Well, now that I have gone keyless (ummm…anyone interested in an M&E 5 key ), I have been inspired to create a quick reference sheet for various cross fingerings. I have tried to sift through previous posts that addressed them, but I couldn’t find anything that combined them all. This is not to say that one does not exist. I just didn’t find one at a quick glance. If anyone could add to the list, I would greatly appreciate it! This is what I have so far (excluding half holing)…
I’m still figuring out which fingerings work best on my flute and how they change with the octaves. I guess that was part of the reason for wanting to list them all…somewhat of a checklist of possibilities and maybe some alternate fingerings for “quick” passages. The F nat is definitely best half holed. I’ve been working on committing the Commodore to memory this evening and cursing the darn F nat each time. Something about that portion (not my cursing ) of the tune has also triggered my husband to start singing Aqualung all evening…or at least “Sitting on the park bench…”
Eeek!! I’m tired and starting to ramble!! …sorry 'bout that
so many alternatives! But it has helped - now if I want to change to sound of my unkeyed copley when I’m not playing Irish tunes, or to get a cross-fingering that is more in tune for a slower piece, I can find new fingerings! A whole new world of complexity to get into. And there was me about to buy a keyed flute
Mind you, I still can’t get a reliable cross fingered first octave G#, but half holing seems to work fine - there’s always that option!
For me, if a note is 15-20 cents sharp or flat, then it is pretty easy and quick to adjust the note by lipping it. As for cross fingering an F…no matter how much I can lip it down and roll in that booger is way too sharp for me to even bother. I have found it much easier to just get used to half holing that one.
I no longer roll in or out on the note after reading this from fife and drum
Many will say “roll in” or “roll out” when referring to tuning. This is the crude way of fixing notes, but many people would seem to rather do this on occasion than fix their notes correctly and permanently, and train their ear. Rolling in or out works if everything is sharp or flat, (and tuning in the middle of a song or in a parade when the person to your left is sharp or flat) but it’s not a good idea (and impractical) for fixing individual notes.
Personally (as a hack) I found that moving the flute was slow and clumsy compared to using the embouchure and now fully agree with the above quote. I found, if you cannot do it with your lips, it is not worth doing.
Oh, I know that from many years of playing flute and as a music major from college. My former professor would die if he knew I had even attempted or considered such a thing as rolling in. (MAJOR “NO NO”) My point was that it is just too sharp for me to lip down and by even trying the “forbidden” rolling in, I am still not able to get it to cooperate very well.
I read something last week that said something to the effect that in the 18th century people’s ears were used to the sharp Fnat/flat F#. Our ears just aren’t as flexible as they were a few generations ago. There are tunes that I play on the traverso that sound funny if I play them on a keyed flute with an “in-tune” F.
), I have been inspired to create a quick reference sheet for various cross fingerings. I have tried to sift through previous posts that addressed them, but I couldn’t find anything that combined them all. This is not to say that one does not exist. I just didn’t find one at a quick glance. If anyone could add to the list, I would greatly appreciate it! This is what I have so far (excluding half holing)…
…sorry 'bout that
