Here’s something interesting I tried the other day. I hadn’t played my flute in a while (okay, call me badfifer), and I picked it up to practice yesterday. I was noodling around with “Maids of Mitchelstown” and realized it was easier (or at least fun) to lift the back of my finger nearest the palm instead of the finger tip to half hole the F natural.
Does anyone else half hole from the back?
BTW, my flute’s keyless.
madfifer9
With my short fat fingers I never would have thought of it if you hadn’t mentioned it.Do you play with a pipers grip? I wounder if it makes a differance to technique how half-holing is done.Different technique seems to suit varying physiology.Now, if you can tell me how to half-hole or cross finger the D# in GREENSLEVES on a small hole Dixon…
Best,
Bruce
Unless you need to play Greensleeves in Em for a particular reason, playing it in Am is an option.The G# being fairly easy to half hole. Best regards…
BmacD, I agree that the D# is a bear on a Dixon. It’s the one incidental I can’t cross finger or half hole worth a darn. Sometimes though, I can get it, but it is admittedly muddy.
I often just try to either slip past D#s or lip them up a bit…
BmacD, I don’t know if I play with a piper’s grip, but I do end up covering the holes of my right hand with the joint of my finger instead of the fingertip pads. What constitutes a piper’s grip on flute?
madfifer9
Arfur- Thanks for the tip of transposing Greensleves from Em to Am. Much easier! I had been playing that song on one of Zachiah Blackburns {Sunreed Instruments} monstrous- holed D flutes,where you can half-hole anything.
Madfifer9- The short explanation of pipers grip seems to be covering holes with any part of the finger except the tip.Usually this seems to require a straighter finger posture withlittle or no curve to the fingers.It seems to be a popular grip among those with long fingers, which leaves me out.
Bruce