In fact, I notice a lot of players, even among professionals, turning around the footjoint to avoid resting their finger on the Eb key. The obvious question is: why get an Eb key to begin with? Why are 5-key flutes not just more popular?
The vented Eb key on some flutes provides for stronger lower notes.
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Eb is nearly impossible to play without a key. Half holing, cross-fingerings, etc, just don’t work well. I don’t use it a lot, but I use it more than I use my Cnat key. Try playing the Brown Coffin without that key!
Eric
The two arguments point to the theoretical value of the Eb key. I think my question falls on the empirical side. My observation is the same as tstermitz here: it looks like (most? many? a sufficiently larget number of?) players just turn the footjoint away. Why are then the 6 keys the standard?
It’s not been my experience that most or even a majority of flute players turn the Eb key away when playing a 6 or 8 key flute. I try to session wherever I travel (I’ve probably played in 20 cities across the globe over the past 26 years), and I can’t recall seeing anyone turn the bottom keyed section away personally. In videos I’ve seen it but not in person. Heck, I played in a session with Tom (tstermitz) and my memory is all three of us flute players who were there had the keys in the normal position.
I’d say it may be just that I’m not very observant, but I always end up chatting flutes with other flute players so I like to think I’d notice the rolled away bottom section. Now my wife might disagree with my self-assessment regarding my observational skills…so there is that.
Eric
If one is going to spend the kind of money needed for a 5 or 6-key flute, one might as well get a fully chromatic instrument, just in case. And in terms of resale value, it’s easier to sell a 6-key than a 5-key flute.
And once you do have the key, that gives you plenty of options: tunes in G minor (a very nice key on the flute), third octave (some notes are difficult or even impossible to play without the Eb key), half-step slides into E, vibrato on E, stronger low E when you need it, etc.
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Eb is probably the note that I play least in ITM music, but it still comes up from time to time.
The Beare Island Reel and the White Petticoat both have an Eb in them. Good luck playing that note without a key in either of those tunes.
And if you wanna play Cape Breton music (or a lot of modern, non-traditional fiddle tunes in general), Eb is more common, because lots of tunes are in E major.
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The argument about the reselling value is very interesting! I think because it means that getting a 6/8-key is essentially driven by the interplay between the price of those keys and the belief that everybody else will want them – or, more realistically, how many people will want to play tunes with those keys. Intuitively, it feels as if 6/8 keys could be an equilibrium (in some game-theoretical sense) even if that belief is small – that is, even if not many people actually used them. It’s a fun coordination/network effect problem to think about!
The economist in me is now very tempted to run a survey on how often people use the footjoint keys and how important the resell value it is when they buy a flute. There’s a neat little paper there!
I’d be curious for those of you with Eb keys, do you find that it strengthens the low E, F, and F# if opened.
Certainly does on my antique 1857 Metzler 8-key (now configured as a 6-key with the low C# and C keys removed and in storage), but not sure if the same thing is true for more modern instruments.
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Not in my case (large hole, 8 key, Tony Millyard). It only has a surprisingly small impact on pitch.
That makes sense, my Metzer is more on the Rudall-Rose spectrum as far as hole size.
Not on my Burns and it’s easy to blow the E sharp with the Eb open. I guess it’s tuned that way. The Eb key opens up some fingering options for the upper few notes in the second octave. Not that I go there for Irish tunes.
Mine’s a 4-key. I don’t miss a long F for Irish music either. I do for flat key tunes.
@gasoenga There is traditional music other than Irish you know. Maybe some of these people also play that.
Indeed there is, david_h! That’s the same point Cyberknight made. Myself, I play mostly NW Iberian music. I wouldn’t know what to do without 8 keys!
I think Jayhawk is correct that it’s likely attention bias on my side looking at a small sample of players on videos. Fully recognizing that, I just happened to come across these two today: Mick Hand & Mick Tubridy and Kevin Crawford (!).
On most antique flutes it does strengthen those notes, and the recommended use of it is well documented in the fingering charts from that era.
But its not just a matter of strengthening the notes. These flutes were designed and tuned under the assumption that the Eb key would be open when playing a lot of other notes besides Eb. So if you choose not to open that key you can end up with some tuning issues that are not the fault of the flute!
Since a lot of Irish flute players (myself included) find it quite awkward and constraining to use the Eb key so frequently, some modern makers tune their flutes such that the Eb key doesn’t have to be open for notes other than Eb.
I also find that my right hand pinky finger interferes with the Eb key touch, so unless I’m playing a tune that has an Eb note, I tend to roll the foot joint so that the Eb touch is out of the way. This makes quite a substantial difference in comfort and relaxation for me … with my messed up hands. And I’ve seen a lot of other ITM players do this too, in real life and on videos. So I certainly think it is fairly common. But I’ve also observed that people who learned to play their keyed flutes properly tend not to sink to such disreputable practices.
Edit: Just did a bit of a search to find out how many other sinners there were like me who roll out the foot when its not needed, and was relieved to find the likes of Matt Molloy, Patsy Hanly, Harry Bradley, Kevin Crawford, Michael Flatley, and Tom Doorly. This ended up being 6 out of the first 6 players I checked on videos. So, I know its not universal, but I think it is reasonable to say that it is common in some circles.
Why get it? Well, you do occasionally need it, and when you need it there isn’t really any other way, down to the difficulty of half-holing the hole that vents E, which is extremely small on Irish flutes, and already compromised even for E.
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Ha. Depends on the key you start in. But yeah. Start on the B and you are golden. Lots of whistlers and flute players like that key.
Obvious. How would you turn the Eb key away if don’t have one ?
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Over the 30 years I played flute, half on an original c1830 Rudall & Rose and half on an original c1860 Pratten, I kept the footjoint in the “classical” position due to using the Eb, C#, and C foot keys when needed.
Every time I handed one of those flutes to an Irish guy they would immediately turn the footjoint around and shove the headjoint all the way in, before blowing the flute.
American guys would play it as it was, in tune and all the keys useable.
But if I were starting out now I think I would just get two keys, Long F and G#.
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I have a Wilkes 8 key and usually have the Eb key turned out. I did some Willy week classes with Mick Hand in the early 90’s, I think he advised us to turn Eb out. Venting Eb on mine doesn’t make any difference.
“doesn’t make any difference”… to…?
Whether the E-note is in tune and has better resonance in first or second register?
Whether the middle OXO XXX k - C-natural is resonant and in tune?
Whether the high OXO XXX k - C-natural is in tune?
Whether the high XXO XXX k - E-flat works at all?
Whether the high XXO OXX k - E-natural sounds?
As we have noticed, most Irish musicians don’t play above the second register. As to the E-note weakness, perhaps that is hidden if you play with a lot of buzz in your tone.
Given the Irish flute players, it is possible that Wilkes has optimized the tuning of his flute for the first two octaves. I have no evidence one way or another; perhaps some makers do that, while others stick with 19th C practices.