Hello all. I just recently obtained a brand new flute, and the tuning is very sharp in the second octave. I was wondering if there is in way to fix this. Or, will the flute even out once it is broken in? I have been trying to adjust my embouchure, but I have to sacrifice a nice tone in order to flatten the second octave. It is a lovely flute, but the second octave G, A, and B are very sharp.
Any tips or advice?
Thanks.
Check if the cork is set correctly. A cork position too close to the embouchure center can cause a sharp second octave. A correct position is somewhere around 19mm, measured “embouchure hole center - cork surface”. Especially if only the second half of the second register is sharp, that might point to a problem with the cork position. Also a leaking cork can cause this sort of problem.
If that doesn’t work, let us know how sharp exactly the tuning is. If you can lip it into tune, you might have to draw the tuning slide (if there is one) out a bit and play the low octave sharper, too, perhaps with some more power. Also make sure your blowing technique is correct. Many people just blow harder into the flute to get the second octave, which makes the second octave very sharp. If that doesn’t help neither, talk to your maker.
19mm is correct for modern flutes. Many makers (myself included) set the cork around 23-24mm on these tapered bored flutes.
24mm is really far out. I know a few people who play that way, but it doesn’t work at all for me - second register gets way too flat and the tone gets muffled and unstable, especially when playing with high pressure and a lot of embouchure hole coverage. Of course it’s also a matter of taste. When teaching I usually suggest to set the cork at 19mm and experiment from there. And for most students 19mm is just about perfect, so they never change it again. I personally play at 18mm, and it works just fine (for me).
Thanks for the advice. The flute does have a tuning slide, but the cork will not budge at all, and I don’t want to do anything that I shouldn’t.
The tuning is around 30 cents sharp on G, A, and B, and about 20 cents sharp on F# and E in the second octave.
More information is needed for us to help you further:
How long have you been playing flute?
I see that can’t/don’t want to move the head joint stopper, but what distance from the center of the embouchure hole is the face of the stopper currently?
Who is the maker of the flute?
That is really sharp. Use a folding rule stuck into the headjoint from the barrel end to check the cork position. To make the entire second octave that sharp, the cork must be way out. I just tried the cork at 11mm on my own flute, and that makes things very sharp, but not as sharp as you mentioned. it might even be favorable to put the cork to a position Casey suggested, to flatten the second octave, even though that shouldn’t be necessary. However, blowing technique has a lot to do with that problem, too, so you should tell us how experienced you are on the flute.
You might want to talk to your maker about that problem.
edit Loren was faster.
Thanks for the replies.
The maker is very reputable, so I do not feel comfortable giving a name because I don’t want it to seem that I am bashing his name. It is a very nice flute.
I have been playing flute for 6 years now and whistle for 8. I know I am a sharp blower from my previous flute, but I could move the cork with that one. I have tried different lip movements on this flute, but I have to sacrifice a nice tone for tuning, which I don’t want to do.
I don’t not have the proper equipment to do any type of measurements, so I have no idea how far the cork is from the embouchure.
If I can’t get it in tune, I guess I will have to contact the maker and what to do.
No special tools needed: To measure the cork distance, put a mark 19 mm from the base of your cleaning rod (or wooden dowel, or chopstick, or whatever fits inside the headjoint). If it the mark falls in the middle of the embouchure hole, the distance is good.
We’d like to help, but you’re really not giving us much to work with. If you don’t want to name the maker and won’t measure, then you should just go ahead and contact the maker.
Thanks to Tintin’s advice, I am mearuring around 19-20mm.
I had a friend of my recommend flutini, and the tuning seemed promising with that. I will contact the maker though. Thanks for all who helped. 
Keep playing it for a while, play along to a few CDs, see how you get on, chances are it’s just different to your last flute, think about covering more embouchure, focusing down in your airstream etc, probably just lack of familiarity
I’m currently “between embouchures” meaning I sound like bullocks as I work out some new stuff that will pay off in a couple weeks, and I find that my tone can be all over the place. My current project is figuring out a 1860s era Metzler that has more than a few quirks. Sometimes I’m sharp, sometimes I’m flat, and sometimes for a few minutes it actually sounds like a flute. On my main flute (which has a much wider headjoint, both externally and internally, I find that my tuning is more stable throughout the time I’ve had it. It may just be that your new flute is finicky-er than your last one about placement and embouchure. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice all.
I brought the flute to the session the other night, and it sounded pretty in tune, and everyone else thought so, too. I am guessing it is like others said, and my embouchure is just so different that I need some adjusting. Thanks for the help.
Probably just over blowing the second octave. As you get used to the flute, you will be able to balance the octaves better. I like tthe placement of the cork in my flutes, R&R design, to be 21mm. When you play the A and B note, you can tell, if second octave is sharp push the cork toward the crown 1 or 2 mm… Get a 3/8" wood dowel at the hardware store, then push the cork out with that.