

- Indianapolis Ceili Band Director, Director of the Irish Arts Academy of Indianapolis