I just got my M&E R&R fitted with keys. I have played whistles, flutes, bagpipes, recorders for years but nothing with keys. Do people typically and easily switch from playing in F, Bb, Eb,and Ab by ear after a while?
I think it needs a lot of practice to get right. The baffling thing is that the texts of the period say that these flutes play best in keys with lots of flats in them (Eb, Ab, Fm, etc).
I prefer the Baroque flute and cross-fingering. But just listen to Nial Keegan, Kevin Crawford, Chris Norman, etc, and you’ll see that it’s possible to use the keys very effectively.
Nelson - How do you like your keywork on your M&E? Does it work well? I found keys a little bit odd at first, but I quickly adjusted. I’m going to get 3 keys (maybe 4 - can’t make up my mind) added to my Seery later this year. After you’re used to them, in my experience at least, I think they’re easy to use, but I tend to play irish trad by ear and classical (where I use the keys a lot more) by sheet music since I’m just messing around for fun when I play that.
Eric
Like everything else M&E does, it is sturdy, nice looking, and smooth functioning. The keys are not on blocks, they are screw in studs. On thick polymer, it is sturdy and nice looking.
I would think one would want 5 keys to make it fully chromatic. If you get four, I would chose Eb, Fnat., G#, and Ab. The C I can play as the typical OXO OOO in the low octive but in the second octive it is better pinched the B hole. It sounds good pinched. Nothing else sounds good pinched or forked on the M&E.
Please try again answering my question. I did not ask it well. When I play on a pipe of any kind with just holes, my fingers go to where they are supposed to without thinking, like singing. Eventually, if I practice enough, will it get to where I can play in all four keys, F, Bb,Eb, or Ab mindlessly, like I do in the no key machines?
Yes, it will. If you check out the flute literature that was written for this kinds of flutes (Furstenau, Kuhlau, Nicholson), you’ll find stuff that scares even players of Boehm flutes. That was the most show-off period in flute history. If you watch the modern masters like Kevin Crawford, Chris Norman, Nial Keegan, you’ll see that they use the keys very naturally, without worry.
It just takes practice.
I agree the keys in the M&E are good. I sold mine to help buy my Baroque flute, but i remember the keys working better than the ones in my Cotter flute which cost a lot more money. The M&E keys aren’t pretty to look at, but they work just fine. My flute did have a problem that the long F and the G# key had a bad habit of colliding when i disassembled the flute if i didn’t rotate the pieces just right. I hope he’s fixed that.
g
Nelson - for me at least, the answer to your question is yes, the use of the keys becomes as natural as the 6 finger holes. On my German 9 key flute, the only keys that still require thought on my part to use are the low C, low C sharp and my high E trill key (which I’ve never, ever used). It didn’t take me long to get used to them - I’ve only had this flute for somewhere around 4 months now, and I’ve been easily using them most of that time.
In fact, it’s having the keyed antique flute that has made me want to add some keys to my Seery. 3 will get me fully chromatic because I find the Bb remarkably easy to half hole with good tone in both octaves and the C cross fingers fine in both octaves (OXO OOO or OXX OOO in the low octave and OXO XXO in the second octave). I have, however, become accustomed to the Bb key on my other flute, so that’s why I’m debating whether or not I want to spend the money on a Bb key.
Glauber - my antique flute has the same issue with the G# key and the long Fnat - you have to assemble and disassemble in the correct direction so they don’t stick on each other…I just assumed all flutes where that way!
Eric
Does anyone find that the G# and short F keys are much stiffer than the longer keys? (It makes sense physically, but it’s annoying.) Do the springs loosen up over time?
Also, where do most people have the Eb key rotated? Within reach? Out of reach? Sometimes one, sometimes the other?
Micah
Micah - I adjusted the springs on my flute since I was repadding it when I got it. I do think the short keys are a bit harder to push down, but they’re not too bad.
As for the D#/Eb key, mine won’t rotate since I have that long lower section that’s common on german flutes.
Eric