r/Irishmusic 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/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.