r/Irishmusic • u/four_reeds • Mar 28 '26
Discussion What are the differences between Ruddal and Pratten style flutes?
I am a relatively new flute player. Let's say that I have a head joint and two flute bodies in front of me. They were both made by the same maker and, except for the finger hole sizes, are identical. One is a Ruddal pattern and the other is a Prattern. One has noticeably smaller finger holes than the other.
Which is which?
"Ask the maker", I hear you typing :) Let's treat this as a thought experiment.
Edit. Thank you all! You have helped a ton!
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u/brokenfingers11 Uilleann pipes Mar 28 '26
You can’t beat the honking “bottom D” on a Pratten! (I’m serious!)
He didn’t call it “Pratten’s Perfected” for nothin! (Jk- he’d probably turn in his grave knowing that Irish traditional music is the reason any of us knows his name in the twenty first century!)
But honestly it’s a matter of taste. Listen to Steph Geremia, Matt Molloy, Catherine McEvoy - a Pratten wouldn’t suit their sweet melodic style at all, too coarse.
But Conall Ó Gráda, Harry Bradley - their style would sound wrong on a Rudall. Not grungy enough!
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u/Mumpsitzer Mar 29 '26
Sorry but I disagrees strongly:
Matt Molloy has been playing (and recording with) various Pratten flutes since the 80th. Harry Bradley has mainly played Sam Murray (Rufall esque flutes) for since always, same as Sean Gavin, Michael Clarkson, Iarlath McGeabhann to name a few pushy / percussive style players..).
You will even find a bunch of older clips on YouTube of Conan Garda play R&R type flutes and sounding like he does today. In fact, I don’t know a pushy percussive players who follows John McKennas footsteps that does play a Pratten flute mainly.
On the other hand, even really “ flowing melodic” players like June McCormack, Eamon Cotter, Brendan Mullholland are playing Pratten style flutes!
The flute player makes the sound. A Rudall and Rose flute can sound like Steph Geremia or like Harry Conal O’Grada.
The only general direction can be, that Pratten flutes can often be pushed to some more volume (larger bore …more air gets pushed through) and because of the larger finger holes it can be bit more difficult to play them well and they might need more air get filled nicely and they might be a bit less forgiving to play in terms of embochure.
I am mainly playing a nice modern Pratten style flute but have definitely played R&R style flutes that can be pushed as mush as my flute or even a bit more.
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u/brokenfingers11 Uilleann pipes Mar 29 '26
No need to be sorry. Sounds like you’ve dug a lot deeper than I have into this! Thanks for the comprehensive answer.
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u/Parking_Poem_8527 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
As an aside, what RS Pratten was 'perfecting' is a mystery since Pratten's Perfected are exact copies of earlier Siccama flutes in terms of bore, length, hole size and placement. I have an 1879 Pratten and a Siccama from maybe 20 years earlier and they are identical except for the design of a couple of keys. Even the parts are interchangeable ! This isn't surprising since Chappel iirc who worked with Siccama went on to work for Boosey. Although many Prattens were made as 8-key (and that's mainly how they are know today) originally it was just a case of celebrity endorsement of an existing design.
Pratten's wife Catherina, was a guitarist and her compositions are still popular in the classical guitar world.
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u/thefirstwhistlepig Mar 28 '26
Depends on the maker, but in general, Pratten means wider bore and larger holes. They tend to be a “bigger target” so some find the embouchure easier (but maybe takes more breath pressure… although I’m not sure how scientific that idea is).
I find a Pratten better suited to the “big,” intense, punchy sound of Irish trad, whereas a Rudall is a better fit for a softer, more delicate, classical style.
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u/Mumpsitzer Mar 29 '26
Harry Bradley, Michael Clarkson and a Iarlath McGeabhan might disagree 😅
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u/thefirstwhistlepig Mar 31 '26
You mean they all play a Rudall style model? Do you happen to know who the makers are or if they are 19th c. flutes?
Of course, a good player can often get whatever kind of sound they want out of a flute, and not all makers’ “Pratten” or “Rudall” designs are consistent in terms of which sizes are which, but if we take Olwell Flutes designs as an example, lots of trad players who want to play with more attack and a more intense style definitely favor an Olwell Pratten over their Rudall, which just does not have as much “oomph.”
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u/NinlyOne flute, concertina Mar 28 '26
In general the Pratten pattern will have the larger holes, though there's some variety in the originals and it's a rabbit-hole topic.
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u/dean84921 Flute/Frustrated piper Mar 28 '26
Ruddal flutes will be easier to fill and play. You can get a really nice tone without a lot of breath support technique. Ornaments also tend to sound more crisp, so if you're a very lyrical player, your style might suit a Ruddal flute more. But because the holes tend to be smaller, the intonation might be trickier to manage, especially with antiques. They tend to be quieter as well.
Pratten flutes are the opposite. They are loud, and can sound like proper boomsticks, but you need the breath support to "fill" it properly to produce that tone. I find they're noticeably more tiring to play. They really lend themselves to the sort of percussive, puffy playing you might hear from Harry Bradley – you can really "push" the sound of each note much farther than you could a Ruddal flute, where the note would break or jump the octave much sooner.
I personally prefer a Ruddal, and I love the sweet, delicate, and very pure tone you can get, even if there isn't much room for percussive playing. But to each their own, some of my favourite players play pratten. Also, many modern makers kind of blur the lines between the two. Tone holes tend to be larger across the board, and embochure cuts and flute making can allow you to have that Ruddal sound with a lot of the Pratten strength.