I just noticed that Terry McGee is now making an “A flute”. That is a *simple system alto flute. With keys added and also two lower keys for the G# and G below middle C and you get concert alto range.
I wonder if Terry has had many orders for the low A flute and whether any here who have one from Terry or George Ormiston (or any other maker) might like to pipe in.
IE a topic about low A flutes, either unkeyed, keyed or fully keyed down to G# and G.
re. “simple system” - pedants 1 please note:
this is short cut for a simple unkeyed diatonic tuned flute
and also for such a flute with keys added to it in the simple system,
where the term also allows for some variations in the system due to innovations, but not variations to such an extent that the flute may be correctly classed as a Boehm system flute,
or variations to such an extent that the instrument deviates from a simple flute much more than a Boehm system flute.
Pedants 2 please note:
please forgive me for rendering Boehm thrice without umlaut.
I had the chance to briefly try Grey Larsen’s 8-keyed alto flute (by Casey Burns) last fall. It was clearly a lovely flute, but for the 2 minutes I played it, it felt utterly alien and huge. The “long” in “long-F key” took on new meaning! I don’t recall the weight–it seemed well balanced, but as others have mentioned about low flutes, it’s the rotation of the neck and the distance between embouchure hole and the first tone-hole that is immediately noticeable.
A difference with Dale about board policy has been
resolved, thanks to his fairness and generosity,
so hello again.
I was in Bloomington several years ago when Grey received from
Casey B
an A blackwood body that fit the headjoint of his
Bb flute. This body had no keys. Grey’s idea at the time
was to use the A flute to accompany sessions (he leads
one in Bloomington, usually meets at a restaurant,
The Runcible Spoon). Of course the A flute plays in
D as well as A and the idea of the lower voice
was interesting. My only impression, hearing him
play, was that the flute was quiet–of course he had
just received it and may have developed a good
deal more volume since. Of course he has plenty
of non-session uses for such an instrument, too.
The spacing of the holes
on the CB’s A is only slightly greater than on the Bb.
I have a lovely cherry Sweet flute in A, that is, a high flute,
which is great fun to play with folks playing in D. A is a
useful key for flutes and whistles, IMO, but I prefer to play
the higher pitched A flute. Cheap, lovely, agile, audible
and so on.
Oh yes it does. A lot of ISETM types will refer to
OXX OOO or a thumbhole articulation of it
as “C natural” regardless of what keyed pipe is being played.
“C natural” like your “F” key takes on a referential value.
I wonder if Terry has ever actually made a fully 8-keyed, long foot A Alto flute? It certainly is indicated as a possibility on his order page linked to above in talasiga’s OP, but does it happen?
Terry???
Would you relish the challenge and leap to it or just shrink into your shell in shock and horror at the prospect of making all those keys if someone ordered a fully keyed low A/Low Bb, say, with one head and foot and interchangeable body joints? Could you even do it say as a Low B/Low A combo where if one used the upper body of the A and the lower body of the B you’d get a Bb? 3 flutes for the price of 1 and a half? That would be a dreamy thing to have, especially if the whole caboodle was in one of those pretty highly patterned Aussie hardwoods, or for lightness, in lovely buttery boxwood. I’d guess, very loosely and without doing any figures, based on the price list one would be looking at around AU$10k for such a bit of kit?
Excuse me, please, folks - just fantasising, though I would like to know Terry’s thoughts on the matter!
Now does Terry or Casey make their Alto with the two Siccama-like open-standing keys for the two holes closed by the ring fingers, as is found on Matt Molloy’s old band Alto flute?
In other words, you would have the equivalent of a keyless Irish flute, but with those two keys so as to make the finger-stretch hardly more than a normal Irish D flute.
Here’s a Pratten Perfected which shows what I mean: look at the configuration of the lower-hand holes. It would have one key for that hand even if “keyless”, to reach the “E hole”.
The upper hand is actually similar but it’s masked by the ring keys.
Pancelticpiper, if you follow the link talasiga posted, I think you will see that Terry offers Siccama keys for 3rd fingers of each hand on all his models as an option.
On the bases of Terry’s site info, an 8 keyed alto flute in boxwood and with an additional 2 siccame keys would be $8905
That is (5950X1.3)+(200X1.3)+(700X1.3).
The question is has he made/is he making one and has any one received one and are they here and has Terry seen this topic and whether his seeing this topic is relevant to his appearance or lack of herein.
Please also note, in regard to the Boehm Alto flute being played in the link, as above, that the LH mechanism is linked to the keys, that is, the LH fingers are not actually on the keys, but by such linkage are located closer to the head joint*, which is an advantage not available to simple system Alto flute players. Moreover, while some Boehm Alto flutes are made this way, and others are not, those with such a linkage locate the LH fingers at about where they would be on a smaller, Boehm Concert (C) flute, which, in turn, by relieving the reach of the LH, effectively gives the player a somewhat easier reach to the RH keys, as well.
= This can be seen, from about 4:53 minutes, to about 4:58 minutes (click on “pause”). Note the distance between the hands!
, no bite! Nothing fishy about me! Anyway, we’ve done that one: you can take a horse…
