I am in desperate need of your wisdom.
I’ve been a happy whistle player for some time. Whatever reasons might be, I have decided to upgrade to flute. And a month ago an opportunity presented itself for me to pick up one of the second hand Martin Doyle’s Celtic flutes. You can check the pictures at http://www.martindoyleflutes.com/flutes.html#celtic. It is an extremely nice instrument for it’s price. However, for the last couple of days it has been a source of endless frustration for me. There is a certain piece, which has an f’# of the third octave. An for the life of me I can not figure out the fingering for that. Closest I can get to f’# is with XXXXOX. However, it sounds very high, almost like a g’. Turning the flute towards myself does not seem to help much to flatten the tone.
Just out of pure curiousity - what tune goes into 3:rd octave? I don’t think i have ever heard any ITM tune do that (I know you didn’t say it was a ITM-tune..)
Alternatives for a keyless include:
xox xxx (the most likely best after the one you’ve tried, xxx xox)
xox xxo
xox xoo
(note, if you had an Eb key, xoo xoo, can be good)
xoo xxx
xox xox
double overblowing the fundamental xxx xoo
Most of the above tend a bit sharp, but will vary quite a bit from flute to flute, so are worth experimenting with.
jemtheflute
Seems like all I get with these fingerings are the variations of g’.
I guess I will have to stick with the initial XXXXOX until my improved skill will allow me to bend it into f’# eventually.
No, the size of holes is not that significant in this regard (although it can require some changes to fingerings). The real problem is that not having keys means that some desirable vents are not available, and you are forced to use vents that are not ideal. When you remember that you’re aiming to play the 4th harmonic of low F# or the 5th harmonic of low D, you realise what a goal you are setting.
Third octave F# is tricky on a keyless, but usually one of those that Jem mentioned will work. There are a number of fingering charts on my site, you could see if there are others there that work any better. (http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/)
If you get nowhere, try XDX XOX or XDX XOO, where L2 is partly uncovered. You should be able to dial in the pitch you need. Some recorder fingerings use half-covered holes for the same reason - they don’t have the intermediate semitones available - it’s odd at first but you can get used to it. Technically, you’re pretending you have a Bb key open. (If your mind crinkles up at the improbability of using a Bb key for F#, relabel it A# and relax.) Because our nearest available vent is the hole that gives us B, we have to minimise the opening to avoid pulling F# sharper.
Check also that your stopper is not too close to the embouchure, which will drive the third octave sharp. A test is whether third octave G is too sharp too.
Um, correction. Duh! (What comes of pontificating without flute in hand). The standard keyed flute fingering is xx,x xox with the Bb key open. Not relevant to the OP, but to avoid misleading other passers-by…
thanks a lot. I will take a timeout to digest what I have learned here. So I will stay quiet for a while, until there will be results from my further experiments. I will post the results though.
PS There is one other thought I have picked up from Terry’s site. I will try to blow into the flute instead of blowing across it, as the “getting the dark tone” article suggests. As, apparently, it supposed to produce a lower tone, which might fix my sharp f’#.
PS There is one other thought I have picked up from Terry’s site. I will try to blow into the flute instead of blowing across it, as the “getting the dark tone” article suggests. As, apparently, it supposed to produce a lower tone, which might fix my sharp f’#.
Um, correction. Duh! (What comes of pontificating without flute in hand). The standard keyed flute fingering is xx,x xox with the Bb key open. Not relevant to the OP, but to avoid misleading other passers-by…