Understanding keys

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Gromit
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Re: Understanding keys

Post by Gromit »

...The problem I see with adding keys is that you will need to learn a different fingering pattern
The fingering pattern is the same as a keyless, the keys are extras to enable playing Eb, Fnat, Gsharp etc.
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mendipman
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Tell us something.: I play flute and stringed instruments and enjoy playing in sessions and for step dancers and teach music part-time. My flutes are a new Gilles Lehart blackwood keyless in D, a c.1820 Clementi 'Nicholson improved' English boxwood single key in F and a simple-system 8-key English blackwood flute made by Richard Weekes of Plymouth, Devon c.1840 both in beautiful, pristine condition. I also have a wooden c.1880 English keyed flageolet. My home is in North Somerset a short distance from where my family come from at Blackford in the Mendip Hills and my repertoire are the tunes that are local to my area. That is the rural vernacular English music from when ordinary working people simply played and danced to their own rhythm with little concern for that which lay beyond a day's walk.
Location: Somerset, England

Re: Understanding keys

Post by mendipman »

jim stone wrote:Another widely used option.

Hold the flute at three points. Your lips, the fulcrum provided by the base of your left
index, and the rt pinky pressing to the rt of the low D hole. Thumbs are off the flute.
You should do this
until you are secure with the three pt grip--it's all you need to secure the flute.

THEN gently add the thumbs, which do minimal work in holding the flute
This describes how I support the flute. My left thumb rests fairly loosely at the side of the flute body not under it and the base of my left index presses lightly inward against the flute body on the other side. I tend to find that thumb 'support' is a main cause of tension and discomfort.
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Thomaston
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Re: Understanding keys

Post by Thomaston »

I have been stuggling with shoulder and neck tension while playing, and have until now been using my chin and thumbs as the 3 points of my grip.
jim stone
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Re: Understanding keys

Post by jim stone »

I don't know if this will help you but.... I tried doggedly to use the 'pressing out with
the right thumb' to stabilize the flute and I couldn't do it. My fault, probably, as many people quite happily use the grip. Also I kept getting injured that way. The switch to my rt pinky works
quite well for me (I confess it took me years to figure out how to hold a flute), so you might
give it a go and see how if helps. A lot of this stuff is idiosyncratic.
jim stone
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Re: Understanding keys

Post by jim stone »

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Thomaston
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Re: Understanding keys

Post by Thomaston »

My right hand actually wasn’t as bad as I thought. I hadn’t put much conscious thought into right hand technique, and once I had flute in hand again I realized that what I’m actually doing is using a combination of thumb and pinkie with about equal pressure from both. Very much like it looks in the video.
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chas
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Re: Understanding keys

Post by chas »

I played a lot of baroque flute before ever getting my six-key. The three point grip for the baroque flute is lip-left knuckle-left thumb. As Quantz said, you should be able to hold the flute with the left hand. Rather than throw this away to play the six-key, I ordered it with a right-hand Bflat touch, next to the Cnat key, which I never use anyway.
Charlie
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Thomaston
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Re: Understanding keys

Post by Thomaston »

I’ve thought about getting a right hand Bb. In addition to the grip issue it would make things more the saxophone fingering I originally learned music on. But, we’ll see. Someone has offered to sell me a cheap German keyed flute to mess around with and figure things out. It’s not A = 440 but will be more practicing at home anyway.
jim stone
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Re: Understanding keys

Post by jim stone »

Anyhow the true purpose of keys is to prevent your flute
from rolling off the table. The rest is detail.
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