Today, after two and a half years (five months of which have been due to me being Mexico), I finally received my new, 8 keyed, blackwood, acanthus leaf Rudall and Rose model Grinter flute.
It’s beautiful.
My Aunt and Uncle brought it to me down here in Mexico - barely. When they got to the airport in DC they realized they’d forgotten it, so they changed flights and drove back home to get it (bless their souls). When they got to Mexico City they spent the night in a hotel and then flew to San Cristobal this morning. They forgot the flute at the check in counter in Mexico City, but remembered it right before they boarded their flight and miraculously were able to go back and get it. This is the flute I saved for for years, sold other instruments to buy and have waited two and a half years for and plan to pass on to my grandchildren. I’m just glad it got here. It almost didn’t.
Upon it’s arrival the flute had not been played for three months, nor oiled, so the first thing I did was to give it a nice bath and massage in olive oil.
After a couple hours of just gazing at it longingly I could wait no longer and I brought it to my lips to play. It’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. More beautiful than I expected (funny how things usually turn out that way). It’s beautiful to look at. Beautiful to listen to. Beautiful to play. A pure joy.
The flute in it’s box.
Another shot of the flute in it’s box.
Three pictures of the entire flute.
The crown.
Headjoint shots.
Left-hand joint.
Right hand.
The C foot.
I know some of these pictures are a little blurry and it’s hard to see the metal-work clearly, but they were taken on a crummy digital camera that could take pictures from very close. Hmm… they came out bigger than I expected too. Sorry!
Sounds just great. How many nights did you lie awake in guadalahara or wherever you are and thinking about those crack forming in your flute? Anyway, the adventure in getting down to you makes it all more inspiring.
Micheal also told me the year and a half wait for my cocus 8-key–which would put me in August 2004 or so. Should I plan on waiting until 2005?
Exactly what I was thinking when I wrote the above post! Thankfully, you were able to track the Olwell down in the States. Very funny, and only so, since it worked out in the end.
Didn’t work out so well for my Rudall though…but a new chapter will soon begin for that one, once Terry McGee gets tired of playing my awesome flute he repaired (and throwing in a more flexible headjoint than the Wilkes).
:roll: What a bunch of jokers you fluters are!
Well, yeah, it made it here, barely… but it made it and that’s what counts.
I played it for a little while last night and some more this morning when I woke up (it’s the first thing I did, before even getting out of bed). I love the keys! What a treat.
It’s a little tricky playing the C and C# keys while maintaining a good seal on the D hol, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. Also, my pinky is really confused about what to do now that it can’t rest anywhere.
As for delivery dates… Michael’s estimate for me was 18 months, which would have been some time last November. He finished it in the beginning of February, a couple days after I left for Mexico. So, we’re talking about three months late or so, which I think is really quite good. Consider that a keyed Olwell takes 5 or 6 years. The reason I just got the flute is that I’ve been in Mexico and neither Michael nor myself wanted to ship the flute here, so we had it sent to my Aunt and Uncle in the USA and they brought it down here (barely). We probably would have been safer just sending it Pony Express.
Carol Skinner was the first to offer to host the photos (many of you have offered, thank you), so the photos should be up sometime this afternoon or evening.
Thanks for all the kind words and I’ll keep you all posted.
Best,
Chris
Chris;
Seriously. Next time, don’t get the floor model; get the fancier one.
All the best,
Gordon
(it is a beautiful flute, incidentally. Congratulations.)
Well, I did ask to have it made with rings and keys in platinum with gold leaf, rhinestones and holographic decals (kind of like Michael Flatley’s flute), but for some reason Michael Grinter thought that would be a bad idea.
Chris
That’s one amazing looking flute, but I’m surprised it’s already cracked (you can see it in the third picture). Since you’re in Mexico, please ship it to me immediately so I can deal with Michael personally. It might take me a few months, but I promise to return it and you won’t even be able to see the crack anymore. I’ll also personally take the time to break it in for you!
I always feel so virtuous when I’m being altruistic…
Stuart, are you sure about that? Grinter used a silk thread (waxed) on my flutes, I was under the impression he uses it on all his flutes but maybe I’m wrong. It is so soft, smooth and supple, I love it. No offense, but I prefer thread over cork any day.
Chris congrats! Lovely flute. Very seductive. Just curious, but did you sleep with it last night or are you going to wait? Wear a condom if you do, from the pictures it looks like things could get mighty hot. Ah, to be in love…
The tenons are threaded with silk. Michael prefers it because he is of the belief that much of the cracking that occurs in flutes is a result of the tenons being too loose or too tight. They’re more adjustable with thread. I don’t think he offers cork-wrapped tenons, though I’m sure you could just take the thread off and take the flute to a woodwind repair shop and have cork put on. I also find corked tenons a little easier, but Michael does a beautiful job with the silk thread and he has his reasons for using it.
Sleep with it? Ummm… no… but it did lay on a chair by my bed last night as I slept… I’m not really the kind of guy to sleep with a gal on the first night.
Hey, if any of you have flutes with C and C# keys, especially if you have on by Grinter, how do you line up the C foot joint in relation to the rest of the foot?
The stuff on mine looks more like cotton than silk, but if he says it’s silk, then it is.
And I still hate it. Thread is awful.
Line up . . . hmm. Well, so that Cnat is a little stretch but not too much. I find that I end up twisting the joint such that the C/C# holes are not quite in line with the holes in the next joint, but a little in towards me.
I used to turn them way in until I decided to be authentic and vent the D#(Eb) all the time. If you’re going to vent, you have to have the foot close to in-line with the holes on the next joint up. But, I still end up compromising and rotating it a little toward myself.
I have been fortunate to own (2) 8-keyed Grinters (blackwood and cocus).
Many players turn the footjoint so that the keys are out of the way of the fingering, usually turned foward so that if someone was facing you as you played the flute, the C#C keys are facing them. They rest the pinky on the body of the flute. If they want to access the keys, then before the tune starts they simply turn the footjoint so that they have access to the keys.
I don’t do that. I leave the keys so that I can keep my pinky resting on the touch of the D# key. Sometimes I vent it but that’s not necessary. Putting my pinky there puts less stress on it and is a hell of alot more comfortable. It shouldn’t take long to adjust to resting the pinky on the touch if you haven’t done so before. It also makes accessing the touches of the bottom keys easy. But if you want, just turn the footjoint and rest the pinky on the body of the flute. Either way makes no difference.
Please don’t bend, adjust or otherwise tamper with the bottom keys at all. Some know-it-all types might advise you to do so like they did with me. Michael puts alot of time into setting them up so that they work right. Trust that they do and learn to finger them. The slightest misalignment can upset the balance and ‘timing’ of the mechanisms so that they seat the pewter plugs and seal the holes. You may also effect the tone of the low D if you change the height of the plugs over the holes. Don’t take the keys off like some may advise in an effort to honk the low D. Again, Michael tunes and adjusts the height of the plugs so that that a wonderful rich full warm low D becomes available. Again, trust that it is there. (The models without keys are compensated for in that regard).
At first I was inconsistent but then I found the right spot on the touches that activates the keys in ‘proper timing’ so they seal.
A little almond oil or spit on the pewter plugs might help them form an airtight seal. Oil will have a tendency to build up sludge though. I lick the plugs with my tongue and say a prayer - works everytime.
You will have to find just the right spot on the touches to press that will allow both keys to close and seal. Practice just the C# for a while, it should be relatively easy, and when it becomes easy, then try both C#C and wham! Low C. Then find a million tunes with low C,C#,D#, Fnat, G#,Bb and Cnat and have a ball, sign with Green Linnet, make a CD, and then get screwed like they do with alot of Itrad musicians.
happy tooting,
r
That’s one amazing looking flute, but I’m surprised it’s already cracked (you can see it in the third picture). Since you’re in Mexico, please ship it to me immediately so I can deal with Michael personally. It might take me a few months, but I promise to return it and you won’t even be able to see the crack anymore. I’ll also personally take the time to break it in for you!
Ummm… no… but it did lay on a chair by my bed last night as I slept… I’m not really the kind of guy to sleep with a gal on the first night.