It was bound to happen. Lately, I’ve found myself eyeing the silver-studded tooters, like the lovely 6-key Hammy that’s for sale now. (Don’t I just wish… ). Fortunately for my wallet, I talked myself down to this one:
The seller was local, so I was able to drive over and try it on my lunch hour. It turned out to be a very sweet old German blackwood flute. It plays well at A440, is well-intonated, and strong from the low D up into the third octave. He refurbished it well, and replaced the old pads with good leather ones. The barrel crack is real, but the head is lined, and everything’s tight. It passed the “suck test” with flying colors. It doesn’t quite have the power of my Copley, but not far off! It’s plays easily, and can put out pretty good volume. Very nice! I gave the seller his “buy it now” price, but didn’t need to ship it, obviously. So, we’re two happy campers.
Now the real challenge. I have absolutely no idea how to play on keys, let alone ten of them! I’m sure I’ll get it figured out, but will accept advice, links and pointers. I don’t suppose there’s a fingering chart out there for these beasts?
Have fun with the keys! I find that when playing ITM, I pretty much ignore them, except where they offer convenient alternatives. But when trying to play a Bach partita, or something with lots of accidentals, they become very very useful…
I didn’t find it difficult to transition from no keys to keys though. Just start using them with what you already play. You will probably find that you use the Eb, Cnat and Fnat keys the most at first, if you have any tunes in C or A minor. The flute is probably designed to vent the Eb key for most of the notes. Depending on what key you are in, and who you are playing with, you might also find it useful to vent the Fnat key when playing F#, and the Cnat key when playing C#.
Thanks, I had forgotten about Terry’s great fingering chart. I’ve pretty much got it figured out now, and can play chromatic scales in extremely slow motion. I can’t make the low C, except twice by accident, but I guess that’ll come eventually.
Yikes, it actually goes down to low B. Now there’s something to strive for!
It is missing the end cap (crown?). It turns out the cap from my Copley fits it exactly. I might try to scrounge one up, or buy one off of one of our esteemed makers. Any offers?
Particularly for a German flute, the composite chart on Rick Wilson’s website is the most useful. Terry’s one, while helpful, has limitations. Can I also suggest you have a watch of some of my YouTube clips to see keys in use…
I just had time to have a look at the eBay listing - looks like a decent one, for what looks are worth, and your account bears that out - and seemingly well refurbished. Getting the low B (and even the low D, C# & C) to sound (well) depends very much on good sealing all the way down as well as good embouchure… and may in the end point back to needing to fix the barrel crack.
For the crown, I take it you have the actual stopper part or has a simple cork been fitted? Either way, sure, you could get someone to knock you one up, but you won’t get that spun metal covering to match the foot end that way. Why not keep an eye out for another junkier nach Meyer with surviving crown and adjustable stopper that you can pick up for a few dollars? If you can get one for under U$60-70 it’ll probably be less than a maker would charge to make you a plain wood one (with adjuster), though any friendly local wood-turner could knock up a decent looking simple hardwood crown plug for you for rather less.
Right now there’s just a cork in there. The crown from my Copley fits perfectly, so I may try my hand at making one like it. But I’ll also keep an eye out for an adjustable one that can be salvaged from a flute that’s beyond redemption. I’ve been rereading your posts about filling barrel cracks. I’m not sure I’ll attempt this myself, but I might. For now, I’m just enjoying it for what it is.
Nano, you have very little to worry about. I can get the low C# consistently, but the C and B are pretty elusive. But, boy, am I liking those higher accidentals!
A fella not unknown in these parts has a flute that produces a lovely, strong, clear, low B. Dead easy, too, both fingering and blowing. It doesn’t only depend on the player …
I think (may be being presumptuous) that Ben means my Rampone that he had loan of for a while earlier this year while I repaired his starter flute and before he got be-Rudalled…
It’s the second one (at 2:10) on this clip and is also here, using the low B in both cases. Mind you, it has pewter plugs for the lowest 3 keys, not pads (hence the clacking!). There are also 3 short “use of foot keys” clips I did with the Rampone on my Box.net account: 1), 2), 3). (I think that, as 3GPP files from an older mobile phone, they may only open through Quicktime…)
No, go for it, go for it, go for it. Took me a while to figure out the low Cnat, and in the course of working that out it improved my control and ease with the low D on up. You can only improve for trying - how much moreso, then, in mastering the low B? - so I suggest you never compartmentalise those notes and put them off for a sunnier day (what better day to bang yer head against a wall than now? ) but take it on as part of what is integral to your flute, and shake hands with it.
Nano says, “B here now!” Very hip and cosmic groovy advice, with market potential.
The head joint was freaking me out sliced off at the forehead. For now, it’s wearing the cap from an empty shampoo bottle. At least I won’t have nightmares.
Market potential? That book went out with macrobiotics and leisure suits, I thought. But you could be right; this is the day of all things retro, isn’t it. Behold, what was old is made new again:
It’s selling at Amazon, anyway.
Shampoo bottle cap, huh? Looks pretty good in an internet pic.
Heinlein’s prescience/perceptiveness (Stranger in a Strange Land especially) regarding American socio-political and psycho-ethical trends seem pretty on-target of recent times! Scarily so… But that’s another story.
). Fortunately for my wallet, I talked myself down to this one:
I can’t make the low C, except twice by accident, but I guess that’ll come eventually.
