Hello - I must admit I’ve been a lurker for quite a while. I’m a flute player living in northern Vermont, USA, but have only been playing a few years.
I just started learning Trim the Velvet off that Paul Smyth CD. He’s not playing a D flute so with a computer program, I was able to change the pitch to match my D flute. It’s a lovely setting and the tune is going well for me, except for that high C in the third part. It’s the only tune that I play which has that high C so I’m not used to it. (I’m not classically trained on the silver flute so everything is a challenge for me)
Anyone have any tips for getting the high C to sound decent? Does anyone just play the third part in the lower octave? Here’s my fingering for this note:
oxo xxo
Maybe there’s a way around the high C. Maybe there’s a setting out there that avoids the high C totally?? I’m open to any suggestions.
Seisflutes is right on; on my flutes (Hamilton, Seery, M&E) the best high C-natural seems to be oxo|xxx .
On some flutes the B right beneath it tends sharp (the M&E R&R in particular), causing the C-natural to sound flat unless you control the B and keep it on pitch.
oxo|ooo seems to make a good “cheat” fingering in passages that move very quickly (the extended version of the Mason’s Apron, for instance), but I don’t like the quality of tone well enough to use it on a note of longer duration.
I don’t know if your real problem is fingering here so don’t forget to work the embouchure. Tighting up your lips a bit usually helps the high notes. Remember, the volume of air doesn’t matter here. It’s not the amount of air you blow into your flute that makes the difference between a high and a low C-nat, just the speed of the air stream. If you make your aperture smaller you increase the air speed.
Yes, on my M&E, OXOOXXX works best. On the Olwell, that fingering doesn’t work for anything at all. To call OXOOOO a cheat fingering is a bit of a stretch, I think, particularly since that’s what works for it. It DOES depend on the flute.
I’ve not yet had a chance to try an Olwell. My Hamilton, M&E, and Seery all have very similar response to fingerings in the 3rd octave, so I kinda figured most other flutes did as well.
I think it’s nice to know that there are many fingerings for the note, and then take it from there.
The C nat on my Olwell responds best as described by Nano, but it’s still the weakest note on that particular flute.
The C nat on my Hammy is best as 0xx 000, but the previous owner of the flute had had Hammy “tweak” the tone holes. In fact, that fingering (on that particular flute) produces one of the best Cnats of any of my flutes. (Oops, it’s not really a Cnat, my flute is an Eb, so that note is really …? )
And I, in turn, must retract. Itching with curiosity, I got out my M&E to make comparisons. I have to conclude that embouchure has a lot to do with this: on the M&E, oxoxxo worked best this time around. Previously for me, it was indeed oxoxxx, but now that fingering doesn’t work well. Then on to the Olwell: oxoooo, oxoxxo, and oxoxxx all worked this time, each slightly different in quality, whereas at the beginning of my Olwell playing oxoooo only worked best for me. Now I’ve got options.
Oops. 