The long and the short of it...

Irish Flute
1

Hi everyone! I’m sure people here will be able to answer my question for me.

I have noticed that just about all six-keyed flutes have two keys for the same note: a long F and a short F. My question is, why have both? I understand that both most have some use that the other does not, or no one would want both. What are the advantages to the long F key? The short F key? Would it be worth paying to get them both, despite the added cost?

Thanks for any help!

Take care,
A.J.

2

I use them both, depending on the fingerings of a tune. If I want to make a clean, ungraced low D to Fnat interval, the long key for me is indispensable. Otherwise, to do that with the short key I’d have to put in a breath space every time. I just have more freedom in having both of them, but that’s me.

3

Hi,
I just had a look at the 8 key flute fingering chart on Terry McGee’s site. http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/fingering.html
It appears that to play an F in the third octave you need the short key. Assuming a right handed player you’d have to play , left hand, index, middle and ring fingers closing the tone holes, thumb on the Bb key and pinky on the G# key, the right hand would play index and middle on the tone holes, ring finger on the F key and pinky on the Eb key. If you only had the long F key you’d have to play both it and the G# key with the left pinky. Maybe that’s why they had both keys. The long one for ease of use under normal circumstances and the short one for 3rd octave F That’s how it appears to me anyway but I won’t be surprised if I’ve missed something.

Cheers, Mac

4

For me, the only time I use the long F key is when I’m moving around between the D and F. On fast passages in this situation the long key is necessary because you need that right hand ring finger for the D and if you’re using the short key it’s busy there instead.

It doesn’t come up all that often for tunes, but the singer in our band likes to sing in C… so my left pinky (long F) is busy when he is singing.

Clark

5

Thanks folks!

It’ll be a while until I can even afford a keyed flute, but I think it’s best to figure out what I want now, instead of later.

Thanks’ again for the info.

A.J.

6

I know I’m posting a bit late on this one, but here’s a thought.

Everybody always thinks of the D to F-natural transition which requires a long F–and that’s true, it does.

So why not just have a long F?

That’s the one nobody ever seems to name, and I come across it almost as often as the D-to-F thing: F-natural to A-flat is impossible on the long F key, and requires a short F.

–James

7

Good point, James; but wow, I don’t think I’ve ever come accross the F-natural to A-flat (G#) combo… but being out here in the middle of the Pacific I miss a lot! However, I still wouldn’t go with just the long if I was forced to choose. I find the short one easier to use most of the time and that’s probably why we don’t hear much about just long F-natural key options.

Clark