I had always thought the idea of a one-key flute was kind of odd. If I were gonna put one key on, I'd probably start with G# or Fnat, with Eb probably fourth or fifth. Then I read somewhere recently that a one-key is fully chromatic (for all intents and purposes, presumably) through use of the one key and cross-fingering. I've got a few keyless, 4-, 6-, and 8-keys, and none of them cross-finger much beyond Cnat and possibly G#. Is the hole-pattern of a 1-key something special, and if so, why don't keyless flutes use this? Or is the chromaticity through half-holing, and the key is there because the D hole is too small?
TIA, Charlie
One-key flutes
There's a really superb book "Method for the One-Keyed Flute" by Janice Boland. It has detailed history of the flute, and detailed fingering charts.
It describes directly fingered notes as strong notes. The fingering is the same, at least in the low octave, and second octave, as the keyless flute, except the key is used for F# (same holes covered) and Eb. These are the strong notes. Cross fingered notes are described as weak notes. In addition to cross fingering choices, like the unkeyed flute, the key provides some additional fingering choices for a weak note. What works on one type of one keyed flute, may not work well on another. So, like the unkeyed flute, you have to experiment to find the best fingering combinations.
It's a lot like a simple unkeyed flute, except for some more fingering options supported by the key.
No reason to run out and buy one, unless you are into playing baroque music on an instrument representative of that musical period.
Bill
It describes directly fingered notes as strong notes. The fingering is the same, at least in the low octave, and second octave, as the keyless flute, except the key is used for F# (same holes covered) and Eb. These are the strong notes. Cross fingered notes are described as weak notes. In addition to cross fingering choices, like the unkeyed flute, the key provides some additional fingering choices for a weak note. What works on one type of one keyed flute, may not work well on another. So, like the unkeyed flute, you have to experiment to find the best fingering combinations.
It's a lot like a simple unkeyed flute, except for some more fingering options supported by the key.
No reason to run out and buy one, unless you are into playing baroque music on an instrument representative of that musical period.
Bill
Big holed simple system flutes do not cross finger very well. Baroque flutes are chromatic with one key because the holes, including the embouchure, are about half the size of what you'd find on the Seery. You can modulate the pitch quite a bit but you lose in volume and consistency of tone. Simply putting an Eb key on a Seery will not improve cross fingerings in any way nor make it chromatic. It's appealing to have a chromatic flute, but if you play I-trad you can survive quite nicely with no keys. If you have a flute with an F natural and G# key you can play just about any Celtic tune with the exception of the Cape Breton stuff which is frequently in Bb.
Then there is the Healy keyless fully chromatic flute.
http://www.skiphealy.com/frames/fr_instruments.htm
Bill
http://www.skiphealy.com/frames/fr_instruments.htm
Bill
