keyed to keyless

tin tin · Post by **tin tin** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 4:25 pm

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 · Post by **chas** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 5:08 pm

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.

tin tin · Post by **tin tin** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 7:34 pm

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?

Whistlin'Dixie · Post by **Whistlin'Dixie** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 7:57 pm

I say No.

But I "only" play ITrad.

M

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:09 pm

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

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:19 pm

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

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 9:28 pm

Jayhawk wrote: (classical, baroque, ragtime)

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 · Post by **Jayhawk** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 9:58 pm

Charlie - do you mean do I play an Eb flute? No, I just play my rosewood sweetheart 4 key...but there are a mess of D#s in the entertainer, easy winners, and sunflower slow rag (can you guess I'm partial to Joplin?). Ragtime is a great key learning medium if your playing a standard D flute!

Eric

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 1:33 am

Didn't Seamus Tansey remove the keys,AND shave off the key blocks from his Rudall and Rose (

)?
Seems akin to an act of vandalism to me.

andrewK · Post by **andrewK** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:42 am

Then he regretted what he had done.

BillG · Post by **BillG** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 5:44 am

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

pandscarr · Post by **pandscarr** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:13 am

A number of lovely Scottish tunes are unplayable without keys...

Now, I find it really really spooky to play a keyless flute - because I find myself reaching for keys that aren't there!

Do any of you regularly move between keyed and keyless?

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 4:55 am

yes, I routinely move back and forth.
I aspire to be able to do everyhting Ido
on keyed flute on keyless--easier said
than done, but not unthinkable.

David Levine · Post by **David Levine** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:15 am

Matt Molloy plays a six-key cocus Olwell.

radcliff · Post by **radcliff** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 2:43 am

I think that EIGHT keys could be enogh...Why some people like to play with double Bb or similars?

Frank