Well, i’m still pretty new to the flute, and while reading a while back I came across a post linking to an older flute manual by an old flute maker and it strongly advised against using the right hand pinky as an additional brace to the flute. Until then i had been trying to use the pinky as a brace because, looking at a few Matt Molloy videos i noticed that he used it as a brace.
So as still a newcomer with no formal teacher anywhere in the area, i’m wondering, to pinky, or not to pinky?
Yes, I’d use it. But the overall stability of the flute shouldn’t be completely dependent on it–for instance, I find it helpful to lift the pinky when tapping E, and of course an Eb key requires a mobile pinky.
I do it, although now that I have an 8-key flute I’m needing to learn not to on tunes where I want to play my low C key.
I think it’s important not to NEED the pinkie down. I’m a fan of the Quantz grip, which is centered around the left hand and doesn’t require the right pinkie even on C# if used properly.
That said, if you play a keyless flute, there’s not much reason not to use the pinkie, and if you play a keyed flute, the Eflat key will need to be pressed for some notes, and on most notes it doesn’t matter if it’s down or up.
When I was learning I suffered from repetitive strain injury in my little finger through pressing too hard against the flute so I would be careful about using it.
Just to agree with what’s already been said, it’s better to leave the pinky free, on the grounds that flutes with an Eb key (and other keys on the foot) call for the use of the pinky, and, as you may know, it’s often easier to not develop a habit, than to break one. After all, perhaps other flutes, including pinky keys, could be in your future.
I´ve suffered severe problems in both hands during seven years (and still hurts) and I was told by medical elite to use the pinky. Of course, not pressing too hard against the instrument, just place the pinky, as all your fingers, in a relaxed way.
This is VERY IMPORTANT, as JohnB and the people who has suffered in the past hand problems -like me- know: RELAX fingers, hands, arms, neck, jaws and body. Every part is interconnected.
THanks for the responses.THough they are at both ends of the spectrum so far, it has given me a bit more insight into the dilemma 
I use the pinky, it provides a helpful stabilizer for the flute.
I tend to raise it when I’m playing low D, so it dances
about a bit. I tried doing without the pinky in various
ways for awhile and ended up injured, so I went back to it.
As to the Eb key, there are options. Grey Larsen is able
to put his pinky on the Eb key block. Others put the pinky
on the key itself. It may be possible to adjust the spring
so that the key is firm enough with the pink on it
to brace the flute; alternatively one may vent the hole.
Alternatively one may roll the footjoint away except
when one needs the Eb key (it’s rarely used).
Here I wonder if pinky-players who play keyed flutes
will chime in and say what they do. I find putting
my pinky on the key a bit strange because it’s
on a moving platform. What do you do?
I take it that pinky on Eb key is standard for Boehm flute.
How does that work?
This problem is the chief incentive many have for
NOT putting pinky down, which is why I tried to
play without it down. But I (personally) need to use my pinky.
For what it’s worth, here was my solution to the pinky/foot key dilemma:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=57587&highlight=robrest
For those of us who hold the flute in a non-classical way, the RH pinky is an essential part of stabilizing the instrument; a well-placed bit of cork might help keep the RH relaxed. Works for me, anyway. Cheers,
Rob
p.s. There are some photos of the keyless version on page 2.
I’m a partial pinky…
bit of a recurring theme, this one…
Yes, I haven’t tried Rob’s solution yet, but it looks
like a great thing.
Others?
on the modern boehm system, you put your pinky on the Eb key (like on a simple system flute) for most notes, but lift it up for certain ones. on the original design (which some still play), you have your pinky lifted up for most notes and put down for the Eb.
i use the nicholson grip, which has three points of contact: face, crook of left hand pointer, and right hand thumb against the flute. on an 8 key and boehm, i use the key as it was designed, and for a keyless, my pinky stays up in the air the whole time.
Yes, the Eb, pinky key is a standard feature of the Boehm flute. Statistically speaking, and as a “reversed” key, most of the time it’s held down (tone hole open), yet there are certain tones which call for it to be lifted up (tone hole closed). So, although it spends more time down than up, it’s necessary to hold the flute in such a way as to not incorporate the pinky as critical support.
Thanks, folks.
You see, my pinky comes up when most or all of the
other fingers are down: they are supporting the flute
when it comes up.
About the Boehm, am I right that the pinky IS
supporting the flute a good deal of the time?
And it does this, in effect, by venting Eb?
What it all comes down to is a matter of training. Those players who have been correctly trained to play a Boehm system flute simply do not incorporate the RH pinky as support for the flute. Moreover, the apparent trouble in communication, here, is that it seems a fair number of the C&F board members are themselves not trained to play a Boehm flute correctly, but that’s perfectly OK. Indeed, the odds are that virtually none of the first Irish adopters of the flute, any flute, were themselves classically trained.
There are tangible advantages to classical training, but it’s not my point here to oppose traditional, ITM techniques.
In effect, yes, the RH pinky does help to support a Boehm system flute, at times, with the understanding that at times the RH pinky must be lifted. Therefore, although the RH pinky effectually does at times help to support a Boehm system flute, the overall technique calls for the RH pinky to be free to move, on demand.
Again, it’s not my point to promote classical technique, here, but, seeing as you asked, I comment.
My pinky is sore. I didn’t play my flute for 3 months and now my pinky is out of shape. I swear I’m no death-gripper.
When I play any kind of flute, I use the Rockstro / James grip, which, as has been mentioned, consists of the right thumb pushing forward against the back of the flute (not underneath it, which is a common mistake), the knuckle of the left first finger pressing inward against the far side of the flute (again, not underneath), and the chin, which is the fulcrum and presses outward.
This allows you to firmly hold the flute in playing position with only very minimal pressure. People talk about “gripping” a flute, but that’s exactly what you don’t do: you balance a flute, you don’t grip it tightly, and holding a flute in playing position in this way takes almost no energy at all.
As to playing the Boehm (silver) flute with it’s larger key mechanism…I was originally trained to play on this kind of flute, and you do vent the right pinky E-flat key on the majority of notes, not for stability, but to have the clearest possible tone.
This practice preceeds the Boehm-system flute; in the nineteenth century, players routinely vented most notes with the E-flat key. Some players even vented on the E for the quality of tone, even though it drove the note sharp on an 8-key.
–James
FWIW, I think it’s desirable to be adaptable, i.e., no anchor, pinky anchor, or R3/B3 anchor depending on the situation. The third finger (R3/B3) anchor is useful for low whistles if your pinky is too short.
Thanks for the advice all, and thanks Peeplj for that description of the grip, i think i’ve been getting the right thumb wrong all this time and now even after just a little bit i see how this will help my balance and relaxation. Thanks!