We’ve seen these go by on old flutes.
As we continue to have a fair number of folks
writing in about difficulties holding flutes (including
low flutes)
tendinitis, aching thumbs, etc,
I wonder if a device like this might
help.
Anybody here actually used these things?
Do they work? What are they like?
Maybe we can induce a maker to
make these again.
Rockstro wrote about them a bit…and I believe it was Boehm (no?) who invented this contraption. The idea of which, clearly, was to alleviate the left hand pressure and work necessary to hold the flute for long periods of time.
Merely shaped in a “T”, it screwed into the flute and the cross portion of the T was concaved to tuck neatly into the soft part of the left hand, placing the weight of the flute, theoretically, onto the palm. This would enable the fingers to move freely and without stress. Of course, there was much less stress on the Boehm system instument than the old systems, where fingers had to cover holes into curved wood.
I think these photos on Rick Wilson’s website has the proper crutch.
http://www.oldflutes.com/im/fr-ger.jpg
http://www.oldflutes.com/im/bfmoen.jpg
http://www.oldflutes.com/im/bfmein.jpg
but if you’re trying to remove the pain on the wrist…then a Giogi system flute (or a Giorgi head, which it played vertically, is more accurate) might be an idea. I wonder if Terry and crew would consider such an animal?
dm
Am I right that the wrist is straight when using a
flute crutch?
Hi,
I noticed Seamus Egan used a brace on his left hand when playing the flute on Solas’s reunion concert. Tendinitis?
The photo is kind of blurred as he was playing faster then the speed of light, but you can make out the brace for his ring and pink finger.
I guess none of us have ever used one of these.
Is it possible to get a report, get one up and
running?
I sprained my ankle yesterday on some ice on a side walk and am to tall to use my flute as a crutch or a cane.
Anstapa
I asked for this, I know it.
At least one of my flutes, factory dated to the year 1915, has a crutch, along with its mounting socket on the flute’s body. It so happens that this is a nice flute, fun to play, but I do not use the crutch, and am glad that its socket is just out of the way for playing.
I suppose there could be a situation, possibly of an injury, where the crutch could be of practical use, but it’s not for me.
Will you say what it’s like to use it?
Is your wrist straight? and so on.
To be honest, the crutch seems to be a technology devised more to benefit the flute industry of that era, and please notice that it soon became obsolete.
Well, I didn’t like it, and apparently not enough other players way back then did, either; goodbye, crutch.
IMO, it vanished because it deserved to, details on request.
I tried one once, a friend had one. I found it difficult to balance the crutch, it kept wobbling and so did my wrist!
Speaking of pinkies, I saw another photo once of Seamus Egan with a splint on his pinkie. I get pinkie trouble myself from time to time and sometimes tape a small stick on when it’s really bad. Then just the other day, I saw on Comhaltas tv, a video of Sarah Jane Woods playing close up. Her bottom hand pinkie bends backwards just like mine - made mine hurt just to see it - but it seems she’s not old enough yet for it to give her gyp. 
Oh, aches and pains, you got that right!