Irish flutes

Irish flutes are traditional folk instruments, also known as Celtic or tin flutes, and include penny whistles, and were popularized by one well-known movie.

The haunting theme from Titanic catapulted the Irish folk instrument into the hearts of millions. Just a few poignant notes brings tears to your eyes.

Most Irish style flutes are made of wood. Some include a key system, some are strictly wooden instruments.

Flutes known as whistles are made of metal, usually tin or a cheap metal.

Wooden flute made of boxwood...

This flute doesn't have keys, just holes for the fingers to cover. It's made of blackwood and comes in a nice wooden case. Blackwood is frequently used for musical instruments and found typically in Africa. In fact, the tree itself is known as the "Tree of Music" because of its usage in instrument making.

Here is a wooden Irish instrument made with a key system...

The flute is made of another nice choice for musical instruments, ebony.

This is a simple tin whistle...

There are no keys at all, just six tone holes, three for each hand. Players frequently find it difficult to produce sound on the tin whistle at first. This would make it a great tool for the traditional flute.

Irish or celtic flutes and their cousins are not complex instruments, but very lively music can be extracted from them.

The lack of a lip plate can make the flutes a bit difficult to steady against your face. If you've played a wooden piccolo, it's a similar concept.

Learn how to play the Irish flute...

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