I'm curious how many Irish Whistle players and Flute players have a Fife and drun background?
I've never done it at an Irish session, but I would like to start a set of tunes including Crown Point, Essence Of Tampa and Hanover Hornpipe and see how many people would join in. There are a bunch of really great fife tunes that sound wonderful on the whistle or Flute. Most of these tunes can be gotten out of the two company books from the Company of Fifers and drummers....they have a great website! Fifers and Drummers have Jollifications which are like large Irsh sessions, some with 20 musicians and other big jollifications or musters will have hundreds playing at once. None of this one Bodhran business, there can be 20 to 30 drummers at once!
Ben
Hey, any fifers out there?
I played the fife as a Civil War reenactor for about ten years before I took up the pennywhistle. There is a lot of overlap between fife and whistle tunes because many of the former are derived from Celtic sources, even sometimes parts of the camp duty.
I still play my fife very often, going on eleven years now.
I still play my fife very often, going on eleven years now.
Best regards,
Neil Dickey
Neil Dickey
Well, Celt5, I can certainly suggest what you should <i>not</i> get: There's an inexpensive maplewood fife, costing about $15.00, that can be found in sutler's emporia at reenactments and in many catalogues. It looks like just the thing for someone getting started, but if you are at all serious <i><strong>don't</strong></i> get one of them. They're souvenirs, not musical instruments. You'll blow your brains out trying to play it.
The fife is much more difficult to play than the pennywhistle. As can be true with the pennywhistle, to a great extent with the fife you get what you pay for. A fife that is difficult to blow will disappoint you because you won't be able to manage the high notes or the fast fingerings on it as all your effort is spent in blowing and tonguing. Remember that you make the windway with your lips on this instrument. The fife is capable of three octaves, from lowest D through two intermediate D's to uppermost D, and as a rule of thumb it takes between three and five years for a learner to be able to hit B in the third octave reliably -- let alone the top of the gamut. A great many fife tunes, including many of the best, hit high B. You therefore want to spend your money on a fife that is as easy to play as possible.
The better fifes are made of wood, and I recommend that you get a fife that is not varnished or finished in any way except to polish the wood itself. The recipes for oil to use on the instrument to prevent cracking have all been discussed in this forum and can be found in the archives. I use 90% almond oil with 10% olive oil. Dry your instrument after playing with a dry cotton patch on a cleaning rod, and then oil it inside and out. Rub the oil into the exterior with your hands until the wood feels slightly warm. Don't neglect a swab in the embouchere and the finger holes. A well-oiled fife plays much easier and more sweetly than a dry one.
As far as makes go, I have experience with two that I recommend. One is the "Stony Creek Model" made by the Cooperman Fife and Drum Company. I haven't seen it recently in their offerings, and they may have discontinued it, but it is an excellent fife -- even if you'll have to talk them into leaving the varnish off. My current favorite and first-line instrument is a "Model F" sold by Leo Brennan. It runs about $200 last I checked, and is the best and sweetest-playing fife I have found. You can pay in the $600 range for a Healy, but that's probably a bit rich for your blood -- it certainly is for mine -- and I have no experience with them. They have a small but devoted and rather stridently evangelical following.
I hold my nose as I write this,
, but if you really want to get started inexpensively to see if you like the instrument, get one of the el-cheapo black PVC fifes. You can radius the edges of the finger holes <i>slightly</i> with a pocket knife or a bit of fine sandpaper to make them play better. Because of the density and smoothness of the plastic, they play leaps and bounds better than the maplewood fife I disparaged above and cost in the close neighborhood of $10.00 or less.
One last trick to make the instrument easier to play: Use a 1/4 inch dowel rod to move the cork to within about 1 or 2 millimeters of the emboucher hole. The manufacturer usually puts it much further away, and that only makes it harder to play. You will sharp the pitch somewhat by moving the cork, but you'll still be in tune with everyone else because everyone else ( pretty much ) does it too. It turns out that they <i>way</i> you blow into the emboucher has more effect on pitch than where the cork is: Roll the emboucher towards your lips to flat, away to sharp.
It may seem as though I'm trying to discourage you, but I'm most certainly not. I'm trying to be honest with you. If you work at it for six months to a year, and are not impressed at all with your progress, remember that it isn't you. The fife is just a difficult instrument to master. Remember also that it was once used for military signalling, and its note can therefore cut glass. It is not the instrument for shy persons.
If you need further advice, let me know. I'll be glad to help.
The fife is much more difficult to play than the pennywhistle. As can be true with the pennywhistle, to a great extent with the fife you get what you pay for. A fife that is difficult to blow will disappoint you because you won't be able to manage the high notes or the fast fingerings on it as all your effort is spent in blowing and tonguing. Remember that you make the windway with your lips on this instrument. The fife is capable of three octaves, from lowest D through two intermediate D's to uppermost D, and as a rule of thumb it takes between three and five years for a learner to be able to hit B in the third octave reliably -- let alone the top of the gamut. A great many fife tunes, including many of the best, hit high B. You therefore want to spend your money on a fife that is as easy to play as possible.
The better fifes are made of wood, and I recommend that you get a fife that is not varnished or finished in any way except to polish the wood itself. The recipes for oil to use on the instrument to prevent cracking have all been discussed in this forum and can be found in the archives. I use 90% almond oil with 10% olive oil. Dry your instrument after playing with a dry cotton patch on a cleaning rod, and then oil it inside and out. Rub the oil into the exterior with your hands until the wood feels slightly warm. Don't neglect a swab in the embouchere and the finger holes. A well-oiled fife plays much easier and more sweetly than a dry one.
As far as makes go, I have experience with two that I recommend. One is the "Stony Creek Model" made by the Cooperman Fife and Drum Company. I haven't seen it recently in their offerings, and they may have discontinued it, but it is an excellent fife -- even if you'll have to talk them into leaving the varnish off. My current favorite and first-line instrument is a "Model F" sold by Leo Brennan. It runs about $200 last I checked, and is the best and sweetest-playing fife I have found. You can pay in the $600 range for a Healy, but that's probably a bit rich for your blood -- it certainly is for mine -- and I have no experience with them. They have a small but devoted and rather stridently evangelical following.
I hold my nose as I write this,
, but if you really want to get started inexpensively to see if you like the instrument, get one of the el-cheapo black PVC fifes. You can radius the edges of the finger holes <i>slightly</i> with a pocket knife or a bit of fine sandpaper to make them play better. Because of the density and smoothness of the plastic, they play leaps and bounds better than the maplewood fife I disparaged above and cost in the close neighborhood of $10.00 or less.One last trick to make the instrument easier to play: Use a 1/4 inch dowel rod to move the cork to within about 1 or 2 millimeters of the emboucher hole. The manufacturer usually puts it much further away, and that only makes it harder to play. You will sharp the pitch somewhat by moving the cork, but you'll still be in tune with everyone else because everyone else ( pretty much ) does it too. It turns out that they <i>way</i> you blow into the emboucher has more effect on pitch than where the cork is: Roll the emboucher towards your lips to flat, away to sharp.
It may seem as though I'm trying to discourage you, but I'm most certainly not. I'm trying to be honest with you. If you work at it for six months to a year, and are not impressed at all with your progress, remember that it isn't you. The fife is just a difficult instrument to master. Remember also that it was once used for military signalling, and its note can therefore cut glass. It is not the instrument for shy persons.
If you need further advice, let me know. I'll be glad to help.
Best regards,
Neil Dickey
Neil Dickey
I don't think the fife should be a hard instrument to master for anybody who plays the whistle. It is the same fingering and all you have to do is learn to blow it, which is the same process as any other flute.
I agree with Neil .... don't get a $15 maple fife. You might get one that is playable, but even the best are lousy and have enough on you hands learning to play without being handcuffed by your instrument.
You can order a good fife from any one of several makers on the website <fifeanddrum.com>
You will pay about $75 for a rosewood fife by Cooperman or Sweet B-flat military fife, and Grenadilla will cost you perhaps $15 more. Cooperman also offers his fife in Persimmon for about $35. I have only played one of these, and it seemed adequate. Another good make is a Ferraray. (Note: Do not get a Sweet "folk fife" if you intend to play with a fife and drum corps...it is not suitable.)
A Healy fife is a two piece job, made of grenadilla with Sterling silver ferrule, tuning slide and end rings. It costs about $175 and is playable through three octaves, (unlike the standard 1 piece military fifes, whose first octave is very weak.)
The Healy is much louder and has a richer tone than the standard one piece fifes. Skip also makes them in three models, distinguished by differing hole sizes and spacings. A beginner would find the standard model (which has the smaller holes) easier to handle. He also offers a choice of 6 hole or 10 hole instruments, the latter utilizing both thumbs and pinkies and offering full chromatic range through the three octaves. I don't recommend this for beginners, and it is not necessary for playing in an F&D Corps.
(Note.. Healy fifes are tuned to standard 440 pitch, while the usual one-piece fifes used by most F&D corps seem to be pitched a bit higher. Bear this in mind if you intend to play with other fifers. The Healy has a tuning slide and can be made flatter, but not sharper, while usual one-piece fife cannot be tuned at all.
Another tunable two-piece fife is the McDonagh. I have had no experience with it, but it has a high reputation. McDonagh only advertises 6 hole fifes on its website, but the U.S. Army's "Old Guard" ceremonial unit F&D Corps plays McDonagh 10 holers. The Corps refers to them as "A" fifes, but they
are actually pitched in B-flat, the same as other military fifes, but play "A" by closing the extra R4 hole. (Like the D Flute, which has a "C" of "B" foot).
Lastly, Hammy Hamilton makes a two piece fife, and there is a Sam Murray two piece fife now for sale on E-Bay. (Look under either the Wooden Flute, or the Irish Flute category ..... I forget which!)
I have a Sweet, a Cooperman and a Healy deluxe. The Sweet is the easiest to play, but the least loud. Third register "B"s are a cinch to play. The Cooperman is louder and fuller toned and requires more compression for b'.
The Healy is really a small Irish flute, except that it has a cylindrical bore with a modified Boehm parabolic taper in the head joint (as I understand it.) It is a much more versatile instrument than a one piece fife.
I you want to play a fife in an Irish "Session" instead of you whistle, you should get a D "piccolo". It's just a smaller fife ... dunno why they call them by different names, unless its because the Swiss developed the "pfeif" (or"pipe"), while the Italians developed the same thing a smaller (piccolo) size.
I will now wait with bated breath while other contributors to this forum rush to tell you I'm all wet!
Mal
I agree with Neil .... don't get a $15 maple fife. You might get one that is playable, but even the best are lousy and have enough on you hands learning to play without being handcuffed by your instrument.
You can order a good fife from any one of several makers on the website <fifeanddrum.com>
You will pay about $75 for a rosewood fife by Cooperman or Sweet B-flat military fife, and Grenadilla will cost you perhaps $15 more. Cooperman also offers his fife in Persimmon for about $35. I have only played one of these, and it seemed adequate. Another good make is a Ferraray. (Note: Do not get a Sweet "folk fife" if you intend to play with a fife and drum corps...it is not suitable.)
A Healy fife is a two piece job, made of grenadilla with Sterling silver ferrule, tuning slide and end rings. It costs about $175 and is playable through three octaves, (unlike the standard 1 piece military fifes, whose first octave is very weak.)
The Healy is much louder and has a richer tone than the standard one piece fifes. Skip also makes them in three models, distinguished by differing hole sizes and spacings. A beginner would find the standard model (which has the smaller holes) easier to handle. He also offers a choice of 6 hole or 10 hole instruments, the latter utilizing both thumbs and pinkies and offering full chromatic range through the three octaves. I don't recommend this for beginners, and it is not necessary for playing in an F&D Corps.
(Note.. Healy fifes are tuned to standard 440 pitch, while the usual one-piece fifes used by most F&D corps seem to be pitched a bit higher. Bear this in mind if you intend to play with other fifers. The Healy has a tuning slide and can be made flatter, but not sharper, while usual one-piece fife cannot be tuned at all.
Another tunable two-piece fife is the McDonagh. I have had no experience with it, but it has a high reputation. McDonagh only advertises 6 hole fifes on its website, but the U.S. Army's "Old Guard" ceremonial unit F&D Corps plays McDonagh 10 holers. The Corps refers to them as "A" fifes, but they
are actually pitched in B-flat, the same as other military fifes, but play "A" by closing the extra R4 hole. (Like the D Flute, which has a "C" of "B" foot).
Lastly, Hammy Hamilton makes a two piece fife, and there is a Sam Murray two piece fife now for sale on E-Bay. (Look under either the Wooden Flute, or the Irish Flute category ..... I forget which!)
I have a Sweet, a Cooperman and a Healy deluxe. The Sweet is the easiest to play, but the least loud. Third register "B"s are a cinch to play. The Cooperman is louder and fuller toned and requires more compression for b'.
The Healy is really a small Irish flute, except that it has a cylindrical bore with a modified Boehm parabolic taper in the head joint (as I understand it.) It is a much more versatile instrument than a one piece fife.
I you want to play a fife in an Irish "Session" instead of you whistle, you should get a D "piccolo". It's just a smaller fife ... dunno why they call them by different names, unless its because the Swiss developed the "pfeif" (or"pipe"), while the Italians developed the same thing a smaller (piccolo) size.
I will now wait with bated breath while other contributors to this forum rush to tell you I'm all wet!
Mal
On 2001-12-05 01:22, Mal wrote:
Strengthening and training the lip muscles to form the opening required, learning to do this further back of the lips rather than at the front, and mastering the required breath control, are matters that take time to learn, and there aren't analogous requirements in whistle playing.
Further, the fingerings aren't entirely identical; they're just close enough to be really bothersome until you get used to it.
One reason I find the "Model F" to be superior to the "Stony Creek" is because the maker puts a slight radius on the emboucher and the finger holes, which makes the instrument much easier to play. The "Model F" is also thicker-walled and generally more robust.
As far as high-B goes, slurring to it on my "Model F" is no problem.
It's rather like the pennywhistle: The simpler the instrument, the more skill seems required to master it.
Note that there is gossip to be known here: The original McDonaghs were made by Mr. McDonagh himself, until he sold the name and business, and retired. His successor made the instruments for several years until significant quality issues prompted Mr. MCDonagh to get his name back. Wilson Woods, based in Arizona, now make the McDonagh fifes, and made the one I have. I don't know who in this history made the instruments that the Old Guard plays.
_________________
Best regards,
Neil Dickey
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ndjr on 2001-12-05 12:59 ]</font>
I disagree here. Sure "you just pucker up, and blow," but there <i>is</i> a difference. A couple of years ago, my daughter was taking flute lessons and I thought to take my fife along to see if the teacher could offer me any advice by way of improving my technique. I'll spare you the details, but it develops that fifers use a <i><strong>much</strong></i> tinier opening in the lips and <i><strong>much</strong></i> less wind to sound the instrument than a flutist does. When you're playing the fife properly, it almost feels as though you're holding your breath. This means that the air in the lungs can become what I call "black" before one has run out of wind, and a fifer therefore has to learn to spill wind during a tune in order to make room for a new breath in order to maintain consciousness and life itself. Flutists don't have this problem, I'm told.I don't think the fife should be a hard instrument to master for anybody who plays the whistle. It is the same fingering and all you have to do is learn to blow it, which is the same process as any other flute.
Strengthening and training the lip muscles to form the opening required, learning to do this further back of the lips rather than at the front, and mastering the required breath control, are matters that take time to learn, and there aren't analogous requirements in whistle playing.
Further, the fingerings aren't entirely identical; they're just close enough to be really bothersome until you get used to it.
That's a good place to go, and they have a message board like this one. I haven't visited it recently, but traffic was next to nil last time I was there after a high reached a year or two ago.You can order a good fife from any one of several makers on the website <fifeanddrum.com>
Unless someone has resurrected the name, Mr. Ferraray (sp?) passed on more than 10 years ago, and fifes of his make have only been available as used copies since then. I understand that his jigs were sold to the Cooperman people, who used them to make the "Stony Creek Model" I mentioned above, and is one of the reasons it is such a good fife. The Ferrary is also the archtype for the "Model F" I play.Another good make is a Ferraray.
One reason I find the "Model F" to be superior to the "Stony Creek" is because the maker puts a slight radius on the emboucher and the finger holes, which makes the instrument much easier to play. The "Model F" is also thicker-walled and generally more robust.
The low octave on my "Model F" is strong. It's a 1-piece Bb military fife. Where I have a problem with it is when I've been playing in the upper octaves for a while and have trouble relaxing my lips to play the really low notes.A Healy fife ... costs about $175 and is playable through three octaves, (unlike the standard 1 piece military fifes, whose first octave is very weak.)
As far as high-B goes, slurring to it on my "Model F" is no problem.
I agree with this completely.I don't recommend ( 10-hole fifes 0 for beginners, and it is not necessary for playing in an F&D Corps.
... Except as I noted above in the way that it is blown. This can be a real problem in learning to blend with some F&D corps. My own approach has been to blow the instrument in the manner that gives the strongest and cleanest tone. Not surprisingly, my frequency meter reinforces the notion that this is how the instrument was meant to be played. I have, however, encounteded F&D corps that blow the <i>identical</i> instrument so sharp that I had the devil's own time trying to blend with them. Why they did it this way I have no idea; I only know that they did it, and couldn't figure out why their high notes were thin and screechy.The Healy has a tuning slide and can be made flatter, but not sharper, while usual one-piece fife cannot be tuned at all.
It's rather like the pennywhistle: The simpler the instrument, the more skill seems required to master it.
I have one, a 10-hole, and it is a well-made instrument which is robust and relatively easy to play. I just find the extra holes and fingering required to be a needless complication.Another tunable two-piece fife is the McDonagh. I have had no experience with it, but it has a high reputation.
My understanding is that the "Old Guard" actually uses custom-made 11-holers. I wrote to the organization, but was never able to get them to tell me who made the instruments. I have been told by others that they are McDonaghs. The 11th hole is an alternative F-nat.McDonagh only advertises 6 hole fifes on its website, but the U.S. Army's "Old Guard" ceremonial unit F&D Corps plays McDonagh 10 holers. The Corps refers to them as "A" fifes, but they are actually pitched in B-flat, the same as other military fifes, but play "A" by closing the extra R4 hole. (Like the D Flute, which has a "C" of "B" foot).
Note that there is gossip to be known here: The original McDonaghs were made by Mr. McDonagh himself, until he sold the name and business, and retired. His successor made the instruments for several years until significant quality issues prompted Mr. MCDonagh to get his name back. Wilson Woods, based in Arizona, now make the McDonagh fifes, and made the one I have. I don't know who in this history made the instruments that the Old Guard plays.
I'm not going to tell you you're all wet, Mal. We just disagree somewhat, and that's no big deal.I will now wait with bated breath while other contributors to this forum rush to tell you I'm all wet!
_________________
Best regards,
Neil Dickey
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: ndjr on 2001-12-05 12:59 ]</font>
You're welcome, all. I'm glad to have something I could share.
Neat! I'm glad it worked for you.
You're most welcome, Lisa. Those high-pitched ones are generally played in the middle and lower registers, as C-pitched fifes are. Being able to get comfortably into the third octave not only improves your range, but all the notes below will sound more fluid and less forced as well.I just moved the cork in my Sweet blackwood picc per your instructions--it made it easier to break into the second and third octave. Thanks for sharing!
Neat! I'm glad it worked for you.
Best regards,
Neil Dickey
Neil Dickey
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RudallRose
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Okay......(stretching)
as a fifer for the past 35 years (wanna see the medals?), there are a few items here that definitely require clarification:
If you want to know more about McDonagh (and hear the fife in action on a pair of solo tunes that McDonagh himself wrote), then visit my website at: http://home.earthlink.net/~migoya/id31.htm
Scroll down and you'll see where you can download the tunes from a recording I did about 20 years ago.
Anyway....
it was written:
>>Note that there is gossip to be known here: The original McDonaghs were made by Mr. McDonagh himself, until he sold the name and business, and retired. His successor made the instruments for several years until significant quality issues prompted Mr. MCDonagh to get his name back. Wilson Woods, based in Arizona, now make the McDonagh fifes, and made the one I have. I don't know who in this history made the instruments that the Old Guard plays<<
John McDonagh was in the insurance business. He played the fife throughout the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, stepped away from it, then came back recently with a small group of friends he's instructing (people whom I've known for years and years....and played many a tune with while I was in Fife & Drum in NYC).
John has never, ever made the fife that bears his name. He wanted to create a better fife than what was available in the 1950s and came up with a design with the help of a musical instrument repairman he met in NYC named Roy Seaman (John says he used to go by the shop all the time to peruse the music scores on the for sale tables in front).
Seaman and John developed what at the time was called the "Model A" fife, of which I believe Skip Healy (another long-time fifing friend of mine) has a couple originals.
Seaman did the making, john did the redesigning, etc.
Eventually what evolved was the McDonagh Model fife, Model J, which is the standard 6-hole. What made it different? The use of a double-conoidal bore inside and the staggering of the fingerholes for comfort. Also, it was a two piece model, a type that hadn't been seen since the days of Crosby-Cloos fifes in the Civil War era.
So, time marched on and Seaman (whose name appeard stamped just below the tenon....McDonagh's name was angled across the head) continued to make the fifes, Seaman moved into piccolos and it was here he'd make his mark internationally.
But Roy continued to make fifes, even after moving his business to Arizona.
Eventually, however, demand was huge.
McDonagh wanted a fife that was much more chromatic and in concert pitch that the Model J 6-hole. Why? Because John was playing and arranging music for The Regimental Fife & Drum Band, as well as St. Benedict's Fife & Drum (a junior corps in The Bronx of which I was a member). The tunes John was arranging and composing ran the gamut of solos such as Heifitz's "Hora Stacatto" and "Flight of the Bumblebee."
What was John's personal solo piece? There were many, but he preferred the Arban variations to "Carnival of Venice" which was popularized in the 20s by trumpet virtuoso Herbert Clark. If you've ever heard it, you'd drop your jaw that it could be done on a fife. I used it once in competition and refused to ever do it again. The piece is exhausting.
Any of them would be tough, if not near impossible, to accomplish on the 6-hole.
In steps the 10-hole fife, known as the Model L. What happened to Model K? I don't know. There was only one that I ever heard of, and it belonged to my since-deceased instructor Frank Grady, who was a member of the Regimental Band (known affectionately as "The Regi's" in F&D circles).
So, now the 10-hole allows for in-tune chromatic work.
Be it known, however, that the 10-hole only required 9 fingers to play. RH2 has two finger holes, one of which is uncovered to create the F-natural note. The only finger without a hole was RHthumb. That would change with the 11-hole.
(So would I.....I started on the 10-hole at age 12, then flipped to the 11-hole at age 14 and stayed there. I still have all my original fifes, but prefer the 11-hole).
Was the 10-hole fife perfect? No. But it allowed for much more than had ever been accomplished, including some awesome fife work by John and his closest fifing companions (a little group that was called The Veteran Fife Club).
The arrangements of tunes from classical works of Bach, Pleyel and many others are unbelievable for such a simple instrument.
So where did the 11-hole model come from?
That was all Roy Seaman's doing. John had nothing to do with it.
Roy wanted to offer an alternative fingering to the F-natural because half-holing (remember, the 10-hole had two holes at RH2) for the F was very difficult on speed or vituostic pieces. So, the RHthumb hole was placed under the RH2 double hole. Now you could do either (sort of like the long and short F keys on the wood simple system flute).
John never sold his name....never even patented the design with Roy. And John never made a dime from any of it.
Roy kept making fifes into the 1970s when he decided to give it over to a workman in his piccolo shop: Larry Trout.
Larry, who would move to Santa Fe, NM, and set up shop, started making the McDonagh fifes on his own. He still had the Seaman/McDonagh names on them, but eventually decided to add his own mark: a little line drawing of a fish, which appears above the "Seaman" hallmark below the tenon.
Larry is still making the original McDonagh fifes today.
Now, the new model -- known as the "Regimental Model" -- is indeed similar to the McDonagh. Only thing is, it was the first design redone better by -- who else -- Roy Seaman and John McDonagh.
The two rekindled a long-dead friendship several years ago after Roy made me a custom-made boxwood McDonagh and John was eager to get back in touch with him, so I put the two together on the telephone. If I remember right, that was 1988.
They redesigned the fife and eventually found Wilson Woods to make it for them. (Remember, John and Roy are both at 80 years old or so by now).
So....that's the tale in a nutshell.
Also dispell the rumour that there are no Ferraray fifes around except used ones. I don't remember who got the molds and design tooling(it was not Cooperman), but I understand they're making the original Ferraray fifes again. What makes them so good? Because they are great copies, with some changes, of the Crosby-Cloos fifes and authentic players love them.
Oh....and the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps plays 11-hole McDonagh fifes made by Larry Trout. Nothing more special about them than any other he makes.
How do I know? They're friends of mine and three times I was recruited to join. Almost did it the last time, but that's another story.
Well, that's my $2.68 worth.
as a fifer for the past 35 years (wanna see the medals?), there are a few items here that definitely require clarification:
If you want to know more about McDonagh (and hear the fife in action on a pair of solo tunes that McDonagh himself wrote), then visit my website at: http://home.earthlink.net/~migoya/id31.htm
Scroll down and you'll see where you can download the tunes from a recording I did about 20 years ago.
Anyway....
it was written:
>>Note that there is gossip to be known here: The original McDonaghs were made by Mr. McDonagh himself, until he sold the name and business, and retired. His successor made the instruments for several years until significant quality issues prompted Mr. MCDonagh to get his name back. Wilson Woods, based in Arizona, now make the McDonagh fifes, and made the one I have. I don't know who in this history made the instruments that the Old Guard plays<<
John McDonagh was in the insurance business. He played the fife throughout the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, stepped away from it, then came back recently with a small group of friends he's instructing (people whom I've known for years and years....and played many a tune with while I was in Fife & Drum in NYC).
John has never, ever made the fife that bears his name. He wanted to create a better fife than what was available in the 1950s and came up with a design with the help of a musical instrument repairman he met in NYC named Roy Seaman (John says he used to go by the shop all the time to peruse the music scores on the for sale tables in front).
Seaman and John developed what at the time was called the "Model A" fife, of which I believe Skip Healy (another long-time fifing friend of mine) has a couple originals.
Seaman did the making, john did the redesigning, etc.
Eventually what evolved was the McDonagh Model fife, Model J, which is the standard 6-hole. What made it different? The use of a double-conoidal bore inside and the staggering of the fingerholes for comfort. Also, it was a two piece model, a type that hadn't been seen since the days of Crosby-Cloos fifes in the Civil War era.
So, time marched on and Seaman (whose name appeard stamped just below the tenon....McDonagh's name was angled across the head) continued to make the fifes, Seaman moved into piccolos and it was here he'd make his mark internationally.
But Roy continued to make fifes, even after moving his business to Arizona.
Eventually, however, demand was huge.
McDonagh wanted a fife that was much more chromatic and in concert pitch that the Model J 6-hole. Why? Because John was playing and arranging music for The Regimental Fife & Drum Band, as well as St. Benedict's Fife & Drum (a junior corps in The Bronx of which I was a member). The tunes John was arranging and composing ran the gamut of solos such as Heifitz's "Hora Stacatto" and "Flight of the Bumblebee."
What was John's personal solo piece? There were many, but he preferred the Arban variations to "Carnival of Venice" which was popularized in the 20s by trumpet virtuoso Herbert Clark. If you've ever heard it, you'd drop your jaw that it could be done on a fife. I used it once in competition and refused to ever do it again. The piece is exhausting.
Any of them would be tough, if not near impossible, to accomplish on the 6-hole.
In steps the 10-hole fife, known as the Model L. What happened to Model K? I don't know. There was only one that I ever heard of, and it belonged to my since-deceased instructor Frank Grady, who was a member of the Regimental Band (known affectionately as "The Regi's" in F&D circles).
So, now the 10-hole allows for in-tune chromatic work.
Be it known, however, that the 10-hole only required 9 fingers to play. RH2 has two finger holes, one of which is uncovered to create the F-natural note. The only finger without a hole was RHthumb. That would change with the 11-hole.
(So would I.....I started on the 10-hole at age 12, then flipped to the 11-hole at age 14 and stayed there. I still have all my original fifes, but prefer the 11-hole).
Was the 10-hole fife perfect? No. But it allowed for much more than had ever been accomplished, including some awesome fife work by John and his closest fifing companions (a little group that was called The Veteran Fife Club).
The arrangements of tunes from classical works of Bach, Pleyel and many others are unbelievable for such a simple instrument.
So where did the 11-hole model come from?
That was all Roy Seaman's doing. John had nothing to do with it.
Roy wanted to offer an alternative fingering to the F-natural because half-holing (remember, the 10-hole had two holes at RH2) for the F was very difficult on speed or vituostic pieces. So, the RHthumb hole was placed under the RH2 double hole. Now you could do either (sort of like the long and short F keys on the wood simple system flute).
John never sold his name....never even patented the design with Roy. And John never made a dime from any of it.
Roy kept making fifes into the 1970s when he decided to give it over to a workman in his piccolo shop: Larry Trout.
Larry, who would move to Santa Fe, NM, and set up shop, started making the McDonagh fifes on his own. He still had the Seaman/McDonagh names on them, but eventually decided to add his own mark: a little line drawing of a fish, which appears above the "Seaman" hallmark below the tenon.
Larry is still making the original McDonagh fifes today.
Now, the new model -- known as the "Regimental Model" -- is indeed similar to the McDonagh. Only thing is, it was the first design redone better by -- who else -- Roy Seaman and John McDonagh.
The two rekindled a long-dead friendship several years ago after Roy made me a custom-made boxwood McDonagh and John was eager to get back in touch with him, so I put the two together on the telephone. If I remember right, that was 1988.
They redesigned the fife and eventually found Wilson Woods to make it for them. (Remember, John and Roy are both at 80 years old or so by now).
So....that's the tale in a nutshell.
Also dispell the rumour that there are no Ferraray fifes around except used ones. I don't remember who got the molds and design tooling(it was not Cooperman), but I understand they're making the original Ferraray fifes again. What makes them so good? Because they are great copies, with some changes, of the Crosby-Cloos fifes and authentic players love them.
Oh....and the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps plays 11-hole McDonagh fifes made by Larry Trout. Nothing more special about them than any other he makes.
How do I know? They're friends of mine and three times I was recruited to join. Almost did it the last time, but that's another story.
Well, that's my $2.68 worth.
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jim_mc
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Dave has it right. I just have to add my $.02 worth. I've been fifing and drumming for 30 years or so. The McDonagh fifes now being made by Wilson Woods are not identical to the ones made by Seaman back in the 50's, 60's and 70's. They have a significantly smaller bore, and in my opinion are not as loud. I had one made around 1975, and had to replace it about 2 years ago because of a crack. I got the Wilson Woods model. Now I'm sorry I didn't get the Larry Trout model.
My instructor, Dave Bender, was a Regimental and a student of John McDonagh. He maintains that the fifes made by Seaman in his New Jersey shop were the best ones. He dislikes the Healy fifes and the new McDonagh presentation model.
The Ferrary fife is now being made by Peeler, and is sold on this site:
http://fifeanddrum.com/
That site also sells the Wilson Woods McDonagh.
I have the McDonagh 6-hole and a 2-piece Cloos dating back to the 19th century. I also have a 6-hole Healy D piccolo in blackwood.
Finally, my 12 year old son recently decided to take up the fife. I bought him a plastic Cooperman (less than $10). In my opinion, it's the only fife under $100 worth buying. As soon as he showed that he was really going to stay with it, I bought him a Wilson Woods 6-hole regimental model McDonagh (that's what our corps uses).
By the way, we play with the Civil War Troopers out of Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY.
Our website:
http://fifedrum.com/troopers/index.html
Also visit The Company of Fifers and Drummers site:
http://companyoffifeanddrum.org/
And here are the company music books on line:
http://www.fifedrum.org/resources/music
My next project: The Irish Brigade Fife Band. E-mail me if you live in the area and have an interest.
My instructor, Dave Bender, was a Regimental and a student of John McDonagh. He maintains that the fifes made by Seaman in his New Jersey shop were the best ones. He dislikes the Healy fifes and the new McDonagh presentation model.
The Ferrary fife is now being made by Peeler, and is sold on this site:
http://fifeanddrum.com/
That site also sells the Wilson Woods McDonagh.
I have the McDonagh 6-hole and a 2-piece Cloos dating back to the 19th century. I also have a 6-hole Healy D piccolo in blackwood.
Finally, my 12 year old son recently decided to take up the fife. I bought him a plastic Cooperman (less than $10). In my opinion, it's the only fife under $100 worth buying. As soon as he showed that he was really going to stay with it, I bought him a Wilson Woods 6-hole regimental model McDonagh (that's what our corps uses).
By the way, we play with the Civil War Troopers out of Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY.
Our website:
http://fifedrum.com/troopers/index.html
Also visit The Company of Fifers and Drummers site:
http://companyoffifeanddrum.org/
And here are the company music books on line:
http://www.fifedrum.org/resources/music
My next project: The Irish Brigade Fife Band. E-mail me if you live in the area and have an interest.