wanted some info regarding flutes/fifes from the erudite (and polite ) contributors here. I’m just begining to learn the whistle and fife (whistle about 6 months, fife about 2 ). I can get consistent, good tone out of the lower octave of the fife (which is in Bb), but hitting the upper ocatves is proving a challenge (surprise!). Seeing as this severly limits what one can play, I’m looking for anyway’s to help myself.
Working on focusing my embouchure, but I’m afraid mostly by overblowing to I get anything resembling a note in the upper register.
I’m wondering however, if my instrument is conspiring against me. It’s a maple souvenier six-hole job from Colonial Williamsburg which I’ve heard (for souvernir fifes in general) are not that great. In addition, the cork lies directly under the the upper edge of the embouchure hole (not set back at all).
I’ve heard of people moving their cork around or replacing them altogether, and was wondering if setting the cork back some would at all help one hit the higher notes or improve tone at all? Also, how does one move the cork safely?
What you’ve got is a cheap souvenier. It can be played, but is actually a right pain in the keister. Even more so when you consider that fifes are actually meant to be played in the second and third octaves. I’ve got one of those monsters, and it took getting a real instrument to figure out just how bad it is.
Sweetheart makes playable and not expensive fifes
in lots of keys. I have one in G, which
I like. Lower keys are easier to play…
at least to get a sound out of.
If what you say is true, that the face of the cork is at the upper edge of the embouchure hole, then the cork is mis-placed. A minimum distance for equal performance between octaves is calculated by the folowing formula…
7 X (D/6)…Seven times the product of the inner bore diameter (D) at the headjoint, divided by Six.
This will give you the distance from the inner face of the cork to the center of the embouchure hole. If you mark this on the end of a stick, you can insert it up the bore until the mark is centered in the embouchure hole. Push the cork down until it hits the tip of the stick and your in business.
Some fine tuning of the cork can be made from this “starting position”. Push in to favor the low octave/ Push out to favor the upper. Either way, some “embouchure bending” is always needed.
As for moving the cork safely… If the cork is dry you may want to push it all the way out with a dowel that just fits into the bore. Use a lot of cork grease(not wax!) and re-insert it to the above position and then wipe away the excess. If the cork is damaged,replace it.
Thanks Mike and Jim! No need to worry on the better instrument - my Olwell Bamboo flute in D is only a couple weeks away! Besides the akward right-handed fingering (I’m a lefty), my friend’s Olwell Bamboo flute was surprisingly easiy to play, so I assumed the instrument was at least partially to blame.
Have to admit though, I’ve grown fond of even this fife’s sound, and will probably invest in a finer one before too long - took special notice of Sweet’s and Healy’s in the fine-fife arena.
Since neither of you mentioned adjusting of the cork, I’m going to assume that maybe I’m not as bad as I think Can’t wait to get a ‘real’ instrument to play…
Thank you Thomas! I thought I remember reading a formula like that in the past but couldn’t for the life of me remember where! Very helpful.
I’ll try playing around with that regardless of the fife’s quality and see what happens.
If I understood you right, I wonder if the cork’s current location at the upper-edge of the embouchure facilitates easier playing of the lower octaves as might be expected of a simple souverneir instrument (ie. not one intended for a serious aspiring fifer)?
The position of your cork now (near the voicing) is similar to a Recorder fipple’s placement. The Recorder does not “overblow” the second mode, but acquires it by eliminating the fundamental scale as the thumbhole is “pinched open”. It doesn’t need to tune the cork for the upper octave/mode.
The space between the center of the embouchure and the face of the plug works like a miniature panpipe. Tuning it allows the energy wave to travel up and back exactly in sync with the oscillations at the embouchure to support and increase resonant energy.
When the flute is overblown on the next harmonic, this sychronization changes. The Idea is to find a happy medium between octaves by tuning the cork and “pitchbend” at the embouchure to correct the rest.
Hi, Ryan,
As a person who has been playing the Bb fife for about a year and a half, I agree that msheldon is totally correct about the souvenir maple fife thing. If you want a good beginner fife for very little outlay of money, buy a plastic Cooperman for $6-$9 bucks. It will have a much better response in the third octave. Some of the maple souvenir fifes won’t play a note right out of the box, they are so inconsistent in quality. I play a Model F and a Peeler (both are 6-hole, each cost around $90), plus my plastic Cooperman lives in the car so I can fife whenever I want.
The biggest mistake most beginning fifers make is playing an octave too low. As msheldon also said, fifes are played in the second and third octaves so they can be heard on the battlefield above the guns and drums. The third octave fingerings are totally different and can’t always be reached simply by overblowing. I gave a flutist a fife lesson a couple weeks ago, and she said that what helped her the most was hearing where she was supposed to be playing. So, if you can get a fife tutorial course (if you don’t have any fifers near you to learn from), it might help you immensely.
On the subject of corks, I remember my instructor from grade school threatening us Boehm system flute players with instant death if we moved our corks. I still shudder when someone mentions moving a cork.
Reminds me of a cork experience I had in “amatuer” orchestra practice a few years ago. I just purchased a $900 headjoint for my Boehm flute, after trying many. The substitute conductor, a high school music teacher, told me my flute was out of tune, and asked to look at it. He quickly unscrewed the cap a little, gave it a rap with the palm of his hand, and said “there the cork is in the right place and you’ll be in tune”. I was frozen, speechless, and agry, but it was too late.
Now, I’m tempted to get one those $6 Cooperman fifes.
Probably the easiest option for moving the cork is to find a coin with about the same diameter as the fife bore, drop it into the fife so it’s resting on the cork, and then push with a pencil/pen/anything handy that fits in and is long enough. The coin will disperse the focussed pressure you’re applying with the pushy-thing and so you’ll be less likely to have problems!
Probably the easiest option for moving the cork is to find a coin with about the same diameter as the fife bore, drop it into the fife so it’s resting on the cork, and then push with a pencil/pen/anything handy that fits in and is long enough. The coin will disperse the focussed pressure you’re applying with the pushy-thing and so you’ll be less likely to have problems!
Deirdre
With some fifes, esp the 6 hole variety, you can poke the cork from the top (near end) or the bottom (far end) to change the pitch. All of my fifes have way too small a bore to fit a coin in, but you could use a wider pushy-thing too.
You can’t go wrong with a $6-9 plastic Cooperman. Sure, it looks and sounds like a piece of plumbing, but it responds very well AND it is so tough you can use it as a weapon for one on one combat. And it can live in your car pretty much unaffected by any climate changes.
Actually, I think it sounds better than some wooden fifes I’ve played.
I have played fife for 16 years, most of it near a souvenir shop, and have heard a lot of people choose a sealed maple Cooperman simply because it was wood and cost more. I feel the plastic Cooperman is a great deal and actually recommend it to students as a consistent instrument over the souvenir maple models and more expensive models. I tune my maple B flat for playing the lower octaves. In that case the cork placement formula above will probably work fine.
As far as cork placement, a B flat fife is not like a flute and is made to play in the second and third octaves as stated above. The cork on my Model F is set right to the edge of the embouchure to maximize tone and playability. The high D just sings (that’s the fourth D at the top of the third octave), and the lower notes are fine. It is rare that I use the lowest octave; it is available. I start with the cork at the edge of the embouchure and play with it to “average out” the third octave and low notes.
A successful corps director I know insists that the Cooperman rosewood (a nice instrument) sounds best with the cork intruding into the embouchure. I think it interferes with volume, but he does have a good loud corps.
On the topic of cork placement, I have a M&E Rudall and Rose, that I love by the way. As I am a beginner on this sort of flute, I wonder if I am missing something on the cork placement. The cork is a full diameter away from the cork edge, not the center, of the embouchure. The tone and volume is nice, but I wonder if this is my inexperience on the instrument speaking and I might be missing a good deal of volume and tone with bad cork placement. Any M&E R&R players who have thoughts on this?
If I can hijack the thread a little, I have a probably-unrelated question.
I just got a plastic Cooperman last night - I’m primarily a tinwhistler, but thought this would be a fun way to work on breath control and embouchure with the eventual goal of learning Irish flute (I also have a Dixon Low D Duo on order). And yes, I realize that I will probably want a better instrument reasonably soon if I am at all serious about flute or fife, but the Cooperman seems like a handy thing to keep in my car for lunchtime practice, something I’d be hesitant to do with a more expensive instrument.
So far, I can get manage to play scales in the low and middle octaves, with a few notes of the third octave. A long way before I have a good tone or can play actual tunes (though I did butcher a couple of simple tunes just to see how far I have to go), but since I occasionally do get good tones from the fife I can see that the potential is there. Now the question - I notice that the (written) E note (R3 raised) is far weaker than the notes immediately above or below it. Is this a peculiarity of the Cooperman, a peculiarity of all fifes to allow decent cross-fingerings, or just my inexperience?
well, moving the cork to flute specs didn’t seem to help much. Seems maybe a bit more responsive, but alas, upper registers are no easier to reach. Geeze, wish my Olwell would get here! :roll:
FWIW, a length of '7/16 of wooden dowelling was perfect for moving the cork - there was a tense moment when I thought I was applying too much pressure, then a gentle pop, and it was free to slide around.
Thanks to all for the advice and information - for $6, I sense a Cooperman in my near future
I know you’re not looking to spend a lot of money right now, but as you move along you should consider Skip Healy’s fifes: http://www.skiphealy.com/frames/fr_instruments.htm
Scroll to the bottom of the page.
Skip is also a good person to email if you’re looking for tips on playing. He’s been playing fife since he was fifteen and he’s been in a variety of fife & drum corps like the Kentish Guards and the Ancient Mariners.
) contributors here. I’m just begining to learn the whistle and fife (whistle about 6 months, fife about 2 ). I can get consistent, good tone out of the lower octave of the fife (which is in Bb), but hitting the upper ocatves is proving a challenge (surprise!). Seeing as this severly limits what one can play, I’m looking for anyway’s to help myself.
Can’t wait to get a ‘real’ instrument to play…
and so you’ll be less likely to have problems!