Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From:
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 11:48 PM

Somewhere in some closet or steamer trunk lies the Melody Flute I used in my childhood in the '40s. I am impressed if they are still being made. On mine the silver is worn around the holes and you can see the brass underneath; so the old ones were not made of stainless steel. Also, as I recall, mine is not fingered as a recorder. You just progressively lift up fingers to get the C-major scale. It doesn't have that extra hole on the bottom that a recorder has.

Murray

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Áine
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 08:36 PM

A Mhikal,

Don't talk yourself out of it -- get one and join the fun!

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Mikal
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 08:31 PM

Yer welcome, lass! Some nights, I have nothing better to do than surf. Neatest things come of that!

Now I have to talk myself outa buying one!

Mikal

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Áine
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 07:51 PM

My darlin' Mikal!!! You're a wonder, and there's no doubt! I went to the link you gave and that's my little Melody Flute, right there. I'm going to order the 'new' book and a new flute tomorrow. Who knows, I might even pick up the fife as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you, you've made me a very happy 'girl'!

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Mikal
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 07:00 PM

Yup, answering myself, it seems. There is a site: http://home.rica.net/gilliadj/index.html (Sorry, I don't do blue clicky thingies...) that sells the beauties and the books to teach yourself how to play. 'Bout 14 bucks for the whistle, 5 forthe book. I may have to buy one now. I'll let my wife try to talk me out of it, though...

Mikal

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Mikal
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 06:50 PM

OOOOOH! They sound like fun! The kind of instrument even a ditz like me could use!

Okay, I want one. Where do I find one?

Mikal

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 06:35 PM

G'day Áine,

Here in Australia, I have seen a number of old variations on what I think of as a 'cheating' fife ... same 6 holes and sideways hold but a whistle mouthpiece to make it easier than cross-blowing.

Some old whistles had 3 interchangeable heads - a straight whistle, a sideways one and a proper flageolet head - blown through a a tube into an expansion chamber (modifying the "attack" of the note) and usually having some absorbing sponge to keep it relatively dry. I have also seen one-piece sideblown whistles - usually made of tin-plate or some type of dye-cast alloy ... and generally in Bb to play along with fife bands.

I presume the 'Melody Flute' was aimed at the same school market as the descant (soprano?) recorder and is in the same key 'C'.

Whilst chasing something quite different (a triccaballacca), I came across 19th century illustrations (in the Dover pictorial archive book Music) showing just such a one-piece side-blown whistle called: HK Fife. This was next to a tapered tin whistle just like a Clarke, but marked US with something like the US coat of arms. (Of course, it could have been a Clarke, tarted up for export to US ... or more likely an Americam rip-off.)

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: GUEST,Bill D
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 04:54 PM

I have a melody flute I bought on the Mall at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival about 1975...guy was selling them from a little stand, I think...it still works fine...

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Áine
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 04:08 PM

Does anyone know if the Melody Flute Company is still in business? Did or do they make these flutes in keys other than C? When I was searching for information on the flute (unsuccessfully, unfortunately), I saw a reference on a Civil War enactors' bulletin board that this company used to make Bflat fifes. Does anyone know if they made any other woodwind instruments?

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: harpgirl
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 01:07 AM

...well Aine, I noticed how grimy my keyboard is while looking for a mark to put over your A...anyway. I also played Flutophone with Mr. Lucatsky in 6th grade music class...graduated to silver flute but pined for fiddle, which mom thought was too skweaky...harpgirl

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Arkie
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 12:05 AM

I still have the one I used when teaching sixth grade back in the late '60s. Take it out and toot a tune or two ever so often.

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Troll
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 10:17 PM

I had one when I was a kid in the 50's.As I recall it was my second instrument( the first being a Flutophone). I never learned but a few tunes tho. My fingers don't seem to think that way.

troll

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Áine
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 09:46 PM

Thanks for responding to my thread, guys. This little 'flute' was responsible for awakening my interest in music as a whole, and I can remember spending many, many happy hours with it, making up tunes and playing songs off the radio by ear.

Looking at it a little closer, and asking the opinion of the dear hubby, it turns out that this particular little 'flute' isn't made out of tin at all -- it's rolled stainless steel. And even if it's *&%#$@!)*^$ years old, it's still in perfect pitch, even after being dropped on concrete sidewalks, thrown at an ex-husbands, and falling into the hands of my youngest 'ankle-biters'!

Looking at the 'Classroom Method' book, which, of course, I never read when I was in elementary school, it says that the 'originator' of the Melody Flute was a Mr. Walter D. Lanahan. Irish to the core, I betcha. I'm wondering though, do you think that he took the Irish tin/penny whistle and put the mouthpiece on the side, thereby making the instrument a 'flute' and therefore more 'respectable'? Remember, these instruments were popular before being Irish was 'in'. Any opinions, ideas?

-- Áine

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Conrad Bladey (Peasant- Inactive)
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 09:34 PM

I have two and a book as well. One time one slid out of the car window- I had put it up on the ledge under the front window and the light went green and go and I turned right the melody flute went left right out the window and bounced into the intersection.

Got out picked it up and not a scratch though I swear it took several bounces. I remember visiting the company which had moved from Laurel to beltsville md right by the post office. the place had photos on the walls of large bands of folks in africa all outfitted with the whistles. I havent played them in a while!

Conrad

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: GUEST,Jen
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 06:39 PM

I have two, I think I bought them on ebay. One doesn't work very well, but the other one really sounds nice! But I prefer my tin whistle. :-)

Jen

Subject: RE: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 06:03 PM

If you mean the ones with recorder fingering, you can still get them in stores in the UK called 'Early Learning Centre', THE best toy shops for children, fun, educational and not A SINGLE GUN, CANNON OR BLOODY BARBIE IN THEM!!! My daughter has one, but prefers the glockenspiel...... Very confusing, trying to do the fingering sideways...... er, um, you know what I mean....

LTS

Subject: Anyone Remember The Melody Flute?
From: Áine
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 05:45 PM

I was cleaning out a closet today and I couldn't believe it when I found my Melody Flute -- basically, a six-hole tin whistle (Key of C) with the mouthpiece on the side. I also found my old instruction book, 'Classroom Method for Melody Flute' by Frederick Beckman. What a hoot!

Did anyone else have one of the these flutes in school? Any stories?

-- Áine