Our band has an upcoming gig, and I’m more of a session player or short gig player (at our local Renaissance Festival) where I just play flute the whole time.
However, for a 1.5 hour gig, I’d like to be able to put the flute down but am afraid to lay it on the stage since we’re standing.
They also have the same model in two sized - 6.5mm and 9.5mm. I assume I’d want the 9.5mm since the end of my bore, using a highly precise tape measure is 11mm.
I use a K&M flute stand. It’s made for a standard Boehm silver flute, but the peg has been turned down (after purchase, by the fluter I got it from) to a suitable diameter for my 8-key conical bore chaps.
I should have thought of that. Funnily enough, it’s 9.5 mm. So I guess your second option should work. You definitely can’t go for the thinner rod - too much risk of scraping the inner surface or at least putting side-stresses on the flute, I would have thought.
Would you mind letting us know how well it works, when you’ve got it? They’re sold a fair bit over here as well as in the States, and it could come in handy. Either for me, as a spare, or for other Chiffers.
I had the opposite problem - wanting a stand for my alto flute, I used an ordinary flute stand and cut a sleeve of garden hose 8" long to slip over the peg.
A flute stand seems to me like just one more thing to trip over on stage. You might want to consider a holster, or sock, to attach to the mic stand, into which you could slide the flute when you’re not playing it.
We would always try to set up a table at the back of the stage on which to lay down our instruments, or take the time to put the instruments back in their cases.
The holster on the stand is an interesting idea, and a table in back would be handy if we knew our set up had space. We’re playing at an art fair at an organic goat farm, and we’re pretty sure we’re going to be playing on a flatbed hay trailer in front of the barn. I’m not positive I’ll have room for the stand, but if I do have space I was thinking last night I could bungie cord it to the base of the microphone stand so it would be out of the way.
At least the forecast is for 87 degrees, sunny, and really, really humid…that’ll make it really fun.
The crack in my flute’s lower hand piece was caused by me kicking the flute from its 9.5mm K&M stand on a crowded stage. I didn’t learn from this and still use the stand…they don’t work out of the box for my Bb though, I had to turn one peg down a bit.
I’m happy to know I, with Ben’s help, picked out the right sized stand, but I’ll do my best to learn from your mistake and not kick my flute while it’s on the stand.
The Vater drumstick holder is 7 inches tall, and can accommodate a flute (or in my case, low whistle). The bottom is padded inside. Attaches easily - place it fairly low and fully vertical on the mike stand for flute. It weighs 1.25 lbs as extra gear to carry. Cost is typically around $12, available at many big box music stores with drum departments.
Just be careful not to knock over your mike stand.
is 11mm.
Funnily enough, it’s 9.5 mm. So I guess your second option should work. You definitely can’t go for the thinner rod - too much risk of scraping the inner surface or at least putting side-stresses on the flute, I would have thought.
