Recommending M&E Flutes

[T&K]

Hello to all,

I would like to share the exceptional experience I’ve had with M&E. What I want to say is aimed mostly at beginners but perhaps others might enjoy it as well.

First, I’m a relative newcomer to simple-system flutes but a bit of an oldtimer in many other ways. I’ve been around music all my life and currently play the flute for fun, in “sessions” with my grown children and budding grandkids!

Thanks to the many knowledgeable people and wealth of information on this forum (as well as other sources), I took a hard look at M&E (based in County Mayo, Ireland) and gave them a call. Mr. Cronnolly was very helpful and gave me some good practical advice (but no “sales pitch”). I decided to order his keyless polymer (low D) and it arrived within about a week. At this point, I’d already made some decent progress on a practice model so I was able to play the M&E right away… and boy did I fall in love with this instrument!

After a few months with this, I knew I wanted a keyed model as well (primarily for certain classical and lyrical tunes). So I called Michael Cronnolly, placed an order, and shortly thereafter received a genuine M&E ebonite 6-key model! To put it mildly, I was blown away because this flute is a real gem. It has an amazing Rudall & Rose sound (which I happen to particularly like), beautiful tones from top to bottom, easy to play, full of character (warm, sweet, and reedy) with solid intonation, and very nice keyworks that are quiet and responsive.

The price of this keyed flute is unbelievably low and, according to my research, there isn’t another new 6-key that comes close. Again, I offer these comments to players who might want to get a keyed model but may feel intimidated or constrained in some way. I must also mention that the M&E keyless (in polymer or wood) is a great companion… a real workhouse you can develop yourself with.

The quality of service I received from Michael and Evelyn Cronnolly is as good as I’ve ever known and (as noted above), right away I found their instruments playable, enjoyable, and filled with the kind of depth and character I was looking for. On top of that, delivery was little more than about a week for each order (I live more than 5000 miles from Ireland).

From what I’ve read, M&E flutes have evolved and improved over the years… that’s the way of the craftsman; so I’m very thankful to have gotten mine while they’re still available.

That’s about it. By the way, I would never want to compare these instruments (nor my experience with M&E) to YOUR favorite model and maker. M&E earned my respect bigtime and that’s all there is to it. For newcomers, it can be difficult to sort things out. For that, I recommend doing your research on this forum; then, depending on your budget, you’ll have a number of great choices that you can’t go wrong with. Find an instrument you can love, treat it well, and great will be your reward! Thanks for listening and allowing me to share this.

P.S. I would also highly recommend these three books: “An Fheadog Mhor - Irish Traditional Flute Technique” (by Conal O’Grada), “Fliuit” (by June McCormack), and “A Complete Guide to Learning the Irish Flute” (by Fintan Vallely). If you’re new to the Irish flute and don’t have a teacher, get all three.

[Jayhawk]

First off, welcome to the forum! Since you looked through comments on M&Es on the forum, you may have seen my many comments in support of the M&E. Great bang for your buck, and the best value in a keyed flute out there in my opinion. I primarily played an M&E for a good 10 years - first a 6 key polymer followed by an ebonite 8 key (for most of those years). I still have the ebonite flute, and it's become by back-up flute in case my main flute, a 5 key Baubet, ever needs to go in the shop. The M&E is a flute I'll never let go. Plus, Michael is just a great guy to work with.

Eric

[T&K]

Hi Eric,

Yes, I saw some of your posts (along with many others). I appreciated your perspective and I’m glad you responded so I can thank you personally!

It’s kind of amazing that there’s this little flute shop out in the middle of Ireland, near Swinford (in Co, Mayo). My wife (Kerry) and I have traveled all over Ireland and remember passing through Swinford long before I had time to take up a new instrument. I also have a nice Delrin flute but prefer the “taste” of M&E’s brand of polymer. I actually put some electrical tape around the embouchure hole of the delrin model in order to mitigate (which is still a great flute, by the way). This works well and I don’t get any of the mild “heat” from my lips blowing directly against the surface. My delrin flute is a beautiful design but the M&E polymer model is loaded with character… and man does it sing!

Anyway, nice to hear how much you still enjoy your M&E. Thanks Eric!

[eilam]

i love M&E flutes, and he has always been great to dealwith as well.....i was probably one of the first to get his flutes when he still made his original small holed flutes....for the last 10-15 years i went through many flutes but always kept my M&E, it's been my most played flute.....unfortunately, somehow i managed to lose it or it was stolen from my car in the last month....
for sure the best deal for your money.

[Jayhawk]

Man Eilam...that sucks!

[eilam]

yes, it was the flute i always had around, also, i'm sure that who ever has it, does not play.....the great thing about M&E is that it's so durable and affordable, that you can have it always ready to be played.
i miss mine.

[2T00TS]

Hello T&K and Welcome to the forum. I have to congratulate you on your good sense and taste in buying a very good flute from a very decent man. My son and I bought our very first flutes from this gentleman, and although we have collected quite a few more since, we both agree his are definitely Keepers. Every time I play mine I'm still staggered to this day at the wonderful tone and easy play-ability, considering the cost. It never fails to bring a smile of pure satisfaction every time.
Sorry to hear about your loss eilam. Luckily, Michael is still out there making these little gems. Owen.

[sligofluter]

I´m very happy with my M&E keyless polymer. Good handling, nice tone, amazing volume if you are capable to get it and not very hard to play nor is the easiest.

Great value for a small fee. I think is the perfect flute for beginners.

I have to say that Michael is a gentlemen, when I bought my flute I asked for his paypal address, he send me a wrong email address and my money was lost in the cyberspace. I claimed to paypal for a refund and and they answered me that it would take several weeks to return it, then Michael sent me the flute without payment confirmation and I could pay him 3 weeks later, after I recieved my instrument.

[greenspiderweb]

Hello T, and welcome! Nice to hear that you have found a friend in M&E flutes as well! That's all I play now, just one flute. After trying most of them, I finally settled on an Ebonite keyless M&E, which suits me just fine. I really like the tone too-nicer to my ears than Delrin, and seemingly more near a wooden flute, but still pleasingly unique in character overall.

If I had the means, I might also have a wooden flute, as there are many really nice ones out there. But being that is not the case, and I don't play as much as I once did (focused more low whistle now), I'm still very happy to have the M&E Rudall in Ebonite. It makes me smile when I play it! I'm so glad Michael had the foresight to bring it back in use as a flute material.

So, thank you Michael, for that and all your efforts to provide good, affordable flutes for those who neeed them! No doubt there are many other flutemakers now, that also provide lower cost flutes. But it's good to hear that you are still active, and your flutes continue to be a viable alternative today, after all these years and stiff competition. Good for you, Michael, and best wishes to you and yours.

[Ketil]

I just ordered a ebonite F flute from them It is my second M&E flute, but I sold the previous one. Looking forward to playing one again soon. Very quick response and service! Highly recommended!
Ketil

[T&K]

Many thanks for the warm welcome!

Michael Cronnolly’s wood, polymer, and ebonite flutes have a similar sound which he demonstrates on a YouTube video that many have probably seen. Having both a polymer and ebonite, I know there can also be a not-too subtle difference between them (I believe Eric/Jayhawk noted this in an earlier thread). But there are also many similarities, as Michaels’ video proves. Recently, I made a tonality comparison with a June McCormack tune (from her tutorial, “Fliuit”) and my ebonite (6-key) sounds pretty close in many ways (in both octaves)--certainly more so to my ears than the keyless M&E polymer. How you blow influences this as well… and the M&E is responsive to that (i.e., a kind of rich tonality you can explore with each pitch).

I really enjoy June McCormack’s style of play… lots of pep and pop, but lyrical and fluid. (I suppose that could describe many players!) This, and the fact that she includes slow versions of the tracks (from “Fliuit”), is very effective for getting a feel for the different forms of Irish music (i.e., the single jig, double jig, polka, barndance, and reel, etc.). Also, how different the playing of a jig (or other dance tune) can be from the score/dots from which it is based/documented (the “Fliuit” tutorial includes scores for each track).

For newer players… learning a musical instrument is mental and physical. You hear in your mind (or feel in your heart) what you want to play… and then comes the physical work of training/getting your fingers, breath, and mouth (embouchure) to make it happen--along with the memorization (mental and muscle memory) required to work through and eventually master a tune (key word “master”).

Of course, this take a lot of practice… a joyful practice, I like to think! And learning on one main instrument can be essential to an aspirant’s fundamental development (although not a requirement per se). In his excellent tutorial, Conal O’Grada stresses this (i.e., learning/developing on one particular instrument).

I enjoy puttering about on my delrin; it has a nice strong tone, is relatively easy to play, and the contrast (with M&E) makes me a better player. That said, I do my development work (new tunes, tone work, fingering, etc.) and measure/evaluate my progress only on the M&E (both the polymer and ebonite models).

All the best,
T

[Steve Bliven]

In looking around the M & E web site—either descriptions of their flutes or the price list, I don't see much mention of ebonite. Are they still making ebonite flutes? Would this be a special order item? Any sense of the comparative prices between polymer and ebonite?

Thanks and best wishes.

Steve

[sligofluter]

In the other side of the balance, I have to say that M&E flutes are not one of the easiest flutes I've found, and sometimes is not easy for me fill it completely. I have tried other flutes more comfortable to play, and the finish of some of the holes in my M&E polymer is not the best.

But I´m in love with it sound, nothing to envy to more expensive instruments.

[T&K]

Hi Steve,

I believe Michael still advertises ebonite for the 6-key model (particularly on the Order page), and that you ‘might’ be able to get ebonite upon request for a keyless model (in low-D or whatever). The M&E website is kind of old-fashioned looking (in terms today’s Internet) but there’s some good practical advise as well as some pretty humorous content there. On a side-note, I believe M&E might be updating their Order pg as I very recently couldn’t access it. It is on Order page where all of M&E flute materials are listed (i.e., polymer, ebonite for 6-key, rosewood, and blackwood).

Regarding ebonite, it is somewhat brittle and you have to be careful about that. It’s great for general handling and playing, but if it drops off of a table or chair… well, you might end up with a crack or chip (or worse) that would never have happened with polymer.

Regarding prices on, let’s say, a keyless flute in D… I don’t know if there would be a difference between polymer and ebonite flutes from M&E, nor if M&E even offers ebonite as a material for keyless flutes (although they did at one time). If this is your first flute, I recommend polymer. I love mine and play it most often. If it’s a keyed flute that you want, ebonite is awesome and, in fact, I don’t believe M&E even makes a keyed flute in polymer anymore (although the general info on their website might not reflect that yet). Of note is that Michael requests that folks wanting a keyed or wood flute please contact him first (before placing the order).

In case you don’t have it, here’s some contact info for M&E:

M&E Email: mecronnolly@gmail.com
M&E Phone: (00) 353 71 91 81336
M&E Mobile Phone: (00) 353 868449518

Best of luck, Steve!

Cheers,
T

[dubrosa22]

After stumbling viewtopic.php?f=2&t=100032 into simple system flutes and Irish Trad music in March/April this year I decided I needed a polymer/Delrin keyless conical flute for spontaneous random practise at home or to travel with to work etc. thus saving my 19th C. keyed flute from such horrid abuse, and not worrying so much about those pesky keys just now.

My flute-maker shortlist for a keyless polymer followed the oft repeated advice of many polymer flute threads here at Chiff & Fipple;
Forbes, Copley, Sweet, M&E, Dixon, Somers, Seery.
Phew! Ultimately, I chose M&E in part due to the great price and player feedback and also because their Rudall & Rose model seemed the best fit for me.

After filling in an order form and emailing it through, Michael Cronnolly very quickly responded with all the details I required, and so I promptly paid via PayPal. Almost simultaneously Michael sent through an An Post tracking number saying it was already out the door and in the post!

5 working days later (all the way from County Mayo, Ireland to New South Wales, Australia) the polymer M&E flute arrived safe and snug. A remarkable service!

Immediately my fingers were comfortable with the new toneholes and the embouchure was crisp and responsive. Tonally it is darker but also crisper than my French keyed flute.
I also had an instant greater grasp of the 2nd and 3rd octaves that I just couldn't master on my old French flute even after relentless practise!

It's a great flute for me as a beginner. It has already taught me so much about my playing that I then in turn translate onto the keyed wooden flute (the octaves on that flute are now as easy as on the M&E - I don't know how that works exactly, but it does!).

M&E's polymer flute and customer service is wonderful and very highly recommended!

V