Have any of y’all had a flute that you knew wasn’t the greatest flute in the world, but just for some reason fit you really well? I’ve been trying to play off and on for a year, and have tried several flutes. I started on a Thin Weasel (Is that a Pratten style?), and have tried a Casey Burns and an old HF Meyer. Each certainly has its advantages. The Weasel especially has this wonderful round sound, but I just can’t seem to make an efficient use of air with it.
So last week I got an antique Mollenhauer six-key, I think in boxwood. It’s not in particularly good tune, a bit sharp all over, and one or two notes that often go wonky. But for some reason, I can blow this flute, get decent length phrases, and not be gasping for breath after five minutes. Plus I can get a consistently good tone from it for much longer than other flutes.
So, do you think I’m just destined to play this flute (I don’t think I’d have a problem with that), or as I improve with it, will I graduate to other flutes that I find very difficult to fill now?
Yes, you have found a good fit in a flute, and yes, you will probably move on one day to a better flute.
But the one you like to play is always the favorite flute, IMO.
Gordon
Well I guess it’s possible that it’s a divine match. As I recall Bill Monroe had the same mandolin for his entire career. They sort of fit together. The same with Willie Nelson’s guitar.
I have an old Emerson flute I’ve had for 20 years and still sometimes like to play.
Some of the old flutes are phenomenally good. Sounds like you have found one.
For the out of tune notes, you may find these get better as you play it over time. Also, it was the practice among classical players to vent keys on certain notes to help the intonation, such as opening the long C key when playing C-sharp, or venting the short F and E-flat keys when playing F-sharp.
I think you’ll find that you’re going to want to keep this flute, even if you get a flute from a modern maker later.
I most certainly want to keep it! Even after the Grinter comes in another 16 months or so. I’m not sure it’s one of the diamonds in the rough, but I can say that my wife, who was a flute major in college, makes the thing sing, and also thinks it’s head and shoulders above the other antique flutes we have. She has small hands, and the reach and diameter of this one are both very small – makes the E a little weak in the lower octave, though.
WRT the venting, I think most of the tuning is probably correctable with the embouchure. When I play it normally, it sounds at maybe A445-450, but I can blow a little softer and downward and get 440. So it may be pretty easy and automatic to correct the sour note or two. Another thing that I’ve discovered is that the high B and above require right-hand holes to be covered – the b sounds best as X0000X, the C#, 000XXX, and we haven’t found an in-tune high-D yet. James, I saw your alternate fingerings, and will try some of them.
Yeah, it took about a week to get the thing unstuck (a few hours to get all the cork tenons unstuck) – this baby hadn’t been cared for, or probably even played in the last few decades. I’ve fiddled a little with the tuning cork, but haven’t put it in its final resting place.
Sometimes the old ladies can be crotchety at first, but if you treat her kindly, she will probably learn to sing for you. I have an old german anonymous that I played daily over about a four month period.
Just by playing it (somewhat poorly and clumsily) regularly, it was astonishing how many of its quirks worked themselves out, and what a nice-sounding flute it finally has become. [ the previous sentence is gramatically horrible, but I am tired of working on it]
I’m not sure it’s one of the diamonds in the rough, but I can say that my wife, who was a flute major in college, makes the thing sing, and also thinks it’s head and shoulders above the other antique flutes we have. She has small hands, and the reach and diameter of this one are both very small – makes the E a little weak in the lower octave, though.