Anything for the sake of science! {Think of Marilyn Monroe saying this line}
This note is an extension of previous notes: Pertaining to my newly acquired Copley and attempting to discern the differences between fully lined heads and all wooden heads.
While furthering my scientific research:
Last night I decided to try working on something different with the new Copley. So I got out a book and started working on exercises with cuts. I’ve never been very good at cuts and generally just skip them while playing.
Well low and behold, with the Copley, I was able to produce satisfactory (although legato) cuts. I was so astounded by this breakthrough, that I quickly got out an all-wood Rudall and attempted the same exercises. Which resulted in the garbled slur I was familiar with. This was a very striking difference, showing how the fast response and full lined head of the Copley effects performance.
To further investigate the difference between the heads of the flutes: I created Franken-Flute Copley (by adding yarn and Teflon tape to the tennon of the Copely body and affixing the all wood head from the Rudall). With this combination I was rewarded with a very pleasing tone, but still could not play decent cuts. So I would conclude that the fully lined head is primarily responsible for the quick response necessary for me to play decent cuts.
Well I worked on the cuts exercises for about an hour and went to bed. This morning I thought I would try to replicate the previous night’s experiment. To my surprise I was able to do fairly decent cuts on the all wood Rudall (somewhat subdued, but acceptable to myself). So I will state that the great design of the Copley allowed me to penetrate the barrier to playing cuts.
This makes me wonder: Who is the master, me or the Copley?
A fully lined head is often going to be more responsive
and will often articulate ornaments more crisply.
This is one of the nice things about such flutes.
However all of this can be done on an all-wood
flute, too. As you know.
A fully lined head is often going to be more responsive
and will often articulate ornaments more crisply.
Silly Jim. Perhaps you ought to let Catherine McEvoy, Ronan Brown, Harry Bradley, et. al., know that their playing would often be crisper and more responsive if they used a lined head…
Sorry for the sarcasm. The player is 95% of the whole business and the flute 5%.
‘A fully lined head is often going to be more responsive
and will often articulate ornaments more crisply.
This is one of the nice things about such flutes.
However all of this can be done on an all-wood
flute, too. As you know.’
I stand by what I said, and note that Dave and Stu’s
comments are consistent with it. Note also the word ‘often’
and the fact that the post is addressed to
somebody who is just learning to cut and
finds it possible only on a lined head, so far.
I agree entirely that what matters chiefly is the
player. I have no difficulty ornamenting
crisply on an unlined head, but I do find
lined heads somewhat more responsive–
at least given the lined and unlined
flutes I’ve played so far.
I agree with Jim. I recently played two Rudall copies with medium holes, one with a fully-lined head, and one with a partially-lined head, the the former was noticeably more agile in my hands.
This is not to say that a skilful player couldn’t do equally well on either flute, just that it is easier on some flutes than others. I suspect David’s rule of thumb of 95% player and 5% flute is true for the skilled, and that the ratio is different for the unskilled (like me) who appreciate all the help we can get from the flute.
Sturob may be right to point out that sealing the holes might have something to do with perceived responsiveness. I had more trouble getting low D on one flute, and last night discovered that most of the time I just wasn’t fully covering the bottom hole. So I can well imagine that tiny differences in ability to cover the holes might also make a difference to speed of response.
(the) rule of thumb of 95% player and 5% flute is true for the skilled, and that the ratio is different for the unskilled (like me) who appreciate all the help we can get from the flute.
Excellent point. Very well said. I hadn’t thought about it in this way and I think this is probably true. An experienced player can compensate and get the most out of a recalcitrant flute.
A good instrument is more important for a new player than for an accomplished player. It makes the player enjoy playing more and thus enables the player to develop more quickly.
Yes, I have to agree with that comment as well. Not that I think everyone was waiting on the edge of his or her seat to read what I think, of course . . .
I think Hugh made another very insightful comment. If you’ll allow me:
. . . might have something to do with > perceived > responsiveness . . . (my italics)
Perceived responsiveness may not really mean a whole lot. As someone I guess who’s on the more-experienced end of things, I’d have to say that cut responsiveness isn’t one of the things I’d attribute to lined heads. I think that’s what I meant to say, actually; that’s where I disagreed. Very VERY rarely are we able to compare two instruments between which only a single variable is changed. It’s easy to think that the headjoint lining is doing a whole heck of a lot because it makes the flute feel really different. Timbre, sure, yeah, I’ll go for that.
But if you’re in the process, for example, of learning to play cuts, and you pick up a different flute and your cuts sound better, I’d have to say that I’m 99% sure it’s because you’re getting a better seal on the holes and/or getting a little better clearance. I’m assuming the all-wood “Rudall” isn’t a Copley.
So, Jordan, it’s not just the Copley, it’s YOU. YOU are the master.
You ever have one of those moments, days later where you think…"why didn’t I ask…"well,
David what makes of slideless flutes do Catherine McEvoy, Ronan Brown, & Harry Bradley play? Just an idle question. I’d heard Catherine played an unlined/slideless flute, but didn’t realize the others did as well and am curious what makers’ flutes they play.
Wow, this has gone on longer than I had expected. Let me weigh in.
I have found that ornaments are clearer on unlined heads. I presume this is becuase of less weight, or better balance. I wonder if some find the opposite because of the increased inertia (i. e., flute is heavier so might not move around as much). Just a speculation. I know at least one very accomplished player who plays a lined-head flute, but LOVES all-wood flutes; he finds them equally responsive, but prefers the projection of the lined head.
I was so astounded by this breakthrough, that I quickly got out an all-wood Rudall and attempted the same exercises. Which resulted in the garbled slur I was familiar with. 
This was a very striking difference, showing how the fast response and full lined head of the Copley effects performance.
(by adding yarn and Teflon tape to the tennon of the Copely body and affixing the all wood head from the Rudall). With this combination I was rewarded with a very pleasing tone, but still could not play decent cuts. So I would conclude that the fully lined head is primarily responsible for the quick response necessary for me to play decent cuts.
