McGee Flute Embouchures

ChrisCracknell · Post by **ChrisCracknell** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 5:54 am

Hi All,

Proud owner of McGee GLP #592 here. And a very happy chappie too. No complaints there.

However, I've been thinking about embouchure and head designs - the flute has Terry's improved elliptical embouchure at the moment in the off-centre bore head. Very nice, lightweight, and gives the whole flute a nice tone quality. Sometimes I might want something a bit rawer (raspier) though.

My question; has anyone any experience in trying the same flute (preferrably a GLP) with the different embouchure's that Terry offers back to back? How, for example, would having a whopping great big rounded rectangles embouchure change the flute? Would switching frequently between these two be any more complicated than it already is switching between my Boehm and the GLP? Would that achieve the Rawer quality that I'm after?

Thanks all,

Chris Cracknell

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:51 am

It would probably not be more difficult to switch between the elliptical and the rounded rectangle, but it would probably not give you the "rawer" sound you're after.

meemtp · Post by **meemtp** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 8:19 am

I'm assuming by "off center bore head" you mean the parabolic bore? I think Terry refers to it as eccentric. Switching to a regular cylindrical bore might help. This is more of a Boehm style bore, opens things up more. Keeping the elliptical embouchure would be advised. I don't think you'll find what you seek in modern embouchure styles. Last but not least....technique!

Doc Jones · Post by **Doc Jones** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 9:30 am

Hi Chris,

I have played every McGee model with every embouchure cut. I've spent many a happy hour sitting in front of a table full of flutes and doing just the sort of comparison/contrast you're talking about..particularly with GLPs (I Love GLPS). The Improved Elliptical is Terry's most traditional-sounding embouchure. It wants to be reedy and edgy and have that great IrTrad sound. As you progress in size from Elliptical to 2 Semi-Circle to Rounded Rectangle the tone becomes purer and more open and volume increases slightly.

Now, having said that, I must confess that with practice and good embouchure development you can get any of the McGee embouchures to do about anything you want them to do. Your mouth has worlds more to do with it than the embouchure cut.

It sounds to me like (that for the sound you're striving for) the improved elliptical would offer the shortest path to tonal Nirvana.

You picked just right, now it's back to the woodshed* to get the mouth you want.

Some of the other McGee models (ie the Pratten) are much more inclined to "raw and raspy" than the GLP. But again, the mouth is almost everything. Have fun.

If you're ever in Idaho, swing by and you can toot a bunch of the beauties for yourself.

Doc

*Just noticed you're in Germany..."back to the woodshed" is an American colloquialism that means back to practicing.

Chiffed · Post by **Chiffed** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:08 pm

meemtp wrote:I'm assuming by "off center bore head" you mean the parabolic bore? I think Terry refers to it as eccentric. Switching to a regular cylindrical bore might help. This is more of a Boehm style bore, opens things up more. Keeping the elliptical embouchure would be advised. I don't think you'll find what you seek in modern embouchure styles. Last but not least....technique!

Terry's head bores are not, to the best of my knowledge, parabolic. Some are eccentric, but we don't mind that around here.

Doc Jones · Post by **Doc Jones** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 8:01 pm

Chiffed wrote:
meemtp wrote:I'm assuming by "off center bore head" you mean the parabolic bore? I think Terry refers to it as eccentric. Switching to a regular cylindrical bore might help. This is more of a Boehm style bore, opens things up more. Keeping the elliptical embouchure would be advised. I don't think you'll find what you seek in modern embouchure styles. Last but not least....technique!
Terry's head bores are not, to the best of my knowledge, parabolic. Some are eccentric, but we don't mind that around here.

The "Eccentric" refers to the angle of the drilling of the embouchure hole (makes for a deeper chimney) not to the bore shape.

Doc

meemtp · Post by **meemtp** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 9:10 pm

Sorry! I meant the thinned Boehm style head...with the raised lip piece my bad! I played one of these that a player at my session had....seemed well...."Boehmy" to me. It also had th modern-cut embouchure. Not my bag, but I have played one of Terry's flutes with a traditional head and improved ellipse....very different, more "traddy". In fact, my 6 key Rudall that Terry is making will have the traditionial head and an elliptical embouchure. I think it gives the best flexibility and I like the feel/feedback, that bit of resistance...but as Doc said, the individual player matters...look at what Joannie Madden can do with a silver flute.

ChrisCracknell · Post by **ChrisCracknell** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:58 am

Ok Guys, Thanks for the answers.

It looks like what you're saying is "Stick with the improved elliptical embouchure." The "off-centre" referred to Terry's design of having the inside and the outside surfaces of the head not sharing a centre. This allows for a traditional looking head with a deeper chimney without having the wholehead being heavier. "The hole doesn't go through the middle of the stick" as Terry puts it.

Thanks for the invite Doc, but it'll maybe be a while before I make it over to your part of the woods. I would however dearly like to try all those flutes out! Maybe some day... I'm Scottish, so I got the woodshed allusion, but I live in the city centre, so I don't have a woodshed - otherwise I'd have somewhere to park a lathe and could try making some flutes.

I can get a raspyish tone out of the flute as she is, but it's still not what I'm after. Oh well, back to practising...

'bye,

Chris

dow · Post by **dow** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 8:37 am

My GLP has the improved elliptical embouchure, as well as the Eccentric Bore head. I've found that, IF I do my part, it can produce a very reedy tone. On the other hand, you can make it sound really sweet as well. Maybe not his "easiest" embouchure design to play, but I'm very happy with it. I've heard that the rounded rectangle almost plays itself, but that's just hearsay, as I've only played one once, and that was for about two or three minutes.

HTH,
dow

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 1:31 pm

Owner of a McGee Pratten with rounded rectangles chiming in here ... I'm inclined to think it's as easy to play as an embouchure cut gets. It's big it's loud, it's like a truck horn. It's a mighty thing, but if you don't watch it, the unlined head and rounded rectangles can make it sound a bit ... round.

I also have an Olwell Pratten with something closer to your improved elliptical. Granted, they're two different flutes, but my experience is that the edgier, more "traditional" sound is more readily accessible on the Olwell. Getting that sound on the McGee requires a super-tight embouchure, effectively playing it as I would a smaller-blowholed flute. (My Murray is also a small-blowholed flute, and probably sounds the most "traditional" of all, at least in the truly traditional sense

.)

So, what you have is probably the best way to get the sound you want; the cut does a bit of the work for you. Thus, ditto Doc Jones et. al.

dow · Post by **dow** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:27 pm

Cathy Wilde wrote:Owner of a McGee Pratten with rounded rectangles chiming in here ...

Yep, that would be the one I played. Cathy, are you bringing that monster to Augusta this year? I'd like to take another crack at it, since I'm a year further down the road.