Does anyone know if Michael Cronnolly adds keys (accidental keys) to an already purchased flute? If so, which new keys would you have him add on, like one for f natural or so on?
Best to contact MIchael directly but I would guess he would.
Here’s his contact info:
Michael Cronnolly
Knockmullen View
Killasser, Swinford
Co. Mayo, EIRE
phone: 011-353-71-81336
e-mail: polymer@eircom.net
Michael did a great job on my 6-key Ruddall Rose. If I had it to do over I might skip the short F key and just get the long F (plus Eb, Bb, Cnat, G#). Just my opinion and I’m not an experienced player so it may be the short F is important for something. I never found it to be so and I think it kind of gets in the way.
Doc
Without the short F, it is impossible to do a smooth transition between A-flat and F-natural.
Best,
–James
peeplj -
An A flat to an F?
I’m confused. Are there Irish tunes with A flats???
Jeff
They’re also called G#s. And yes.
Well, first of all, you wouldnt need keys for most Irish tunes. But the keyed flute wasnt designed for Irish music. So if you want to play music other than Irtrad that Ab to F transition will be a problem without the short F nat. There are people who play other types of music on conical simple system keyed flutes.
Oh, I also wanted to add to my earlier short post that I wasn’t saying the transition Ab to F was common in Irish music, but that the G# (Ab) is, in any tune in A major, for instance. But Tots is right – close to all of the Irish repetoire can be played keyless, particularly if you can half-hole the very occasional F or G#.
The short F nat key, though, is very useful in several transitions and just takes some getting used to. I went the other way for a bit, finding the long F nat. key clumsy, but then found its usefulness in the D-F transition and practiced it over the short F option. Like multiple cross-fingerings, either key is useful during slightly different transition; unlike multiple crossfingerings, the color and intonation of the note is the same.
Gordon