New Info on Hamilton Practice flute

[plamas]

Hi Folks,
just spotted that thread about my practice flute, and how you can't rotate the head or tune them.
Well, after a bit of redesigning..... now you can?
Thanks for the feedback!
All the best
Hammy

[gerardo1000]

Hi Hammy, I just bought your practice flute at the IrishFlute Shop.
I can't wait to receive it. I hope it is the new version !

Cheers.

[McKee]

Just ordered mine from the Good Doctor

[gerardo1000]

Hammy, I also sent you an e-mail about that, but I think that your answer to my question can be useful to all members: I received your practice flute and I noticed that there is a visible "indentation" around the far side of the blowing hole, the shape of a "half moon" . It's like if a piece of the nylon/plastic material surrounding the far half of the hole was cut away with a blade.
Which is the purpose of that ?

Thanks.

[daiv]

Hammy, I also sent you an e-mail about that, but I think that your answer to my question can be useful to all members: I received your practice flute and I noticed that there is a visible "indentation" around the far side of the blowing hole, the shape of a "half moon" . It's like if a piece of the nylon/plastic material surrounding the far half of the hole was cut away with a blade.
Which is the purpose of that ?

Thanks.

it facilitates the blowing of the embouchure. it makes it easier to make a good tone. it is more common on fifes than flutes, but i have a friend who is a professional, classical flutist, and his silver flute headjoint has something similar to direct the tone. his is two raised risers, rather than receded, but the effect is the same. air will tend to travel the path of least resistance, and the indent on the opposite side of your mouth will make a negative air pressure at that location, thus directing your air towards it, and making it easier to focus your embouchure.

[plamas]

"new" model practice flutes are just leaving the workshop in the last few days, so anyone who bought one before that is getting the fixed head version. The fixed head version has the head already rotated with the embouchure turned in towards the player in the standard way.
Hammy

[plamas]

and yes, the reason for the cutaway, from my point of view, is that it basically improves the response, and that makes all aspects relating to embouchure such as tone and volume that bit easier to achieve.
Hammy

[SteveB]

plamas wrote:

the reason for the cutaway, from my point of view, is that it basically improves the response, and that makes all aspects relating to embouchure such as tone and volume that bit easier to achieve.

Just curious then, given the these benefits, why a cutaway is not a more common feature. Is anything sacrificed in return? (quality & flexibility of tone perhaps?)

SteveB

[chas]

plamas wrote:

the reason for the cutaway, from my point of view, is that it basically improves the response, and that makes all aspects relating to embouchure such as tone and volume that bit easier to achieve.

Just curious then, given the these benefits, why a cutaway is not a more common feature. Is anything sacrificed in return? (quality & flexibility of tone perhaps?)

As Hammy says, "From my point of view . . . easier to achieve." I don't think everyone agrees that the cutaway is the best thing for the embouchure. If everyone agreed, everyone would do it. I'm also not sure Hammy is doing this on his high-end flutes, which might be because it sacrifices those characteristics you cite (pure speculation on my part). I've had Burns flutes with and without it (actually Casey does his with three cutaways rather than one), and I preferred the one with. But I suspect there's a reason that, say Patrick Olwell and Sam Murray don't do this, and that the Hammy that I got a couple of years ago didn't have it.

Hopefully Hammy and possibly Casey and Terry will weigh in. I'm interested in all their opinions; it's an interesting design aspect.

[plamas]

I only use the cutaway on practice flutes. To cut a long story short it replaces some of the things I do with the embouchure cut on wooden flutes, and it allows me to sell the practice flutes for the price they are.
All the best
Hammy