In another thread eilam posted that there was a great difference in volume in his 8-key upon the removal of the footjoint keys.
I thought the effect was mainly subjective and unlikely to make much of a difference to the listener or in a recording.
I was mistaken. There is a marked different in volume, as well as a noticable difference in the intonation of the low D (and maybe a bit on the E as well), and the timbre of the flute up and down its entire range, not just on the low end.
Here’s the experiment I did to prove it to myself, if you would like to listen:
This includes a bit of a reel played with the foot joint keys present and in the normal position, with the footjoint turned around so that the keys are out of the way (some players do this to avoid the clicking sound you get if you acidentally hit the touch without meaning to), and with the low C and C# keys removed from the flute.
Eilam, you were spot on. My apologies that I doubted.
Maybe it’s just me, but the one with the keys removed seems to have wacky intonation. So, while it sounds fuller, that fullness is not in tune. It seems to me that if the flute was tuned with the keys in place, then by removing them you will be sharpening the lower notes of each octave. Have you checked it on a tuner?
That flute isn’t in tune when compared to a tuner anyway…it’s definitely got the “old scale,” in spades.
But yeah, the whole feel of the instrument changes, and while it makes an interesting experiment, I don’t plan to ever play that flute in public unless all 8 keys are in place.
I actually like flutes with the older scale, but then again, I’m considered sort of an oddball, even (or perhaps “especially” would be a better word!) among players of wooden flutes.