Simon Polak: Early Flutes 
On one of my Beukers copies
For Wijne, Kirst and Tassi comments also read jed wentz's page
reaction of a flute player from
Swainsboro USA
I LOVE my flute. It was a shock, the best shock I've ever
had, actually (me: it was a birthday surprise). If this email goes through, I'll take the
time to tell you more.
England
I have already started playing in the Beukers I bought and am extremely pleased with the flute. Each time I take it up for this week’s 20 minutes x 2, I get more familiar with it and am already enjoying the way it responds.
Hilversum
Verder ben ik nog steeds heel erg blij met mijn fluit. Zo langzamerhand
begint hij ingespeeld te raken (of ik), en gaat nog steeds mooier
klinken !
Kate vond dat hij heel goed bij mij paste.
Oxford
Dear Simon
I have just had my first lesson using the new (Beukers, stained boxwood) flute I bought at the Early Music Festival in London. The tone is lovely already, even though I am still playing it in very slowly.
My teachers says it is a beautiful instrument and should get to sound even better when fully played in. I will have to come back to the exhibition next year and buy another flute from you at A440 to play Mozart.
With thanks and best wishes
US
Good, I'm glad .... I also wanted to let you know I am enjoying the flute very much!
US
I got the flute today. It looks great, and plays just beautifully.
Japan
The Wijne is already my good friend!
Contrary to my, or our, expectations, it is easier to play than my first flute.
Oxford
I played in Mass in b on Saturday at St Giles Cripplegate in the Barbican. The ebony Beukers sang beautifully - particularly gorgeous in the Domine Deus.
Toulouse
Concerning your instrument, we are getting along pretty well; I performed several times in july and the sound is developing beautifully.
So, I'm really happy with the decision and your suggestion about the choice. Thank's a lot!
Madison Wisconsin
Last week, I took my first Baroque flute lesson with ...... at University of Wisconsin Madison. I played Handel's h moll Sonata! I love it so much!
The more I play my, your, Tassi, the more I enjoy it. In some way it obliged me to renew my way of playing and it improved my playing on the ... and the ...., until..
...the lower part felt and the key is broken (not totally but it does not work properly and the hole does not close completely), ......
Somewhere in the north of Holland
Heb de fluit in goede orde ontvangen. Ziet er prachtig uit, en eerste indruk: mooie lieflijke klank en zeer zuiver!
Hiversum
Mijn nieuwe fluit ben ik nog
steeds met heel veel plezier aan het inspelen ; hij klinkt prachtig !
outside Boston somehwere
Kansas city
Hi Simon - I just wanted to let
you know that I had my first lesson last week. My teacher thought my new flute
was wonderful...especially how in tune it is. So I wanted to pass that
compliment along. I'm really enjoying playing it.
Japan
By the way Tassi is very good for me.
Den Hague Student (Spain)
Montreal
A little frustrating to stop after 15 minutes... But that is life; patience, patience... The Tassi is a very different instrument compared to my .... or my .... It is a new world to discover; which is what I wanted and I discover a new world of sounds, reflexes, habits and marvels. Thank you very much.
Den Hague student(US)
Here's the news: everybody loves it (the Beukers, that is). My teacher thought it was just beautiful. She didn't say very much, just played it in her meditative way and didn't seem to want to stop. And it made all the difference in my lesson-- I was able to concentrate on musical rather than technical issues. It's completely different from my Rottenburgh, but it already feels like I've had it forever. I chose the flute for its pure, dark sound, but it can also be bright as well, and always so colorful!
US
I've been playing one of your Beukers flutes with great pleasure for almost 4 years and now I would like to order the Kirst model. I moved from Boston this year and find myself among some musicians interested in playing the late 18th century repertoire, so I naturally thought of your excellent Kirst, which I enjoyed trying at the last BEMF.
By the way, everyone I play with always comments on what a beautiful tone the Beukers has.
Japan
I use several traverso ,but your Beukers is the most frequently used traverso.
The Netherlands,(Kirst)
Sweden
Merry Christmas... Thank you for an absolutely wonderful Beukers!
Rotterdam
England
The flute is brilliant and I love playing it
Italy
Happy to say that your flute is going very well.
US
Greetings. Hope this finds you
well. I am getting along nicely with my Tassi. Brought it with me when I
attended the Baroque workshop this summer at Longy and one of the other students
fell in love with it.
Indiana,
..... is thrilled with her flute!! I'll see it on Friday. Hope all is well with you
Finland, Haka
I have been playing my flute almost daily since I got it. Its very interesting but difficult flute. (my comment: very close to the original, no attempts to make it easier)
US somewhere
....
.I am very much enjoying it. I am concentrating on starting out slowly and carefully, and hope to have a lesson sometime soon. The sound of the instrument is so pure, so beautiful. ....I feel it a real privilege to be playing on an instrument made by you. Thank you for bringing this joy into my life.Finland
Yes, I have the flute! It's very nice! We have started to get known each other ;)
Japan
received the flute keeping perfect condition yesterday. At the same time,my daughter .............I wanted to play the new flute, while, I had to converse with them. The sound of the flute is very beautiful and voicing is relatively easy. It was difficult to stop playing within 10 or 15minutes. I think if people can get Beukers easily, traverso will be more common. Thank you very much for your excellent workmanship
Japan
Beukers Flute arrival was
carried out today. It is deeply moved with the wonderful instrument.
Thank you so much and I want to use the Beukers flute importantly.
US Montana
Thank you for the beautiful Beukers flute you sent to ..... It is a delight to play! She is enjoying her new friend so much! I could tell right away it was one of your flutes - the tuning is recognizably yours, as of course is the response. Wijne, Kirst, Beukers - each one has a distinctive character and personality, but the tuning is similar enough that the player can easily switch from one instrument to the next without needing serious "brain" adjustments. That characteristic is proving especially nice for me for the next two weeks. I have 5 concerts to play over a period of 8 days. Three of them are at A-415 with the Wijne and the other two are in an orchestra of moderninstruments at A-440 where I'll be playing the Kirst. Thanks again for my lovely instruments as well as taking such good care of my friend, .....
US,Montana
(first reaction) My first 15 minutes--wow. I'm going to have to use a timer. Already I can tell that it's easier to play than the flute I've been playing: the high notes, what a difference. c natural is gorgeous, and f natural is easy; all the notes more "there." It's quite different from the flute I've been playing, so I think that it will take me a little time to get used to. In just 15 minutes I felt like I was growing into it. .... says that it will change as I play it--how exciting. I'm going to go swim so that I can settle down a little.
(second reaction) It's just wonderful. As I learn to play it and as it changes from being played, well, I like it more and more. It's an experience to be able to grow into a fine hand made thing. Astonishing that something can give so much pleasure. ........... and the more I play it the richer the tone I'm able to get. I have a long way to go to get a truely rich tone. I'll have a great time along the way. The last time I played with Katherine she played the Wjine (probably I haven't spelled this right); she sounded so beautiful.
Japan
....... Beukers has powerful low notes, I feel , e.g. D,E,F,Fis. Second F and Fis are very good as you say. As a whole, Beukers is very easy to play, with beautiful sound in tune. I am now practicing Quantz Caprices and Hotteterre Preludes. In the Prelude in D with B.c., cis-dis-f-fis-gis-a-h-cis passage comes out easily with Beukers. I am so satisfied with my new Beukers. I say "thank you" again with all my heart.
Japan
I ordered your Tassi flute last year ,and now I am enjoying to play it. I have liked it very much, I came to be able to play variable articulations with it. Thank you very much. Now, this time, I want to have your Beukers flute. I want a Beukers flute to be made in blackwood, pitch 415Hz, with 408Hz exchange joint.
some of my christmas wishes: Tanks for your wonderful flutes, have a great year and see you soon+cd, Thanks for another great year of flute playing. Back to Beuker and Christmas Bach, great!
England
The flute is playing beautifully already - or perhaps what I mean is that *I'm* adjusting to its particular combination of resistance and flexibility. It is fantastically responsive to minute changes in articulation, partly due to the fact that there's a little 'edge' to the sound, and partly because it has 'good gear changes' - you can adjust the airspeed mid-articulation and the sound doesn't choke. And of course the tuning is a breeze (but it's making me lazy on my other flutes). I'm glad you persuaded me to take the ebony flute - I was a confirmed boxwood-only man beforehand, but I've learned something
Continuing story from Australia (see the earlier ones)
Well, I've now been using the Tassi in rehearsals
for ...(Rameau opera) for a week. It is great! I am now very comfortable with
the stretch, which I hardly notice (except when my fingers are cold! ), and the
sound is really amazing. We have quite a big band, but the Tassi competes
easily. In fact, it seems almost obvious that it is an orchestral instrument.
That's not to say that it isn't also a chamber instrument, but the voicing is
just so perfect for an orchestral situation. It plays very big when you need it,
quite low resistance on some notes compared to the other flutes I have of yours,
which really does get the sound out easily. The tuning is also very comfortable,
no effort on strong notes, meaning they are easy to play soft without strain,
and yet keep their tuning when projected, too. Only exception is the E''', which
has to be nursed. Also, for me, the A#'' and Bb'' are reversed (as is indicated on the fingering page on my
website), but this can have its
compensations. When we first started rehearsals, the pitch started to sink
(harpsichord), so I just switched corps! Wonderful! However, the double reeds
needed to be sharper, so the pitch went up and I switched back - a great
example, though, of how practical the corps de rechange are. We are now playing
at 395, and the shortest corps works just fine as there is a good deal of
flexibility built into this flute. It was also fine at 392, but if I was playing
continuously I would probably choose the middle one. In this opera, there is
quite a lot to do on piccolo, so nothing gets continuous use. This was the acid
test, so to speak, of this flute, and it has proven itself without question -
another truly great Simon Polak instrument.
I'll send more impressions as I go.
Great Britain
The flute is playing beautifully already - or perhaps what I mean is that *I'm* adjusting to its particular combination of resistance and flexibility. It is fantastically responsive to minute changes in articulation, partly due to the fact that there's a little 'edge' to the sound, and partly because it has 'good gear changes' - you can adjust the airspeed mid-articulation and the sound doesn't choke. And of course the tuning is a breeze (but it's making me lazy on my other flutes). I'm glad you persuaded me to take the ebony flute - I was a confirmed boxwood-only man beforehand, but I've learned something new.Anyway, apart from only being able to play it for twenty minutes a time, I'm very happy.
Best wishes and many thanks for a lovely flut
Friesland
De eerste indruk is erg
veelbelovend: prachtige klank en heel zuiver, speelt heel makkelijk, als “vanzelf””.
En dat al na twee keer 15 minuten! Mooi hout ook en fraai afgewerkt. Ben er tot
nu toe heel gelukkig mee, de fluit voldoet geheel aan mijn verwachtingen.
Ik houd je op de hoogte van de ontwikkelingen in onze muzikale “relatie”.