keyed to keyless
- tin tin
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keyed to keyless
One hears a lot about people switching from keyless to keyed flutes, but has anyone done the reverse? If so, what were the motivations?
- chas
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My wife is a longtime boehm flute player. She wanted to get into the wooden flute, so I bought her a keyless flute to get her feet wet before we ordered an 8-key. She realized she just can't play without keys. So now I play the keyless and she plays an 8-key.
She's not the norm -- I know of a few on this list who started on Boehm and play keyless.
She's not the norm -- I know of a few on this list who started on Boehm and play keyless.
Charlie
Whorfin Woods
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- tin tin
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I played Boehm flute for around 15 years before switching to the wood flute; I play a 6-key one now, but there's a lot to be said for the light weight and sleek lines (and easy maintainance) of keyless flutes. Becoming -truly- technically proficient with keys is no small thing. Plus, you can get a keyless by a top maker in a reasonable amount of time, when a the wait for a keyed flute may be prohibitive. Do other with keys find the few ITM tunes where keys are essential worth the extra grand or so that keys cost?
Last edited by tin tin on Tue Mar 22, 2005 11:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Whistlin'Dixie
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I've gone from keyless, to keyed, back to keyless, and now have a keyed flute again. Unlike Mary, while I play ITM, I also play a lot of non-ITM (classical, baroque, ragtime), and when I was keyless it drove me nuts. Notes that sound "charming" when half holed or cross fingered in ITM sound funky when playing Bach with someone else playing guitar or piano.
That said, I've found I prefer to have fewer keys (4 is fine by me) - I can get by fine with only the short keys.
Eric
That said, I've found I prefer to have fewer keys (4 is fine by me) - I can get by fine with only the short keys.
Eric
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Conal Ó Gráda went from a Rudall (presumably keyed) w/Fentum head to a keyless Hammy Hamilton. He may have gone to a keyed body.
When I've seen Molloy on TV with The Chieftains it looks like his flute is keyless. So that would be going from a keyed Boosey/Pratten to a keyless Olwell if my eyes don't decieve me.
Cheers,
Aaron
When I've seen Molloy on TV with The Chieftains it looks like his flute is keyless. So that would be going from a keyed Boosey/Pratten to a keyless Olwell if my eyes don't decieve me.
Cheers,
Aaron
- chas
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Eric, when you play ragtime, do you play an Eflat? I presume most of it is in 0 to 4 flats, which I would think would be easier on an Eflat. I know when I play whistle along with jazz, a Bflat usually works.Jayhawk wrote: (classical, baroque, ragtime)
Charlie
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- BillG
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I switched from Boehm and went back to fife - one of the instrtuments of my youth, then to the keyless D. I prefer the keyless. The idea of making music - whatever kind - from a simple tube of beautiful wood with seven holes in it never ceases to intrigue and excite me. I went back to the fife some years ago but found it not to be a parlor instrument - drove the family nuts in the winter, inside, on a cold a snowy day. Someone on the fifeanddrum list spoke about his wooden keyless flute and the investigation began. So here I are four years later hooked on keyless wooden flute.
BillG
BillG
BillG
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Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy plays a six-key cocus Olwell.
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