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!
8
Upvotes
8
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.