Nice keywork as usual for WH Potter, but have you already seen this kind of key of short F? how does it works?
http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6511611222
unfortunatly this auction is ended while i was far from my home : ((
Frank
I think that roller is to facilitate bringing up the finger to activate it. You know, you kind of roll the finger up onto the key. Kinda thing.
I wonder if it’s original?
Actually, I wonder more if that headjoint has anything to do with the body (as did/does the seller, evidently).
Stuart
You can see two more at :-
Dayton Miller (no. 1289 ) Willis made for Rudall flute
My George & Manby at "what cocuswood looks like " some way back on this thread.
I have an identical W.E. Potter but in fine condition with the same roller. Graham may be inclined to illustrate it in case anybody cares.
It looks as if I shall have to be more careful in future monitoring the German eBay !
The key illustrated is bent down to the body of the flute. I doubt if it could close the hole. That is how one could hope to roll the finger on to the key-the key forms an unintended ramp.
I think that with an undamaged key it would not be possible.
I found this picture of another Potter at music treasures :
Same roller on the short F. Seems handy.
Do people actually pay these prices ?
Nice Godfroy.
Further to Andrew’s post above, he sent me 2 pictures of his WE Potter with the same short-F arrangement as Frank.
Graham
Do people actually pay these prices ?
Hello Andrew. I don’t think a lot of people do… All these flutes are here for months, this site never changes.
… Nice potter BTW.
Thanks Graham.
Has anybody experience of using these keys ?
I must say, in homage to the Potters, what a marvellous flute this is. A real 1815 concert flute.
It would be nice to hear Beethoven played on it !
I looked at these photos for quite a long time and considered the key for a long time. A strange animal.
I wondered of the roller as a means to get RH3 onto the key more easily. But that doesn’t really help it much as you still need the downward pressure to activate the key (to open it).
So I thought, perhaps the roller is meant to get the finger OFF the key sliding onto RH3 (E hole) quicker. Why? Every try to play F-nat on the short key and get to a bottom D without hearing the passing tone of E (as a triplet)? Perhaps the roller facilitates the quicker note change without the passing tone? After all, without the roller, you must slide your finger sideways to get to RH3. Not a natural movement. That might explain why the touch is angled downward toward RH3.
Now I admit, not having the long-F key makes this theory a good one, but Andrew and others showed photos of flutes with the long-F key. Perhaps it is a carryover from the non-long-F days?
Anyway, my penny on the matter.
dm
First of all I would like to thanks AndrewK for the photos of his wonderful Potter: It’s a very nice instrument!
then:
sturob wrote:
I think that roller is to facilitate bringing up the finger to activate it.
So that’s means from a D note to the Nat-F…
and:
Migoya wrote:
Perhaps the roller facilitates the quicker note change without the passing tone?
So from Nat-F to D note..
What 's you thinks about it AndrewK?Does it works in some way?
Frank
It is interesting to note that the Willis flute with the same roller lacks the long F key.
It is hard to imagine it is easier to get a finger ONTO the key at the regular height rather than off it.
Who am I to say ?
I’m with you, Andrew.
It seems easier to roll OFF the key onto the tone hole, rather than roll onto the key (which would be higher off the flute body to keep the cup closed, wouldn’t it?).
Again, just a flailing guess. I’ve never actually seen one of these keys in person and tried it, so the mechanics of why are strictly theoretical to me at the moment.
There is a tune I play that requires a fast F natural to D transition I find it much easier to do this with the short F key. In fact I have taken to lubricating my right hand ring finger with a little lip balm just before playing this tune (I always have my Burt’s Bees lip balm handy when I play). A roller like these would help.
Clark
Is the tune by any chance called "Willis’s Fancy ", or " Potter’s Favourite " ?
No it is Chickens are A’ Crowin’ which we do modally (phrygian) with no sharps or flats.
Clark