cross fingering

Irish Flute
1

Please can anyone tell me if there is a website that describes how to do cross fingering?
I didn’t manage to meet up with my teacher for a while (coz we’re both so busy) and now that I’ve got my very own first flute (unkeyed D) I wondered if there’s anything on the net that could start me off till I can arrange another lesson…
Thanks if you can!
Cariad

2

I think from another post you said you have a 3 piece dixon. I have the same flute (well, not the same flute but the same model)…anyway, it’s great from cross fingering notes - almost baroque like in this ability. The best thing thing is to try some things, but the general theory is that you put down fingers after the note. For example, try F nat. as XXX XOX. You might need to blow more quietly, or rotate the flute in or away from you. Until you get good at it, it helps to have an electronic tuner.

Others I use:

G# XXO XXO or XXO XOO
Bb XOX OOO
Cnat. is OXX OOO or OXO XXX

I hope that helps!

Eric

3

Mark Hoza’s web site has a fingering chart. For a lot of the notes, there are several options listed, and a lot of it is flute dependent. What Jayhawk says is true, try things, and an electronic tuner is a lot of help.

www.woodenflutemaker.com is Hoza’s site. Poke around a bit, I don’t think it’s hard to find.

4

That’s really very helpful!
Thanks a lot guys! :slight_smile:
I’m gonna get there!!

Cariad

xxx00xxx0x0x0xxoooxxxaaaaaaaahhh (sound of twisted fingers!) :astonished:

5

Half holing is the earth and the sky,
except on C natural.

6

Jim - I’m pretty sure Cariad has a Dixon 3 piece. I know you did to - were you able to half hole any notes on it? If you were, I’m going to have to reclassify my fingers as “large”! I can half hole fine on my home made bamboos and PVC flutes with large holes (actually, about the same size as the holes on a friend’s Pratten model flute), but I can’t half hole anything on the Dixon.

Just curious,

Eric

7

Another good fingering for a first octave C natural is

OXX XOX

This is the same as the standard C nat. fingering on uilleann pipes and on all the flutes I have ever played, it gives an ever-so-slightly more true C natural than the standard OXX OOO. Not always practical for blindingly fast tunes but reccomended for slower ones.

8
  • yes - I do have a Dixon 3 piece. Being such an elementary beginner I have to look where I’m putting my fingers (!) but I can do the half hole fine the size my fingers are on this flute. (Just painfully slow but I’m determined to learn!!)

I’ve just seen things about C nat fingering on another thread too - I wondered why it always seems to be this note that has so many alternatives…?

on with the practise!
thanks for all your contributions
Cariad

9

That’s great! Not hard to find at all! - a lot to learn though - one note at a time for me!

Diolch! (Thanks)
Cariad

10

I don’t remember whether I could half hole
on the Dixon, but I supose I could.
I’m one of these half holing loonies!

I’m really convinced this is doable
with reasonable practice. I wouldn’t
be surprised if bigger holes help, of course.