Polymer tunability vs wooden flutes

Skipper · Post by **Skipper** » Sun Oct 14, 2001 2:59 pm

I've tried both a Seery and an M&E, both I found to have good tone. Yet when played with other instruments some of the notes are so terribly out of tune. I can't even tell you how badly the C natural sounds. Would I have better luck with a wooden flute. I've looked at the Copely web site and have read JessieK's posts. They sound reasonable. Any suggestions. Would I have the same troubles. I realize the problem could be me. Thanks to anyone out there who responds.

RudallRose · Post by **RudallRose** » Mon Oct 15, 2001 10:59 am

Skipper:
See the posting I made on "left hand position" thread regarding C-nat fingerings.
Also know that many of the polymer flutes will have very sharp C, B and A notes, mostly from the bore and the type of material they're made of. You might have to use some cross-fingerings to flatten those notes when in ensemble play. Usually it's enough to drop one or two of the RH fingers to accomplish this. Put a tuner to it and listen.
I've actually sold a couple M&E polymers that were miraculously in tune on those notes (that's why I carried them!), so keep at it....they're out there.

dcopley · Post by **dcopley** » Tue Oct 16, 2001 8:21 pm

There is no reason that a polymer flute should be less in tune with itself than a wooden flute. As David Migoya suggests, the bore dimensions and taper may be a factor. Incorrect position of the tuning cork could contribute to the problems you described. It is a also a good idea to make sure that both you and the flute are properly warmed up before making any judgement about tuning.
Dave Copley

jomac · Post by **jomac** » Wed Oct 17, 2001 4:53 pm

I'm one of the guys who got one of the M&E flutes Dave sold. (More details in a separate thread.) But he's right, the C nat is really in tune!

Joe

paulilittle · Post by **paulilittle** » Sun Dec 16, 2001 1:46 am

Hi, I've had my M&E for 6 months now and I'm delighted with it. What's been particularly gratifying has been sharing it with other players and watching their expressions change once they start to play. There's usually a slight negative attitude towards 'plastic' flutes but this one has never failed to impress.
I too had/(often still have) a tuning problem when I first started. However I've learned that when I stand up, straighten up, head up, pucker up and generally control my posture whilst at the same time breathing from the bellydepths I get a wholly different tone. I know when I'm getting it right cos pitch rises by almost a semitone, the tuning comes in and the tone becomes altogether clearer and brighter. As mentioned by others in other posts I guess its all to do with training the diaphragm and emboucher. I know I've still got a long way to go though cos if I try playing along to an Altan cd for example, I can only play like this for about five minutes before I start getting that tunnel vision and blue fingernails thing- or was it five bars? can't remember it all gets a bit hazy.... Anyway, Experienced players can get great tone and about twice the volume out of my M&E than I do. I'm told the trick is to do the posture thing and at the same time 'relax', which to me is a bit like rub head pat stomach. I'm still at the 'either - or' stage. Perhaps if I try playing lying down with my feet raised

Anyway, I'm Paul Little and this was my first time on a fipple forum. hope it was alright for you.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: paulilittle on 2001-12-16 03:04 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: paulilittle on 2001-12-29 07:17 ]</font>

jomac · Post by **jomac** » Mon Dec 17, 2001 12:55 pm

A funny M&E story: I was telling my wife about a recent session where I tried another player's Seery flute while he tried my M&E. (Both of us were favorably impressed with the other flute.) Her comment was "Eewww! Did you go wash it afterwards?" I admitted that we didn't. She was holding my M&E at the time and said she wanted to try it, could I please wash it? (Which was her real motivation for wanting to try it.) I was doing dishes at the time. So I took the flute from her, disassembled it, threw it into the dishwater, rinsed it out, swabbed it out, reassembled it, and said, "Here."

The thing's indestructable, and plays well too! How can you go wrong?

toddyboy50 · Post by **toddyboy50** » Mon Dec 17, 2001 4:10 pm

Joe, tell her not to worry... I've been sterilized - Tod

jomac · Post by **jomac** » Wed Dec 19, 2001 11:49 am

On 2001-12-17 17:10, toddyboy50 wrote:
Joe, tell her not to worry... I've been sterilized - Tod

Oww! That had to hurt!

Joe

RudallRose · Post by **RudallRose** » Wed Dec 19, 2001 10:51 pm

Funny about the attitude toward "plastic" flutes. Rudall made several flutes out of ebonite, their equivalent of plastic, and they play marvelously.
So much so, that Rockstro, that opinionated writer of the late 1800s, opined (gee!) that ebonite was the breakthrough material that all flutes deserved to be constructed from.
Problem was, nobody figured the ebonite would turn green over the years! (but that's quickly cleaned today with white rouge)