Chiff and Fipple Forums

I'll start with what I think is the most important reason to get at least a six key flute and that's resale value. If you're either selling the flute in the future, or looking to buy secondhand, there is a stronger market for six or eight keyed flutes than for flutes with fewer keys. Beyond that, &q...

I don't have that problem but two possible solutions spring to mind. If you're a guy and don't have one already, maybe grow a beard for a less slippery contact point under your lip? Or at least a soul patch. :D I have a beard, not a very full one but maybe enough under my lower lip that I haven't ha...

This site is a treasure, so another Woo-hoo!

I use “anti-” lubricant for tuning slide. You don’t want it to be free moving. You want it moveable but such that once you set in place it holds until or unless you move it. This kind of stuff: https://www.dawkes.co.uk/ultra-pure-heavy-tuning-slide-lube-slide-lubricants/12431 That's interesting, I ...

I'll play, hope I got the format right. My three contemporary maker flutes: Peter Noy - Nicholson model, block mounted 8-key, Silver tuning slide, fully lined head, Blackwood, 406 gms, Balance point +3mm. Thomas Aebi - Rudall model, block mounted 8 key, Silver tuning slide, fully lined head, Cocus w...

Great looking flute! About this part: "Next up… preparing a plating solution for nickel plated brass for tuning slide and rings." Some people have an allergic reaction to nickel. Maybe it's not a problem with the rings being so small, but something you might want to look into about skin co...

Note that the Rudall Carte flute listed above is "High Pitch / A=452." You'd want to check with Blayne at the Irish Flute Store to see if there is enough slide extension to play in A=440, and if that alters the intonation too much.

My $.02 and take it with a grain of salt because I'm not a Boehm flute player (although I did own one for a while in the distant past, a nice Gemeinhardt with open hole keys). It seems to me that a wooden Boehm flute from a modern maker would be more about visual aesthetics than anything else, and w...

I don’t recall ever seeing someone playing any Olwell, or most other flutes for that matter, with the slide all the way in (not saying it doesn’t happen) FWIW, I have to play my Peter Noy flute with the slide all the way in before it warms up, and it's just barely at A440 even then. After it warms ...

Cool story! I've always wanted one of those Magnahelic gadgets to chase down the more subtle leakage problems now that all my flutes have keys. They're fairly expensive though. Hard to justify for the very few times they would prove useful if you're not running a woodwind repair business. One day I'...

The Android app I used before I was compelled (by family lock-in) to switch to an iPhone was called TTTuner. It has both a trial and full version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... cker&hl=en

If we're talking about the same app I have - RTTATuner on the iPhone -- my app is set to Yellow Level 7 and Red Level 15, which must be the default because I haven't changed it. Green would be anything under the Yellow setting. I have read that somewhere around 5-6 cents is where most people can sta...

My Thomas Aebi and Peter Noy flutes have the foot C and C# keys. I believe Terry McGee also offers foot keys.

Between the two, I prefer the Noy flute's more modern cup + pad design over the Aebi's traditional 19th Century pewter cup design. It just seals better with fewer complications.

Keep in mind that Rockstro is just one method of holding the flute. Not everyone prefers it; I certainly don't. Its main (arguable) benefit is that it supposedly makes it slightly easier to use the D sharp key without losing grip on the flute. There is another benefit, the one that finally convince...

I'd just like to back up Jim's point above, that moisture buildup isn't uncommon and there are ways to deal with it. It's just a part of flute playing. I see small beads of condensation on the metal-lined bore of my headjoint after the first few tunes in a practice session. That alone doesn't cause ...