I have some keyless Flutes, and I want to install an E flat key. As the cross fingers work, I will be able to play Baroque music. I’ve contacted Jon C He has answered that I would do better with someone who specializes in Post mounting Keys or uses a plate. Anybody know somebody who will do this? Naturally I would prefer somebody on the American side of the Big Puddle. Kind regards
Maurice Reviol does this, but he’s in New Zealand.
Post or plate mounting certainly makes this a fairly straightforward task. I can say this quite comfortably as I don’t do post mounting!
It is possible to graft on a block and do block mounting, which arguably fits the baroque visual aesthetic better. That’s more readily done in blackwood, which is mostly black, rather than coloured woods where matching the colour and grain can be pretty tricky (especially as you’re trying to match finished timber with unfinished timber). Another catch is if the rest of the flute is finished in say a high gloss finish, the new block needs to match that finish. Easiest for the original maker or someone in touch with the original maker to do.
Another approach would be to get a replacement foot with an Eb key. Again easiest for the original maker, but not impossible for other makers. Will cost a bit more of course.
What I’m realizing is that Many good keyless flutes, if you add an E flat key, can play everything a six key flute can play. I have some lovely keyless flutes, you see, and I’m playing all sorts of music where an E flat key comes in handy, e.g., middle eastern, Indian, Blues, Baroque music, klezmer, jazz, Classical. The idea of being liberated from other keys is appealing. Will someone tell me what you do with the plate?
It’s a variant of post mounting, or sometimes a cross between post and block. In the more regular post-mounted form, the posts screw directly into the wood on very short, fat, coarse threads. In this form the two posts or block or brackets that support the key axle are mounted on a plate that runs between them. The plate is then secured to the wood via 2 or more short screws.
Not that common in the old days - I don’t seem to have an example in my collection. But this image of a flute by the American maker Catlin from Rick Wilson’s site provides us with an example:
Note on the long keys (long F and upper C), the plate is long, to provide the lateral guidance we “blockheads” usually use two separate blocks each for.
Might I be so bold as to make a suggestion. What Terry says about it being somewhat more aesthetically accessible to graft a block of Blackwood to a Blackwood flute is true. But if the flute is a Baroque flute of another type of wood, what would the aesthetic objection be to use an artificial block of Ivory or Amber substitute?
Bob
Thanks everybody. Terry, the picture says it all. The question remains who if anybody on this side of the big puddle makes post or plate mounted keys. I do have some keyless flutes with the E flat key, and they perform about as well as the six keyed flute. Liberating. Less expensive!
Some Clarinet Repair People could do this,maybe even one in your Hometown 