I’ve been reading on Terry’s website that you can get a “c” hole as a no-cost option. Here’s what he says about it:
An Interesting Keyless Flute Option - the C hole
When you play a keyless D flute in the key of G, you play a cross-fingering for the c-natural note. The note isn’t quite as clear as the other notes of the scale, although this can be used to advantage.
A very interesting zero-cost option is the addition of a c hole, covered by the left thumb. It occupies the same position along the flute as did the old c key hole, but is operated by the thumb rather than using the key for the right hand index finger.
Benefits include:
another way to achieve c-natural
works the same in both octaves
gives a c-natural with the same tone as the other notes in the scale
very handy for B-c-B
easier to operate than the original flutes’ c-key
gives the perfect c# the old makers intended, but more easily
That last point alone makes it worth considering.
There are no serious downsides:
You can still play c-natural by all the other means
you do have to keep your thumb in place for notes below c
just cover it over with tape if you find you don’t like it!
Does anybody have a flute with this option? If so, what are your thoughts on it?
I have a keyless blackwood Prattens and a keyless D piccolo (pink ivorywood - a super instrument; I’ll review it soon), both of which sport the Cn thumbhole.
My “keyless” 6-key (blocks) Siccama by McGee to be ready likely by December will also have it.
I was initially worried about the rivers of condensation drooling out of that hole during performances. Not an issue; the hole is set up to the side of the “bottom” while playing and the water does not exit through it.
It’s extremely comfortable for my thumb to cover - I actually forget it’s there. If I don’t want to use it, I don’t have to.
It’s very useful for an alternate method of making Cn - in fact a more “dead on” Cn than the cross fingered version. I end up using both within one tune, just depending on how the notes fall.
It’s also quite nice to have as many fingers directly on the holes as possible, for ornamentation’s sake.
I got a chance to try one of these that a another local flute player has, and I can verify what tommyk said about the Cnat being clearer and more dead-on. The owner said he almost never cross fingers the Cnat anymore.
One thing to consider is how the placement of this hole affects your left hand hold. I had to adjust my hold a bit to cover the hole moving my thumb more towards the foot of the flute. For someone who already has a similar thumb placement, this wouldn’t be an issue, but for me it wasn’t very comfortable. My thumb is more towards the headjoint. Just something to consider.
