Innovations

[Damien Rogeau]

Hi,

I'm studying wind instruments repairing at Itemm (Institut technologique européen des métiers de la musique) in Le Mans, France. For my last 2 years, I 'm asked to develop a project.

To give you an idea, last years' students did a vertical Boehm flute, an extended bass clarinet, a partially wooden trumpet, even an attempt to make a chromatic low whistle.

I already have some ideas and would love to work with the simple system flute (actually whistles could be interesting as well).

It's also better if my project meets de needs/requests of the flute community.

So, here comes my question: what would you do if you were me ? (Considering I have acces to lathes, tools and a lot of motivation).

[bigsciota]

A vertical flute that plays like a standard Irish flute would probably be somewhat popular for people with various physical limitations. Obviously quenas are a thing, but I'm talking about something that plays and sounds like a Rudall- or Pratten-style conical bore simple system flute but that plays vertically. Someone's probably tried it at some point, no idea if anyone's been successful, but if you were actually looking to develop a product you might find a niche there.

This isn't necessarily super innovative as others have done it, but a six or eight keyed whistle in D might also find a market.

[PB+J]

A flute where the holes are in a channel and can be moved by the fingers, so you can do violin style vibrato and glissandi. The holes would have to be set in some sort of overlapping scale type arrangement, where you could change the position of each hole as you fingered it. Sort of a "fretless" flute.

Would not be particularly useful for irish music obviously, but it would have interesting musical possibilities

[Terry McGee]

What a wonderful challenge, Damien, to have two years to conduct such a project. Bravo!

I like bigscotia's idea - a more "user-friendly" version of the traditional Irish flute to cater for the fact that many of us are getting to be "of a certain age". It wouldn't have to be "vertical" (although that's certainly an option). The aim would be to take the stress off the left hand and wrist. The swan-neck we see here is another option: https://www.flutelab.com/swan_neck/



Play your flute. Note the stress on the left wrist and hand. Keep the flute at the lip but lower it to say 45º. Feeling better?

And while I've pitched it at we older players, a more "user friendly" version of the flute would surely be welcomed by all.

I've done a little experimentation here and am happy to contribute what I've learned. Such contributions would be part of proving that it meets the "needs/requests of the flute community". Indeed the conversation could be conducted on this public forum, confirming the breadth of interest in the project.

Which of course shouldn't be taken as proof that this is the only project you should consider. Chiff and Fipplers, release your inhibitions! This is your big chance to influence flute history! Speak up or miss out!

(I do feel we fluters are an inherently timid lot. Whatever the fiddle players want.....)

Bigscotia, run the 45º experiment I mention above. Do you reckon that 45º is enough or would you hold out for something more approaching 90º? Note the same flutelab people offer a vertical head: https://www.flutelab.com/vertical/



Eeek, look at that girl's fingers. Spiderwoman has taken up the flute!

[kkrell]

An improved and lightweight modern version of a Rudall Patent Head joint.

[Damien Rogeau]

Thanks for those first few replies, it's very exciting indeed!
Speaking of vertical flutes, have you ever came across a Giorgi type of headjoint? I wonder how it would sound. http://www.oldflutes.com/articles/giorgi.htm

[PB+J]

I'm surprised by the enthusiasm for vertical flutes--I find the low D whistle extremely uncomfortable to hold and play. it needs neck strap and or thumbrest like a clarinet, IMHO. Of course lots of people manage well, so I may be off the curve in this.

But Walt Sweet offers an adapter that allows his "onyx" low whistle to be played vertically, like a typical flute. I've been tempted to order one

[Damien Rogeau]

I also feel like the flute is more comfortable than the low whistle for the same reasons. However, I can't argue that it is more straightforward for a beginner to hold a vertical instrument. Also because the flute is an exception in the woodwind section, if you come from sax, clarinet, oboe or simply whistle, all of those are held vertically.

Of course, having a horizontal/transverse whistle might just be the way to go if I were to make a keyed one.

[Geoffrey Ellis]

Thanks for those first few replies, it's very exciting indeed!
Speaking of vertical flutes, have you ever came across a Giorgi type of headjoint? I wonder how it would sound. http://www.oldflutes.com/articles/giorgi.htm

I've made a couple of these headjoints, experimentally. My own opinion is that you'd do better to take the approach of a swan-neck style flutes like those shared by Terry. The Giorgi headjoint does not have any back-set, or rather there is no stopper, hence no cavity behind the embouchure hole. The result of this seems to be that the flute behaves a bit like an ordinary flute would behave if you were to push the stopper right up the very edge of the embouchure hole. Not ideal. It doesn't produce the best tone, at least not on the versions that I made. To be fair, I did not do extensive experiments to determine if this could be overcome. I'll also add that in terms of constructing that headjoint, there were many challenges involved in making it look reasonably good. Awkward.

[Terry McGee]

I've played the Giorgi, Damien, and found it very challenging, both in the fingering and the embouchure. And, like Geoffrey, I've tried making one - just out of electrical conduit - but it confirmed what I suspected, that there is something inherently difficult with the notion of an "end-blown" flute. I've also made quenas - end-blown South American flutes - which absolutely delighted my South American music friends, but left me struggling to play!

To help us understand this, I think we need to go back to the physics of how a transverse flute works. We blow a thin jet of air across or down into the tube which sends a pulse running along the tube. That reflects back, nudging our jet out. But consider what happens in Giorgi's flute. When that pulse comes back it doesn't grab our jet from behind, it hits it head on. The efficiency goes out the window. I don't think flute players are likely to be attracted to a less responsive instrument.

Note how in the two images I posted above the "transverse" nature of the embouchure is retained. It's only the tube that gets bent. I'm attracted to the 45º approach (the Swan Neck) as I reckon it does enough to take the stress out of the left hand. But of course the test of the pudding is in the eating. We'd need to mock one up and try it out.

[GreenWood]

Here is a list of themes that has built itself over time for me, some are not solved others are just ideas.

I like one piece flutes, it would be nice to allow tuning of those. So far I haven't found a straightforward solution, ideas might include adjusting bore volume somehow. The closest I thought up was a helium supply to alter frequency, not the player breathing heliox but an inlet to the flute... it's a funny idea but not practicable .

An eeeeeasy flute. Some of the flutes I make tend in that direction, and surely those of others, but to encourage new players we really need something as straightforward as a whistle to play, but still with the basic range of abilities of a flute (i.e. no contraptions).

Ergonomics as others have mentioned, are important.

I introduced a new key idea recently, another idea would be to have the toneholes be the lowest notes of a chromatic scale, and then with slightly more pressure (mechanically) opening a further six toneholes higher up, to get a full chromatic scale. I have my ideas for this, but there are various possible ways.

In line with ergonomics would be toneholes opened by a servo motor , this would allow a very light touch flute. I say in line with ergonomics because it would not nescessarily be too attractive to most musicians without need for that, myself included (which is why I prefer a mechanical approach).

[Terry McGee]

And of course there's the project to build a "larger bore" Irish conical flute, say starting with Boehm's preferred 20mm bore. We talked about that recently on these pages. That's a pretty big project as it involves the whole flute, not just the head. Again happy to contribute where I can.

[GreenWood]

As per Terry. I don't know how the wooden 19mm bores are to play because I haven't played one, but the @ 20mm one I made is quite distinct from anything else I have played. The first octave is very strong resonant and deep, and can be played very reedy also, the second octave requires good placement to get it sounding well but is clean and colourful when that is found. The difficulty, as with almost all flutes, is finding a placement where wanted sound is easily in reach across both octaves without too much change of embouchure...for the sound in this case because the tuning is fine. So far on my one I would say it needs some experience to play well, but the bass is easy and responsive. The overall sound is not quite as complex as a conical bore, but not far off, and in return it is more predictable or stable. I have been playing that flute only for the last few weeks, will put up another recording of it sometime. Not the easiest flute in terms of learning (might be improved) but there is a lot of possibility with it, especially for players who like to put some energy into their playing or need some volume...though it can be played more quietly there are other flutes better suited to that I think...second octave demands some air to get it going and so is not so easy to play quietly.

[Conical bore]

One idea I've heard somewhere but never seen in the wild is bending a flute tube in a serpentine fashion to allow easier fingering on open tone holes with very low pitch flutes. Something like the Renaissance "Serpent" horn but not as large, for an extension down to low A or low G with comfortable fingering:



I know there are Boehm alto, bass, and contrabass flutes, but the idea here would be to maintain fingers on open tone holes for Irish ornaments, with a simpler and less expensive design than a low pitched Boehm flute with all the keyed mechanics. It wouldn't be 'yer normal session instrument, but Sarah Allen plays an alto Boehm flute in the Flook band, and a low G would be fun to fool around with. I have a Lehart low Bb flute and that's about as low as you can go with manageable finger stretch in a normal linear simple system design. It's about as much weight as I'd ever want to hold horizontally too.

A "serpent" flute would be held vertically and you'd have the swan neck horizontal embouchure as a natural part of the design. Might be done with 3D printing, or CNC wood carving of half sections glued together. My main question would be if comfortable finger spacing would still give you a useful scale with this design.

[Damien Rogeau]

Thank you for all your ideas.
Here are mines, some are not enough on their own but could be combined with others. Some are maybe stupid, useless or impossible to make. But here's what I got so far:

- Adding a roller the short F key so that it's easier to play Fnat ->D

- Making an A or B footjoint (I feel like Boehm style would work better but simple system looks nicer)

- Making a "Glissando" type of headjoint.

- Making a dizi type of headjoint that could be activated or deactivated by a key.

- Making a keyed tin whistle

- 3D printing flute

- Finding a way to implement a Boehm style Bb thumb key while still having enough open holes

- Making a wooden keywork

- Making a bass Irish flute

- Making a flexible headjoint so that the angle between the headjoint and the body of the flute can be personalized at all time.

At some point, I'll forget about the crasiest ideas but for now I'm more than happy to have more of them, it's stimulating.