Hello,my first post to this forum.
I have a flute made by a top maker. It’s a
fine well made instrument but I have a problem with it playing about 25 cents sharp. I’m not entirely convinced the problem is not with my embrochure.
The tuning slide does’nt correct the problem significantly unless pulled out a long way which then of course upsets the intonation. The cork is in the recommended position.
By really making an effort and turning the head barrel in I can force it down to concert pitch but the resulting sound is constricted and the open sound lost.
I’ve had this flute for about 8 months, prior to this I had a three piece Dixon for 12 months and didn’t have any problems .
I’m going to persevere some more before speaking to the maker and would appreciate any advice from other fluters.
Thanks.
I have played some flutes made by top Makers with a very high pitch. They were difficult to play A=440 Hz, but if you pull out completely the slide of your flute and still sounds high this flute in particular may have a problem.
I particular som Murray flutes I’ve seen are a bit higher than others. Perphaps other Murray flutes have A=440 Hz. I don’t Know.
Can you send me a e-mail with the distant from the centre embouchere hole to the centre c# hole (firs hole)?. This distant is important for pith, so we can compare your flute with the mines ones. You can compare this distant with your Dixon too.Can you say me the maker name in the e-mail?
S. Moro.
smoro@epes.es
[ This Message was edited by: smoro on 2002-12-18 08:18 ]
[ This Message was edited by: smoro on 2002-12-18 08:23 ]
On 2002-12-18 01:12, arfur wrote:
The cork is in the recommended position.
Moving the cork is worth a try - remember that it’s only a recommendeded position, it’s not a crime to move it if the flute’s not in pitch top to bottom. Just my $0.02 worth, but it’s probably worth a try. There’s a great article (obviously for Boehm system flutes, but the concept is the same) on http://www.miyazawa.com/articles/other11.htm
Richard
I’m willing to bet the problem is with your embouchure (i.e. your blowing style). I’ve worked with a few flute students who had the same problem: the flute was sharp when they played, even with the tuning slide pulled quite a way out, but the same flute was perfectly in tune when I played it with the tuning slide pushed closer in. I haven’t quite figured out how to fix this. My own approach would be to aim for a tighter embouchure, pursing your lips more tightly, so you get a more focused sound. That should bring it into tune. But I know some players advocate a relaxed embouchure. Maybe the best thing for you to do is experiment using a “biofeedback” approach: try making your embouchure tighter, looser, etc., make facial grimaces, whatever, and see what it does to the tuning.
A good way to develop your embouchure in the right way is to practice one-handed scales in the second octave, using harmonics. Start with the second octave D and go up to G, and then to get the rest of the scale use these fingerings with a very tight embouchure to obtain the harmonics:
A: xxx xxx
B: xxx xxo
C: xxx xoo
D: xxx ooo
where x is a closed hole and o is an open hole. Aim for getting good, strong harmonic notes, and aim for a controlled volume. I like to play them softly, which is more challenging. You don’t want them to be loud and out of focus, full of air.
A friend of mine learned this trick from Jean-Michel Veillon; he uses harmonics like these in his playing. Actually uilleann pipers use a similar trick frequently as well as a workaround for difficult fingerings. It’s a great exercise for your embouchure on the flute!
[ This Message was edited by: bradhurley on 2002-12-18 09:04 ]
[ This Message was edited by: bradhurley on 2002-12-18 09:06 ]
Thanks for the answers re: flute playing sharp. The fact that Brad has encountered this problem before with students makes me think he is right and the problem lies with technique rather than the flute. So I will soldier on.
That’s a great little exercise, I can feel it doing me good already !