I was playing my GLP at church this morning and feeling a bit dissatisfied with the veiled G#, and started thinking about a G# pinkie hole, much in the same vein as the C nat thumbole. Looking at pictures of various keyed flutes, including the GLP, it certainly looks like this would be doable.
Has anyone thought/tried this before?
Clinton
yes, Skip Healy is one http://www.skiphealy.com
he has a 10 hole flute here http://www.skiphealy.com/keylessflute_chromatic
There is (an aside) the option of half-holing on the G-hole.
This gets a strong G sharp
and it can be developed by playing scales in A.
Takes practice but it can be done.
Half holing works a bit better on a large holed flute though, don’t ya think?
It can also be hard to nail a clean G# ascending the scale, especially at reel tempo. Hard to beat a key for G#, or a hole if you’re so inclined (sounds like a weird beast to me, though - neither fish nor flesh). Cheers,
Rob
p.s. Denny, even my Olwell Pratten, whose F# sounding-hole would happily accommodate a dime, has a weensy little A sounding-hole.
does bring back the Boehm debate regarding open/closed G# 
Well, we’re talking music for worship services, which
probably isn’t executed at great speed.
As to speed, small holes, and half-holed G sharps, I do think this is doable with practice.
I’m playing small holed flutes in the key of A and G.
Fsharp, G, Gsharp, A, Gsharp, G, Fsharp…
Five minutes a day or whatever. Up and down.
Maybe I’m just not playing fast enough to have difficulties.
But I don’t find the key much of an improvement
though it does help.
I see only 8 holes… where are the other 2?
The thumb holes are underneath (I presume).
So … since I can’t find a 10 hole fingering chart … Would the G/G# be (ignoring thumbs):
G: xxxx|oooo G#: xxxo|oooo -OR- G: xxxo|oooo G#: xxox|oooo ??
no offence, but- have you had a little too much
whisky?
healy’s holes were discussed in this topic quite some ago.
[Please be aware that if you consider the content in that topic both current and relevant and you decide to post a comment therein you will need to post a warning that it is a revived topic just in case some other person is prompted to enter a post therein , such person not being aware of the age of the topic and such person being under the illusion that the bare age of a topic renders it irrelevant notwithstanding that in every other regard the content may be relevant to current issues and considerations.]
the first one, I think… I’ve seen a fingering chart but it was years ago!
OT - I prefer Vodka 
talasiga, thanks - and sorry.
The G# has always been my achilles on a keyless flute! 
Here’s a picture of my old Healy 10-hole fife:
The pinky holes were nice to have and easy (intuitive) to get used to. But I just couldn’t comfortably use the thumb holes (Cnat & Fnat).
I currently play a McDonagh Regimental Model fife with 7-holes. The extra being Eb (or B for fife), but would certainly like another pinky hole for the G# (E).
These are moderately sized fifes and not full sized flutes. Migoya is the only one I know who has played a 10-hole Healy flute. If memory serves he described it as “uncomfortable”.
I had long wondered what an 11-hole fife was. Though I once had an 11 fingered cab driver in Boston, I figured the market would be really small. The 11th. hole is actually a recorder style double hole on the F#/F.
So there’s the G sharp hole, alrighty!
Where does the hole go for F natural? I was talking to a flute maker about trying this
and he said it would be badly out of position, but I wonder if that’s so.
Hey Jim,
The Fnat was a RH Thumb hole. I presume it was opened with the F# closed (XXX XXO). As I recall all of the toneholes were intuitively placed (chromatically) along the fife’s axis.
I had a fingering chart for the 10-hole fife, but can’t seem to find it. 
Memory does serve right…the Healy F flute in 10 holes was uncomfortable…FOR ME.
I have smallish hands for a man and the RHthumb was the issue.
The 10-hole flute/fife idea was pioneered by Giorgi way back in the 1800s. A few exist, but it was a verticle flute.
The 10-hole fife was popularized by Roy Seaman in the 1960s when he made a chromatic fife for the Regimental F&D Band…and later the 11-hole came out (two holes on RH2 for the F-nat…and a hole for RHthumb for the same note).
On the fife the size works well.
Not so for the flute. It’s a huge stretch.
That said, here’s the issue with the pinkey G# hole (which from a chromatic standpoint makes perfect senst)…
the LH3 and LHpinkey MUST rise/fall simultaneously. Difficult? not really as many 10-hole players have done for years…
where’s the problem? On the roll of the A. Most of us do not move those two fingers precisely enough to make that roll work smoothly. Some can; most can’t.
Too, the rolls of other lower notes (if you use the LH3 as the primary cut) are affected since now you’re moving two fingers instead of one.
I have a different idea on the matter, but that’ something John Gallagher and I are working on privately for a flute that one day should hit the general market…we’ll see.
hope this helps!
Is tantalisation allowed on this board??? Or is that “tantalism”?
Meantime, hitting generals sounds like a good idea. Make 'em see stars they’ve actually “earned”!
(Sorry David… thanks for the interesting insight.)
So, to ask my question again … I guess that means that the fingering is:
G: xxxx|oooo G#: xxxo|oooo A:xxoo|oooo ??
yup, MT, that would be accurate
jem…you’re a nut. 
let’s just say that the design is one that makes sense and most people should find much more accessible. It’s actually a flute for me, but I’m sure there might be interest from others. We’ll see. It’s very much on the drawing board for now
dm