I thik this has been spoken yet, but the seery’s flutes have a flat C#. Cnat is ok by doing 0X0 000, instead of 0XX 000, which is what i do in my other (old, restored by me) flutes… so…
Can i rework that tone hole, LH1? I have tuned my other flutes resizing the problematic toneholes, with great results (in both two octaves ) making them bigger or smaller,
At the old flutes, this tunning malfuctions are (i think) caused by this notes intended to be played by venting with keys… but seery is a modern one.
it’s tuned like an old pratten model?
i’ve read users complaining about that seery’s flat C#. or it is not as common as i think?
what do you think?
I think a flat C# is required to have a better cross fingered C nat (oxx ooo). But if your C nat is in tune with oxo ooo, it might be doable to open a bit that hole to make C# more sharp and C nat in tune with oxx ooo.
But other folks might have different thoughts
Certainly the Seery I had a while back had a flat open C#, and I do believe this is common to them - and indeed to the vast majority of keyless modern flutes, whether or not they are accurate copies of antiques in terms of their tone-hole placement, sizing and undercutting, or whether they are “modified/improved/modern tuning”. It is one of the necessary compromises in flute design that the C# tone-hole doubles as the vent for the 1st harmonic of D (and various other notes), with the result that that open note is usually flat. On keyed flutes (or on modern ones with a C natural thumbhole) venting the C natural tone-hole will go some or all of the way to correcting the C#.
BTW, I know this is a hobby-horse of mine, but oxo xxx gives a better (stronger-toned, more in tune) C natural on the majority of Simple System flutes (not all) - it certainly was better than oxx ooo (flat and veiled) on the Seery that passed my way. As for the C#, you can try opening it out a little to sharpen it, but be very circumspect and check the effects of doing so on any notes that depend on venting that hole, like 2nd and 3rd 8ve Ds. If doing so upsets (over-sharpens) the cross-fingered C natural, you may be able to compensate with one of the alternative fingerings…see the various threads there have been about such.
I don’t know how this simple fact eluded me for the three years I’ve been playing. Yes, oxoxxx (or even oxoooo) is better on my two flutes than the oxxoxx that I usually use. That’s only true on some of my whistles, though. I guess I need to be paying more attention around here!
As for whistles, in my experience of quite a lot of different ones, the commonest best C natural at the top of the 1st 8ve is oxx xox, but I’ve met some (e.g. Susatos) that are best with the flute fingering of oxo xxx and a few (not many) that were actually best with oxx ooo. I tend to think of oxo xxx as “default flute C” and oxx xox as " default whistle C", with the proviso that cylindrical Simple System flutes like Tipples seem often to work better with oxx xox. I’m not closed-minded about the issue - I have a piccolo that works best with oxx ooo (dang it!) and I also use the C nat key on my keyed flutes, using keyed or cross fingering as best suits the context for ease of fingering and strength of tone or accuracy of intonation. On addressing a new-to-me instrument I try it out to see which is optimal…
) making them bigger or smaller,
