The open holes, assuming you’re talking about the keys that have holes in them, are called “French System” flutes. In the US, that’s what the professionals use. In Europe, they don’t seem to put so much value on it. My current flute has closed keys, my previous one had the French kind. The greatest advantage of the French style keys is that they allow you to do things like half-holing, so they give you more possibilities for alternate fingerings. On the other hand, these alternate fingerings are used mostly in contemporary music (for special sounds, microtones, multiphonics, etc), so if you don’t play this kind of music you may never need them anyway.
The Boehm flute is an amazing instrument. The large holes make it much better vented than the simple-system flute, so you get more equal notes; the cylindrical body lets the air flow so it speaks more freely and louder.
But the simple system flutes have qualities that you lose with the Boehm. And even though you can do Irish-style ornamentation on the Boehm, it’s never as good or as fast as in the simple-system flute.
It’s possible to play very chromatically on an 8-key flute. If you see some of the flute literature of the time, it’s really scary stuff, very virtuosistic, hard to play on a Boehm flute, even. Or listen to Nial Keegan… But i’m not there yet.
I notice Terry McGee thinks any kind of metal lining in a simple system flute’s headjoint is detrimental to its tone, and that he considers it a holdover from times when a great amount of latitude in pitch was necessary - due to differing pitch standards in different cities, etc.; thus no longer necessary.
I used to have uilleann pipe reeds made for me by a guy who placed a possibly inordinate amount of interest in the metal the staple was made out of - and he used the exact same adjectives to describe the tone of gold and silver which are listed at the beginning of this thread. He wasn’t a flute player, either. The staple is the metal tube the reed’s cane blades are tied to, you see; it’s in effect the top of the pipe’s bore. He tried just about every metal he could find, too, and was most fond of platinum-iridium alloy.
“I notice Terry McGee thinks any kind of metal lining in a simple system flute’s headjoint is detrimental to its tone”
that’s his opinion! why the vast majority of top flute players do use
lined headpieces? why Olwell Grinter Wilkes (whose flutes are played by
some of the top players) and others do make lined headpieces?
I think nickel silver is good for lining headpieces, being lighter than brass
and cheaper than silver.
“Tonal detriment” is a subjective value, and without hard comparison meaningless. I’ve tried both lined and unlined. Both have their points. My preference lies with lined because of the focus to the tone that it gives. I don’t detect a sacrifice of woodiness for it; the harmonics seem a bit more “organized” to my ear, if that makes any sense. But that’s per my taste, and I like growly, barky, buzzy playing. Lined heads don’t preclude that.
What did those exemplars of partying, the Romans, say? Ah: “De gustibus non disputandum est”, or something like that.
I see that http://www.oldflutes.com/french.htm also mentions the 19th French makers frowned on fully lined headjoints, due to its effect on the tone. They lined it halfway, but not in the area embochure area, although a flute I just bought off Ebay appears to be an old 5 key Frencher but has a fully lined head, too.
Just passing on what I’ve come across here.
As Glauber mentioned, he uses an unlined wooden head on a Boehm body. The recordings I heard offered up a tone not far removed from your basic Boehm purity, but with less “glassiness”, I thought. I was surprised. Nice tone, very suitable to fluteplaying outside of the ITM thing. I’m presuming that the same head can do double duty…Glauber? Comments?
Thanks for the link, Kevin. It reminded me of some sources I came across which describe an aesthetic difference of opinion in the 19th century between the French (and by eventual extension, Continental Europeans) and the English makers and players as to flute tone. As I recall, the French in particular were quite vocal in decrying the “ballsy” nature of English flutes (which ITM has inherited), holding the tone of English flutes in contempt. It was interesting to read the comments of Englishmen regarding French flutes; the real differences seem to lie more in overall construction than in headjoint linings, it seems to me.
I heard one of Noel Rice’s students playing a silver Gemeinhardt French model (B foot, I think) with a Chris Abell wooden head this summer. She sounded fine, and had no problem with most of the ornamentation.
But I still like slides better on simple-system wood. And ITM in general on it, IF you mean to stay within a fairly traditional framework (i.e., not too many chromatics, etc.).
To me, it’s just well, more true. I mean, after all, we’re talking dance and social music composed by people playing anything they could get their hands on. IMHO, those first-purchase Pakistani sticks many of us now have stowed in our closets may not be that far off from what some of the old farmers were playing in terms of sophistication. And all that cool ornamentation, tonal stuff, sliding, etc.? How about some of that stemming from creative ways AROUND some of those instruments’ issues?
(For example, listen to that Jack Coen/Martin Mulhaire “Shaskeen/Old Copper Plate/Milliner’s Daughter” set. Sounds like it could have been recorded in 1910. I don’t know what Coen plays, but he’s one of the traditional demigods, and the flute probably ain’t an Olwell)
I do think the lined headjoints help with tone and lend a certain resonance. (I really notice it in that sterling Olwell lining.) Although I have to say I don’t miss the lining at all on my Hamilton. It’s maybe a wee bit “woollier” than my Ormiston, but that just means I have to play it with a less-lazy embouchure.
Bottom line? Despite all the improvements we’re blessed (and cursed) to have at our disposal – and how much fun it is to ponder their various virtues – I believe the rule is still the same: play what you get, play it the best you can, and have fun doing it.