Flute Weights Sticky

[TKing]

In the interest of science and data I’ll throw four up here.

First is a Delrin kelyless 5 piece long D foot, head fully lined with brass: 402 grams with a balance point if -28

The others are mine (why not!).

T.King 4 piece Blackwood integrated foot, partially lined head (brass) with brass rings: 305 grams, balance at -10

T.King 5 piece Blackwood with long d foot, partially lined head (brass) with brass rings: 330 grams, balance at +10

T.King 4 piece Mopane integrated foot, partially lined head (brass) with brass rings: 289 grams, balance at -26

[Terry McGee]

Rudall & Rose 8.5-key with fully lined original head, #1569, cocus & silver rings, 424 gms, balance point +26mm
Rudall & Rose 8.5-key with fully lined Patent Head, #1569, cocus & silver rings, 473 gms, balance point -6.5mm

(What's an 8.5-key flute, I hear you ask. All the usual 8 keys, but with a second lever on the Bb key to allow either L thumb or RH1 operation.)

So this flute can get away with the very heavy Patent Head, whereas my Rudall Perfected 6-key copy (previously reported) was too unbalanced by it.

The difference in weight between the original and Patent head is only about 50 grams, it's all about where you put it.

This Rudall & Rose flute is from about 1832, the year Rose patented his Patent Head, so probably a good example of the kind of flute he had in mind. It's about 24mm longer than my modern pitch version which no doubt helps with the weight distribution. You can see this head and what's inside it at: https://www.mcgee-flutes.com/patent.html

[chas]

Thanks for adding those guys.

Bet you’re having fun with that C foot Charlie!

It's fun and frustrating at the same time. I have very little experience with 8-keys, and those were all Rudall-Rose style (or whatever the word is for that), while this is Boehm-style. I MUCH prefer Aaron's design, but it's quite an adjustment.

The bigger issues, though: I haven't been able to play much recently due to arthritic hands, and I've been playing mostly traverso, with a little keyless thrown in. Going from the traverso to 8-key is problematic on a number of levels. The weight (last weekend was oiling weekend, so I weighed several flutes then and will post), embouchure, but mostly hand position. I had the original (6-key) made with no left-thumb Bflat touch for just that reason. But the right-hand grip needs to be changed a lot because of the closer Eflat touch, the short F, and especially to be able to reach the C/C# keys. I'm getting it but not quickly. Of course the other thing is I was trying to play a lot of tunes I'd been playing with forked fingering, so there's a learning curve to learning tunes I've known for years. I'm concentrating on Playford tunes for now, but there are several Carolan tunes with low C's that I've been looking forward to.

I'm retiring in a few months, so will be looking into some classical and maybe romantic music.

[Loren]

Retiring?? What’s that?

Sounds like you have plenty of time to sort through the challenges of adjusting to the new flute. I guess I haven’t seen Aaron’s foot keys, except on that wild birthday flute, which was pretty cool. Never been a fan of the trad foot keys, so I’m with you on that. I’m sure you’ll adjust before long.

Sucks about the arthritis a number of us seem to have developed hand\wrist problems over the years, but at least we’ve lived long enough to get decrepit!

[Peter Duggan]

The bigger issues, though: I haven't been able to play much recently due to arthritic hands

Sorry to hear that, but me too, with my increasingly stiff, slow and unwieldy fused LH middle/index finger in particular now affecting flute more than most other instruments.

I'm retiring in a few months, so will be looking into some classical and maybe romantic music.

Took early retirement from my teaching job two-and-a-half years ago and don't miss it!

Retiring?? What’s that?

It's great (apart from the loss of income you're no longer earning)!

Sucks about the arthritis a number of us seem to have developed hand\wrist problems over the years, but at least we’ve lived long enough to get decrepit!

Yep, it sucks, but lots of things suck and we're still pretty lucky compared to many in living our relatively safe, comfortable, predictable lives in relatively safe, comfortable, predictable places.

While I first really became aware of hand problems beyond what I was born with in my mid-40s, it's taken another 15 years to make my flutes borderline unplayable and I'm ultimately just thankful it's so far had little real impact on most other things I like doing.

Anyway (seeing I'm here)...

Copley (inspired by Hawkes & Son)
Delrin D with short foot
Unlined headjoint
Silver rings
Unkeyed with LH thumb hole
294g

Copley (inspired by Hawkes & Son)
Delrin Eb with short foot
Unlined headjoint (shared with D above)
Silver rings
Unkeyed with LH thumb hole
276g

Copley (inspired by Hawkes & Son)
Solomon blackwood D with long foot and Pratten-style single-piece body
Fully lined headjoint
Silver rings
Block-mounted custom four-key layout (Eb, short F, RH G# and Bb) with LH thumb hole
380g

Bernolin (after Delusse)
Resin traverso at A=415
Contrasting resin rings
Block-mounted Eb key
298g

[Jayhawk]

OK...I feel the need to improve the knowledge base on flute weights. One new flute, one antique for comparison (plus, they're the only 2 flutes I have these days). If only I'd weighed the small* treasure trove of flutes I've owned over the years!

• Henry Wylde 8 key - Rudall & Rose Medium Hole Style, cocus, fully lined headjoint, sterling silver keys & rings (wide at top/bottom), block mounts: 444 grams

• Copley 8 key delrin - delrin, sterling silver fully lined headjoint, sterling silver keys & rings, block mounts: 477 grams

Eric


*Small being a relative term, using the Dayton Miller collection as a baseline.