So I’ve lined up a deal to sell my Rickenbacker 12-string guitar to fund the purchase of a low-A flute. I’m debating whether to get siccama keys for R3 and L3.
The upsides are that I’d definitely be able to do the finger stretch. I have “normal” sized hands and can hold a D-flute fairly easily. OTOH I am very prone to tendonitis and really have to monitor my playing and stretch a lot. I’m thinking that stressing my hands more than absolutely necessary isn;t worth saving some bucks in the short run.
The obvious downside is cost, but if it means more years of playing, then that’s not really a consideration.
Are there any other reasons NOT to get Siccama keys? Obviously, it would make sliding and half-holing on certain notes impossible, which is a consideration for playing airs especially. Especially on a low flute.
How about speed and articulation? Would siccamas make complex cutting/tapping ornaments harder or easier to play well? Having never tried a keyed flute of any variety, I’m curious here.
I own two Siccama originals, so I can only speak from that vantage point. I believe Molloy’s recordings of Bb tunes were done on Hawkes (?) flutes with the “Siccama”-style keys (in fact, you can hear them on the tracks).
They’re fun to play and surely easier to manage. The speed isn’t an issue at D, but the deep flutes, I would imagine speed goes quite out the door as it’s not the keywork rather the length of the tube that slows response.
The trick is to have keywork that is not noisy. That’s the downside to the Siccama keys. I don’t mean loud, rattling noise, just the light “clicking” you can hear as you activate the keys.
Half-holes and bends (or slides, if you like…and Nicholson called them “glides”) aren’t that much an issue as I don’t often slide from D to E . The G to A slide can be partly accommodated with a flick of the G# key and the grace falls into line.
All in all, I like Siccama keys. They’re fun and less harsh on the hands. They do take a little getting used to , but not bad enough not to want to play them.
I suppose the clicking has more to do with the power someone activates the mechanisms. The harder the “whack,” the harsher the “click.”
Too, the metal work of the mechanism, particularly the connection of the shank to the pillars would have something to do with the sound as well.
I would suspect the loudness of the keys compared to a Boehm flute has more to do with the Siccama keys sitting into the seats of a wood hole rather than the metal “rims” of a Boehm flute that sit into the pads.
More likely, though, I would guess it’s the power of the individual player’s hands.
Don’t forget, the physics of the Siccama keys are much different. They are typeII keys, with the touch sitting between the cup and the shoulder (or pin mount). That transfers energy a lot differently, and I think more powerfully, than Boehm keys which operate, esstentially, up and down on a spring-rod system.
If you’re comfortable playing any flute, why would you consider changing?
I actually use my Siccama flute for tunes that drop to the low C and C# as they are the best sounding on the Siccama that I own.
Granted, I doubt Siccama was intending to facilitate smaller hands; rather, it was an accoustical thing to put the holes further down the flute and added keys in order to ensure people could cover those newly-placed holes.
The one thing the Siccama flutes surely afford is more power of tone (they are very loud), especially on the E’, which is far better than most.
The one thing the Siccama flutes surely afford is more power of tone (they are very loud), especially on the E’, which is far better than most.
This is especially important on a low flute, even if finger stretch would not be a problem. I have a Renaissance G “bass” (an alto in modern terminology) with Siccama style keys. I know, this is not authentic–but I love the consistency of volume and tone produced.
i own a siccama flute stamped by butler of london, the original headjoint cracked so i have a replacement for it made by mcmahon from co. clare. regarding the keys, the click would be leather against wood as opposed to against metal and no real problem with a clicky noise, no more than the sound of a finger against wood like we would hear on an open holed conical flute. the flute also has a metal ring that can be slipped in between the flute head and body to lengthen the body and thereby dropping the pitch. i believe this gets you about a440. without the ring, the sounding length shortens, and the pitch is higher. i never play the thing and have no real use for it personally, although it is a fine flute in it’s own right. i forget i have it until i read ‘siccama’ and then it triggers my memory that i have one .
it has a very sweet and pleasing tone and an open feel to the bore.
if anyone wants it, please send me a pm. maybe we can work a deal, i would not be looking for much, i am more interested in just paying off some of my bills.