G# ???

[keithsandra]

Anyone got tips for fingering G# on a keyless flute? Or do we need finger transplants?

Thanks,

K.

[Denny]

half hole...keep practicing

[I.D.10-t]

I believe XXOXOX works on some flutes. Was that what you were asking?

[Peter Duggan]

Anyone got tips for fingering G# on a keyless flute?

Get a G# key?

Or do we need finger transplants?

That too!

[dunnp]

combination of lipping real down and playing:
xxoxxx
in the first octave
and
second
xxoxoo
or
xxoxox
I use these as a passing tone, not great but work
Works different on different flutes.
Smaller the holes the better but bigger holes you can half hole.

[jim stone]

Put L3 down so that you feel the downside crease of the hole in the center of your finger,
which is down flatish, not on the ball. It takes practice, time and patience but it does
work.

[dunnp]

Here is a bad example of me trying to use my keyless flute fingering on a new (to me) larger holed flute. It worked better on an Olwell Nicholson. On this flute I halfhole more now. The med hole Olwell worked better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk7BuqU4WPg

[jim stone]

P.S. Of course a great way to practice half holing is to practice scales in A, up and down.

[keithsandra]

Every one of these eight posts has excellent information. I'm going to practice them all today, (except for adding a key). Thank you. (BTW, I too find larger tone holes make half holing much easier).

Now an apology:

I meant lower octave C#! (I'm doing alright on the other half holes - and will be doing even better after putting your ideas into practice ... But the lower octave C# is a real B****R)!

Sorry about the mistake, but thanks again for the solid, experienced advice on G# anyway - much appreciated.

Best,

K.

[MTGuru]

I meant lower octave C#!

Keith, do you really mean the C# below the treble staff?

I don't see how you can play that unless either a) You have a simple D flute and can somehow end-stop the C#; or b) you have a D flute with the "vestigial" C# and C holes, and a monstrously long pinky to cover the C# hole.

Unless I misunderstand. I don't imagine the open C# ooo ooo is an issue.

[dunnp]

Rumour has it some uilleann pipers can do C# by half knee holing, maybe Joe Mckenna was mentioned.
I just did it on a high whistle with my pinkie and a low whistle with my knee.
With a short foot flute maybe you could stand next to someone and lean into them
or with a long foot have a friend play it.

[MTGuru]

I just did it on a high whistle with my pinkie

I've seen Brian Finnegan do that, in concert, on the fly. But he has large hands, plays low F whistle with standard grip. When I try it, it just looks like I'm making a rude gesture to the audience.

[Peter Duggan]

Stopping the bell end with the knee has long been a semi-recognised method of extending recorder range by a semitone, with a few even fitted with bell keys for the purpose (there's a Peter Dickinson piece on David Munrow's The Art of the Recorder that requires this). But, at risk of making another flippantly unhelpful response (aka attempted humour!), I just have to ask if the OP's considered a C# flute?

[keithsandra]

OMG! I've done it again ... (Much family drama distraction here).

THIS is what I meant:

D#/Eb = XXX XX%

How many apologies am I allowed?

Nevertheless, I have the rhinoceros skin to ask you yet again for tips on how to master this (expletive deleted) fingering ...

'umbly and cravenly yours in anticipation of the patient kindness for which CnF is so famous throughout the nations now and forever (grovel, grovel ad infinitum ...), Amen!

K.

[Peter Duggan]

Typically with great difficulty (verging on impossibility) because the E hole on most flutes is pretty small and doesn't like half-holing with the wall thickness giving it a high depth-to-area ratio.