i’m working on changing from playing on the shoulder to playing proper , like , with the head erect . just like a real flute player.
iv’e always played on the shoulder , literally ON, with a flute head extension to make that possible. i’m happy with it , i like the sound i make , the way i play, happy in me skin, like.
Missus , wait till i tell ya, it’s going to be great , stunning even. the neighbours are very excited about the extra volume.
I’d like to hear from anyone who has gone through this process , and the problems , solutions, head wreckin stuff , that you would have encountered .
I know that the sound is significantly better , iv’e always known that . better airflow , straighter air passage, blah blah, so i’d just like to hear what you went through, did it work, would you have bothered if you’d known what it would be like .
What!!?!? You’re doing what!!?!? After all that stuff about ‘no, you should rest it on your shoulder, Ben’. ‘Get yourself a wide fingerboard, why don’t you, while you’re at it.’ ‘Oh and don’t even think about holding a flute or a fiddle the way anybody else [like, say, ME!!!] would.’
it appears paul mcgratten made the transition. check out the links in my post in this thread which i labelled before and after where you can see him playing ‘off the shoulder’, and then in a more upright position.
Mr.Hall , i did plant one of those Dafs , in my early days of trucking , but we won’t talk about that.
The daffs in the lower forty , are doing their best to spring up, plenty of green , no yellow as yet.
as for wide fiddle finger boards and flute hold technique, iv’e now seen the error of my ways.
i’ll deal with yours , at a later date, perhaps as Mr Kelly would , but with a much sharper edged implement.
oh yeah , you’ll be making those sounds for real , you just wait.
and when my Mummy gets to hear…
Here, I’ve got about half a dozen ‘February Gold’ daffodils out, with hundreds more just bursting to go, but being held back by the frosts. Loads more daffs around the garden ready to go as well …
As for my grip, you probably still wouldn’t like my left wrist, though it seems to be working for me and is not as bent as some (mentioning no names).
I’m surprised more people haven’t answered you. I know from simple observation that there are plenty of people who play with the flute resting on the shoulder, but perhaps once they start out that way, people don’t even try to change it.
Ben , i’m sure i have what i was looking for , from Rama.
I’ll keep on chuggin till the head joint stops wobbling, which is the biggest problem.
Also , i’ll keep asking the stupid questions.
Some days later here and the head joint is steadying up , head is also steadying and i haven’t dropped the flute so much.
Great sound , good blast, easier to get all the notes , but it does seem to have a life of it’s own , jumping and leppin like a mad thing.
It’s like watching a day old lamb finding it’s feet and then just landing on it’s nose.
I’m thinking , this is not bad for an older geezer.
It looks like a piccolo ?
This is the way i would normally play , complete with the extension , but without the silk pants
( mine are George O’Mahony )
Weird - not a Western concert piccolo (too big), though appears to be full Bohm system with “C” foot - Trying to pick up sounds/fingerings, seems to me may be a tone lower (“in C” in our terms, “in Bb” in orchestral terms) - rather than the more to be expected Bb. I’m not at all sure, though.
Haven’t listened yet, but did you mean ‘in C#’ in our terms, and B in concert terms, Jem? Doesn’t make sense to me otherwise …
[edited to add, 'cos I think I’ve got it now] No, you must have meant “C in our terms, Bb in concert terms”. 'Cos that’s what it does seem to be. When he plays a ‘G’ fingering, he’s producing a concert F. So, yes, one whole tone lower. Wouldn’t that be called a Bb piccolo, Jem? It seems high enough …
Yup, that’s what I meant. Typos and lazy proof-reading… was rushing. Have edited but made edits apparent.
You could call it that, I suppose, though I’ve never encountered such a term. Nor, previously, such an instrument. It has to be something either uniquely made for the wee laddie (strange and expensive!) or else a North Korean speciality. Nearest (transverse) thing we’ve come across here before would be the true fifes from N. Ireland in pitches intermediate between D and Bb (in our terminology - 6-finger-note diatonic base) (e.g. http://www.angusfifes.com) - but of course those are keyless.
Three things would seem more likely choices from established (sort-of) instrument stock to fit a youngster than what this actually appears to be: 1) a normal modern Bohm piccolo in D (C); 2) a Bohm system Bb (orchestral Ab) band flute (I believe some were made for N.I. bands in the early C20th but can’t quickly find a reference); 3) a Bohm system treble flute “in G” (A in our terms) as rarely made for Bohm system flute bands/choirs. A fourth conceptual possibility would be a Bohm system F (in our terms) flute (“third flutes” are sometimes suggested as a good way for small beginners to get started) but I’ve never that I recall seen a picture of such. Clearly this is none of those!
