Am I the only one using my little finger on the bottom hole?Before I bought my Dixon 2 piece ABS I read about the proper grip ect. When it arrived the stretch for my third finger was too much,not even close. So I used my pinkie. Problem solved. When the Hall glass flute came it was the same answer to an even greater stretch.For the last month this easy solution has worked for the new Dixon 3 piece.Even the large holes and spacing on Erik the Flutemaker’s big ol’ D flute is possible{short fingers but wide}.Tonight I noticed that with some practice it should be possible to play the Dixon 3 piece with the proper{third} finger. Am I missing something here or will I gain some technical benefit for the effort.I know that I will have to continue to ‘pinkie it’ on the E the Fmkr and the Hall{the widest of all}.
Bruce
You’re not alone! I use my pinky on my Poe Irish flute and my Copeland low D. Bummer having teeny mitts, eh? Once you get used to it, you can rip a tune off just as fast as anyone, but it plays merry h*** with your uilleann playing.
Try this;
Rather than holding your arm perpendicular to the whistle or flute bring your hand closer to the body. If you have seen Mary Bergin play she does this with her top hand (She uses the right hand on top but that is her style). You are covering the holes with the meaty part of your for fingers not the tips. I do not have average hands and can play my Low D Susato with no problem using this technique.
Thanks for the encouragement Dave.It’s nice to know I’m not necessarily setting up a habit I’ll have to break latter.
I’ll give your hint a try Wizzer.Even on my first attempt at moving my hand closer it reduced the strain.
Thanks,
Bruce