Has anyone taken a regular chromatic embouchure flute pitched in C (like the popular and highly rated student Yamaha YFL221 model) removed the flute head, and replaced it with a whistle head? If so, what was the result?
Eklute
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this/49699/1
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/could-i-make-a-concert-flute-into-a-whistle/43652/1
so that’s a “yes” then 
new ideas are so hard to come by
I googled “eklute” and found http://www.flutelab.com/vertihow.html. This has an embouchure head with an 86 degree bend so the flute is held in a whistle position and it is still played as a flute.
Interesting, but I’m still wondering if anyone actually tried making custom whistle/fipple headjoints of the correct diameter and length as a complete replacement headjoint to fit a fully chromatic flute? (Not the Irish flute-whistle duos like the Dixon’s)
And do they work ok?
Found this picture http://www.saxpics.com/the_gallery/slideandodd/kohlert-fluteophone/i-3_B_L.JPG on the second page of this topic. https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/has-anyone-seen-this/49699/1
Right, that’s not an Eklute.
Yes that it! Unfortunately, it looks like this flute (a little antique looking) came with both a flute and whistle headjoint rather than custom made - BUT it’s been done and must be half reasonable in sound at any rate.
Anyone seen a custom one? Metal, PVC or Delrin?
from page 2 of MTGuru’s 1st link
they don’t seem to be gaining any popularity
beat me didn’t ya
the patent holder may not be in business at this point
http://www.california9.com/California2/A76141.shtml
I don’t think it came with a flute
The Eklute seems to be the only one so far then. Maybe the sound wasn’t that good if no one else ever picked up the idea and went with it.
I’m interested from the chromatic point of view, but I’ve also seen a number of comments by former flute players that wish there was some way to keep playing without the posture problem associated with the regular embouchure position.
Behold…
Sure looks like an up to date version!
rhulsey I see that this photo is from your website. Where did you get the plastic tipped Eklute if you don’t mind my asking?
And what about sound quality?
once you’ve worked out the flute embouchure…
I never owned the Eklute, just found it interesting and happened to save the photo. I must give credit to (and perhaps ask permission of) Doc Jones. This was part of a collection of whistles he had for sale on his site that belonged to Jessie Driscoll, a CF member.
Reg
Yeah, I used to do that. Sold those for several years until I had no more access to Nickel-Silver.
Have made a few by special requests.
I can still make them in brass - it just doesn’t match the silver of flute and they have to be custom fitted to the flute.
People who have had surgery and can’t play flute anymore or arthritis and can’t support the weight of a transverse flute seem to the most interested in such stuff.
A far as fully Chromatic Whistles go, I have made those as well.
These are made with hand soldered brass keys.
i tried unsuccessfully to combine a C flute with a Susato medium bore head. good luck.
Another approach, as opposed to adding keys to a preexisting diatonic whistle, would be the Bulgarian Kaval approach: make the holes play a chromatic scale.
On a D kaval, lifting the fingerholes in succession gives you
D E F F# G G# A Bb B in the low register and
A B C C# D D# E F F# in the high register
giving a chromatic scale with only four fingerholes for the lower hand and three fingerholes and a thumbhole for the upper hand.
There is a gap, missing notes, between the “kaba” (pedal tones, as brass players would call them) and the ordinary low register, of C and C#. Some kavals have keys for those two notes, and the missing low D#.
Another keyless chromatic instrument is the 1970’s “academic folk” upgrade of the Ukrainian 6-hole fipple flute (sounds familiar?) sopilka to a 10-hole monstrosity. It has a crossfingered note and some more notes crossfingered for ergonomics’ sake.
http://www.vargan.ru/recorder/img_for_vse/applic/sopilka.txt
Why not just get a recorder?
Geoff