Is anyone playing a small holed Flute?

[Ben Shaffer]

I recently bought a small holed Rudal Rose Flute that Pat Olwell had in his shop for years. it is a joy to play in so far as it requires very little air and is perfect for most of my playing, which is just noodling around the House. Here to for I had been playing session instruments with bigger holes and found these instruments a chore to play if I was even somewhat tired.
The Small holed RR is probably not going to be the loudest instrument in a session, but is by far and away the perfect instrument for Solo playing.
I've never measured the distance between the holes on this, but I think it could be a solution for small handed Players.
This Flute's 5th hole (from the embouchure) is 5/16 of an Inch, which if you compare with Prattons and most Rudall Rose Models are more middle to large holed Instruments.
Terry Mcgee and Pat Olwell can make these smaller holed instruments upon request, and Phil Bleazey has one of these as one his standard models.
Dose anyone else have any opinions on these small holed Instruments?
Ben

[Jayhawk]

My Dixon conical polymer is smaller holed. I agree with you they can be great to play. Have you been playing with cross-fingerings yet? I was playing some classical music on my Seery last night, and I realized just how much work it would take for me to get the half-holing working well enough to play Beethoven or Mozart well whereas the Dixon has such great cross-fingers it's virtually chromatic.

As for volume, I had no problems in a small session (even with a piano accordion sometimes and U. pipes once).

Eric

[hans]

I am playing a smaller holed flute made by English maker Dominic Allan, and I really love it for its ease of playing. This flute is fully keyed so I don't need any cross-fingering. It may not be the loudest flute, but it certainly can play quite loud as well as very soft. No problem to join a session, and great for solo and small group playing. I like its crisp response, nice clear articulation.
I put a page up on my site with some pictures.
http://www.softflute.co.uk/music/Allan_ ... _flute.htm

~Hans

[glauber]

Chris Norman plays small holed Rudalls.

[Hoovorff]

You mentioned there are great cross-fingerings and half holes that work on the Dixon polymer. Could you share some of these? Or, recommend a fingering chart that shows these? Is an E-flat possible on the Dixon? I can get the F-natural, but haven't figured out the others.

Thanks

[Jayhawk]

Here are some cross-fingerings:

Bb X0X 000 or X0X X00
G# XX0 XX0 or XX0 X00 (one works better in the lower octave, but I always forget which one until I need it!)
Fnat XXX X0X
Cnat 0XX 000 or 0X0 XX0 or 0X0 XXX

Unfortunately, you have to half-hole the D#/Eb. I asked Tony once if he considered making keys, specifically the D#, but he said he hadn't planned to do keys. It's too bad, but with cross-fingers and a D# key the thing is as chromatic as a baroque flute.

One caveat, I only know these work on the Dixon conical 3 piece - they probably don't work on the PVC one he makes.

Eric

[SteveK]

Grey Larsen plays a small hole Firth Hall and Pond and I think Terry McGee is now making a model based on it. Grey talks about it in this interview.

http://www.firescribble.net/flute/larsen.html

Steve

[Ben Shaffer]

Hans, I looked your website as well as Dominic Allans, the Flutes look pretty sharp, but whats up with that Hump over the Slide area? Hans could you tell me the diameter of the 5th finger hole from the top on the Flute you have?

Steve, I'd love to try out one of Terry McGee's copies of Grey Larsons Flute. I believe its Greys main Flute he's used for years. Have you ever played this instrument?

Glauber, On Terry Mcgees website you can read all about Chris Norman's Rudall Rose Flute, also there are a bunch of pictures of this beautiful Flute. I've never heard him play, what's he sound like?

I play 18th century music and have had a chance to play a number of Baroque Flutes... they all look cool, but the sound just isn't sonorous enough for me. Now if a flute maker could copy the outside of a Baroque Flute , but yet use my small holled RR bore and finger holes that could be a cool instrument!
Ben

[Jayhawk]

Ben,

check out this flute...it may be close to what you want.

http://www.flutes.fsbusiness.co.uk/ordinary.html

Eric

[SteveK]

Steve, I'd love to try out one of Terry McGee's copies of Grey Larsons Flute. I believe its Greys main Flute he's used for years. Have you ever played this instrument?
Ben

Yes. It's been some years ago at the Meadowlark Camp in Maine. I couldn't quite make it sound as nice as Grey did. Someone else had a similar flute there that I played a bit more. Very easy to play. I'd really love to try one of Terry McGee's.

Steve

[chas]

I play a Phil Bleazey Rudall that I absolutely love. It's got significantly smaller holes and is much quieter than the Dixon polymer. I like the quiet sound, and I'm beginning to think that it might actually help me develop an embouchure to get more volume out of future flutes. I've just started getting it to bark a little.

I doubt I'll ever be playing in sessions, but am starting to think about a flute with a bigger sound, just to sound a little more authentic.

[hans]

Ben,

The flute on the photos is loaned to me. Dominic Allan is making me a new flute where the barrel will not be in that 'barrel-shape' but more slender and just getting thicker at the tenon end. The boxwood rings are just an option I like, Dominic can make the flute also with silver rings. There is a brass ring under the boxwood rings at the tenon joints to give the joints the necessary strength. Hole 5 from the top is 9mm, I don't know what that is in parts of an inch. I also asked for some small changes in the design of certain keys to make it just perfect for my biggish fingers. Dominic is very approchable for individual changes. This smaller holed model is I believe very suitable for early music, but it uses modern ergonomic designed keys, which makes it very pleasant to play.

I am looking to my new flute, and will post pictures when I got it.

Hans

[herbivore12]

Now if a flute maker could copy the outside of a Baroque Flute , but yet use my small holled RR bore and finger holes that could be a cool instrument!
Ben

I bet if anyone would be willing to try it, it'd be Terry McGee; he'd probably be willing to give it a try, copying your R&R bore but shaping the outside like a Baroque instrument. You'd have to send him your flute, though: separation anxiety!

--Aaron

[skh]

Now if a flute maker could copy the outside of a Baroque Flute , but yet use my small holled RR bore and finger holes that could be a cool instrument!

But why would you want a flute that looks like a baroque copy and plays like a 19th century copy?

Sonja

[Ben Shaffer]

Arron,
Terry is doing just that! I sent him the measurements of the Flute several week ago and he is roughing out the shape in boxwood. Then he'll let the wood ripen or whatever the term they use is, and then I'll have to send it to him for the final copy. Terry likes challenges and I believe he would be willing to give it a Baroque look on the outside.Finances permiting I would like to have him make me an additional Flute like that some day.
Your right, I'm a little scared about sending the Flute!

Sonja,
Although I do play quite abit of Irish Music, my main focus is on 18th century Popular music( Jigs,Reels, Country Dance stuff).
The accurate Flute for that era is your basic Baroque Flute, regretable they don't have that sonorous sound you can get with modern( by that I mean Pratton, RR) Flutes. A Flute combining the looks of a Baroque Flute, with the bore and Fingerhole size of a small holed RR Flute would work really well for me. I don't think there are many people playing this music so demand for a Flute of this type would be limited. The music from that period is wonderful and abundant and could be easily assimilated by anyone on this list that plays Irish Music.
Ben