Flute players are a varied lot. For every traditionalist, there’s a nonconformist. Some of us take great comfort in going with the flow. Some of us just don’t fit in. While most folks are contented with standard grip, or the reassuring presure of Rockstro, some of us just have to go our own way and hold the flute with straight fingers. It’s been argued again and again whether or not this is a good idea, and one thing that always comes up is, what about keyed flutes? The problem is that those of us with unconventional grips tend to rely very heavily on the right pinky finger to keep the flute off the floor. How can you stick with your most comfortable grip, yet still use the foot keys?
After seeing the question pop up in various threads, I’ve decided to break cover and expose my secret for making full use of the foot keys whilst not dropping the flute: The RobRest!!!
THis one is on my Wylde; I have them on pretty much all of my flutes. It’s made from a wine cork, with a thin veneer of tenon cork for looks/comfort. I confess, I’ve superglued this one to the flute, but Blu-Tack is a more reversible option. Here’s another view, this time with the foot-keys removed:
Interestingly, this is exactly the same view I get down the barrel of my shotgun when I’m trying to get my neighbor to tidy up his back garden. Despite presure from my lawyers, and international copyright notwithstanding, I’ve decided to release the RobRest to the wooden flute world at large, so that everyone can enjoy the satisfying whack of the C#/C keys in comfort and style. Enjoy!
I suppose it’s obvious that I’m not an Eb key venter; I never could get used to the feeling (talk about tension!). I will occasionally use the Eb key in a tune, though, so the rest couldn’t block the touch. Notice that it follows the curve of the key touch almost exactly - the net result, after fooling around with how far the rest should protrude above the key, is that I can actuate the Eb without removing my finger from the rest, just by rocking the pad over a bit. Very easy. Cheers,
I like it. Your ingenuity makes me want a flute with keys now.
Michael
By the way, I posted a few tunes that Will McCanless and I played last night. Wasn’t the best recording situation, but I thought I’d share them anyway. Recorded on a Zoom H4.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I was thinking that that would be a great place to store an extra tuning cork. It would be right there in case you ever needed one.
You know the C/C# flag keys make a great place to stuff a lit cigarette shoud one be so inclined. Alas I gave up smoking so I’ll have to think of another use.
When I was a teenager, I was so proud of my new Gibson electric guitar. I took it to the lake for our week’s vacation that summer. I showed my guitar to the man who had rented the neighboring cabin, and naturally he wanted to play it. As soon he got it in his hands, he stuck his lit cigarette underneath the bass E string near the tuning post. I didn’t hear a thing that he played. All that I could think of was the cigarette burning down and burning my new guitar.
My Olwell Rudall came back for a visit the other day, so I took the opportunity to snap a photo of the original RobRest keyless model in situ, to wit:
The Pratten seemed to want its rest over the ring, so here’s one like that:
I originally took to using the rest on the keyless flute because it seemed odd playing without one after having installed them on my keyed flutes. I see now that there are potential advantages for anyone who’s looking for a more stable RH hold. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I personally like the way it keeps my RH fingers lined up:
(Note the flowering tree in the background. Yes, it’s February here, too.) I should have done one without the rest, in the same pose, to show the way my little finger dips down in its absence. I like the way my right hand feels with all the fingers more or less in the same plane. Cheers,
Bwa-ha-ha-HA-HA-HAAA!!! 
