wooden flute tuning

[MTGuru]

If everybody was that way life would be impossible, of course; still I hope there is room for some of us.

No worries. Jem knows he's our favorite, lovable pedant.

[benhall.1]

If everybody was that way life would be impossible, of course; still I hope there is room for some of us.

No worries. Jem knows he's our favorite, lovable pedant.

Ya know, I blame you guys for what I have to put up with.

[jemtheflute]

"Lovable"?
Oh dear. Now I know I've failed, am failing.........fail......

[gian-marco]

One time I was told by a flute maker that some notes of the first two octave are slightly out of tune in order to have a better in tune third octave. Probably this makes sense, but I think that many folk flute players (as me) are not very interested in the third octave.

[Kirk B]

One time I was told by a flute maker that some notes of the first two octave are slighty out of tune in order to have a better in tune third octave. Probably this makes sense, but I think that many folk flute players (as me) are not very interested in the third octave.

Do you still have your Aebi flute or did you sell it? I've heard those are right up there with the best.

Cheers,

Kirk

[gian-marco]

One time I was told by a flute maker that some notes of the first two octave are slighty out of tune in order to have a better in tune third octave. Probably this makes sense, but I think that many folk flute players (as me) are not very interested in the third octave.

Do you still have your Aebi flute or did you sell it? I've heard those are right up there with the best.

Cheers,

Kirk

I still have that flute, I can't decide to sell it.
I'd like to have a Morvan flute, or a Grinter, or (another) McGee, or maybe a Copley.... but I can't buy a new flute if i don't sell the Aebi...But i don't want sell it before I have the new one, and before having made a comparision...(I'm never sure if my "english" is uderstandable )

[Kirk B]

One time I was told by a flute maker that some notes of the first two octave are slighty out of tune in order to have a better in tune third octave. Probably this makes sense, but I think that many folk flute players (as me) are not very interested in the third octave.

Do you still have your Aebi flute or did you sell it? I've heard those are right up there with the best.

Cheers,

Kirk

I still have that flute, I can't decide to sell it.
I'd like to have a Morvan flute, or a Grinter, or (another) McGee, or maybe a Copley.... but I can't buy a new flute if i don't sell the Aebi...But i don't want sell it before I have the new one, and before having made a comparision...(I'm never sure if my "english" is uderstandable )

Perfectly understandable and much better than if I tried writing in Italian That's a tough situation. It would be hard if you bought something new and didn't like it as much as the Aebi.

Cheers,

Kirk

[benhall.1]

One time I was told by a flute maker that some notes of the first two octave are slighty out of tune in order to have a better in tune third octave. Probably this makes sense, but I think that many folk flute players (as me) are not very interested in the third octave.

Do you still have your Aebi flute or did you sell it? I've heard those are right up there with the best.

Cheers,

Kirk

I still have that flute, I can't decide to sell it.
I'd like to have a Morvan flute, or a Grinter, or (another) McGee, or maybe a Copley.... but I can't buy a new flute if i don't sell the Aebi...But i don't want sell it before I have the new one, and before having made a comparision...(I'm never sure if my "english" is uderstandable )

Perfectly understandable, gian-marco.

Can you get a new flute without selling the Aebi, make the comparison and then sell the Aebi? If it's finances, would a friend lend you the money for a short period? Alternatively, can you get hold of someone with a Grinter, or Morvan, or whatever to let you have a go on their flute?

[cross-post with Kirk B]

[apossibleworld]

The acoustical properties of the conical flute are so extremely complex. Everything interacts with everything else. Building a flute to be in tune must be a painstakingly fine balancing act.

To me, a perfectly in-tune flute would be boring. And that is one of the reasons why I have a hard time playing my Boehm flute lately. It's just so ordinary! I haven't played a modern simple system flute that's been redesigned for "perfect tuning", though I gather that some makers do build them. I'd be very curious to find out whether I'd dislike it (which is my suspicion), or whether it might be interesting and useful yet.

And not to start this back up, but what is "in tune" anyway? Jim might agree with me that there's no such thing. There are no right and wrong tunings, just more and less useful ones for the moment.

[jim stone]

I have heard the Bohm flute described as 'sterile.'
I remember that oranges with pits tasted better.

[MTGuru]

I remember that oranges with pits tasted better.

We have them in our garden. Sweet and tasty.

Darned if I can get instruments to grow on trees, though. Must be the soil. It's better for cultivating spaghetti, I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXmaS1ZzpA8

[Gordon]

I have heard the Bohm flute described as 'sterile.'
I remember that oranges with pits tasted better.

How would you describe them, Jim? The only importance to what you've heard, is having heard a Boehm flute. While I love the sound of wooden flutes, to me, a well-played Boehm is hardly sterile. I'm not even sure what that means, frankly. More transparent? Maybe.

Oh, and for what it's worth - if anyone checks out the Boehm forums, like Fluteland, there are plenty who prefer one (top) maker over another for, among other things, tuning issues...

[Denny]

now, now...ya know Jimmy likes to troll the "silver" ones

[apossibleworld]

How's this for a comparison? The silver flute is so well designed that it takes a special player with character to really make it sing. The wooden flute has quirks that you have to work with and against, which has a way of bringing out the quirky character that's present in every human being.

So, the modern flute will let boring players keep sounding boring, though marvelous players can make it extraordinary. The wooden flute is a nice kick in the pants, to make boring players discover that there's a part of them that's not so boring after all!

I love this vision/version. Sorry to get off topic of course.

[I.D.10-t]

I love this vision/version.

Well I've seen more little girls play the silver flute and more grown men play a wooden one, so the vision doesn't sit right in my head. Course one of the biggest burliest men I knew played concert piccolo, so perhaps it is my sample selection.