Galeón Folk Flute, D

This is Andy at Galeón's faithful reproduction of the Casey Burns Folk Flute, a well-loved design that Casey is no longer making. It is a keyless simple-system flute in D with smaller tone holes and closer, offset spacing, worked out specifically for players with smaller hands. That makes it an ideal fit for smaller-handed players and for younger students getting into the Irish flute.

It plays beautifully. The flute is light in the hands and easy to blow, with a surprisingly strong bottom D and excellent tuning throughout the range. For anyone who finds the size and spacing of a standard Irish flute too much of a stretch, it is a really great place to start.

The body is made from ABS, the same construction as Andy's UIFP platform flutes, so it asks very little in upkeep: no oiling, no humidifying, and no need to take it apart between tunes. It can stay assembled and ready to play.

About the Maker

Andy (Xu Hang) is a Beijing-based maker whose love of Irish music led him from uilleann pipes into whistles, for which he became well known, and eventually into flutes. He has a reputation as a meticulous maker, and that care shows in every instrument that leaves his shop.