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FLUTE GLOSSARY
Arms, French Pointed or "Y" -
The part that connects the keys to the rods of a flute. French
pointed arms extend across the middle of the key and come to a point
before connecting to the rod. French pointed arms are only seen on
professional instruments and are generally thought to be more exact
when placing the key on the tone hole, allowing a better seat. "Y"
arms attach to the edge of the keys and are popular with students
and intermediate players. "Y" arms are very sturdy.
Body - Middle portion of the
flute, containing the mechanism. When the flute is said to have a
silver plated body or a solid silver body, this is most often
referring to the tubing only, rather than the mechanism.
C# Trill - This is an extra
key, located by the B flat lever, for trills or tremolos involving
C#. This feature is also very useful in alternate fingerings.
Offered by most manufacturers as a special order item on advanced
instruments.
Crown - End piece of the
headjoint.
Rollers - These help facilitate
the movement between keys on the footjoint. Standard rollers include
those for the C and B keys. Optional rollers, which are generally
only available by special order on higher end instruments, include a
C# and D# roller to allow smooth action between these keys.
Embouchure Plate - This is
where the player's lip touches the flute. Generally the material
matches the headjoint, but some manufacturers include a solid silver
embouchure plate on a silver plated headjoint. Alternative materials
often seen are a gold-plated or solid gold lip plate. The riser is
often included in the gold-plating or solid gold.
Footjoint, B vs. C - This is
the third section of the flute and is played with the fifth finger,
right hand. The C foot allows the flute range to go down to low C.
The B foot, mostly seen on intermediate level instruments and above,
extends the range to low B, a note often seen in more advanced
literature. The B foot is also often seen with the gizmo key.
French Flute - Open holes (see
Open hole vs. Closed hole)
Gizmo Key - Also known as the
high C facilitator. The extra tubing on the end of the B foot
sometimes hinders playing the highest C. The gizmo is attached to
the B key, and closes this key to help relieve the problem.
Headjoint - This is the first
section of the flute. It is typically silver-plated or nickel-plated
for student instruments, with sterling silver on intermediate and
above. The headjoint includes the embouchure place and crown.
Mechanism - This refers to the
entire key section, including keys, rods, springs, posts, etc. The
action of the keys is the result of this mechanism. In student
instruments, the mechanism is fairly sturdy with relatively slow or
heavy action. As the level of the instruments rises, so does the
playability of the mechanism. The high-end instruments have
mechanisms that are extremely easy to play.
Offset G vs. Inline G - The G
key is played with the left hand ring-finger. "Inline G" refers to
the G key being directly in-line with the others. Many students
start with an "offset G', where G key is slightly offset from the
others, because it is easier for them to reach. As they become more
comfortable, they may switch to an inline G. At the advanced or
professional level it is a personal choice, with the inline being
slightly more popular.
Open hole vs. Closed hole -
Open hole flutes have holes in the keys that the fingers cover and
closed hole flutes have all closed keys. Both options are available
in all levels and are a matter of personal preference. Closed holes
are generally more popular with students, and the musician typically
moves to open holes with an intermediate or advanced flute. A
beginning student may have more flexibility of hand position on a
closed hole flute. Closed hole flutes are a bit heavier, and may
have a slightly darker sound. Open holes are also good for students
because the player must cover the holes to play a sound, making bad
band position impossible. Advancing musicians find open holes
beneficial when using alternate fingerings or shading the holes for
intonation purposes. Open holes are generally a bit more expensive,
but most feel they are worth the added expense.
Plateau Flute - Close hole (see
Open hole vs., closed hole)
Riser - This is also referred
to as the chimney and is where the embouchure plate connects to the
headjoint. There are many different manufacturing techniques and
materials, but the riser is often the same material as the
embouchure place. Gold risers are also available on some
professional instruments as a special order option.
Split E - Or "High E Facilitator" -
The benefit of this feature is to improve intonation and control
over the high E, a problematic note for most flutists. There are
actually several variations on this feature. The first type is the
"Split E" mechanism. This is built onto the flute, only available in
an offset G, and it closes the upper of the G keys, forcing the air
to a lower tone hole. The "Clutch" is a variation of this type. It
allows the player to turn the feature on and off. The "E Insert" or
"High E Facilitator" is much less expensive and is available on an
inline or offset G. It is a disk that is generally either donut - or
half-moon-shaped and inserted into the G tone hole. This has roughly
the same effect as the mechanism, but because it cannot cover the
tone hole completely it is slightly less effective. The insert can
also be added to any instrument after purchase.
Springs - These are tension
springs that keep the keys open when they are not being pressed.
Generally each manufacturer uses a durable metal for the springs on
their student and intermediate instruments. While not as flexible as
professional springs, they are quire sturdy. Professional
instruments have a variety of materials used for their springs.
White gold is by far the most popular, but many other types are
being used with equally pleasing results.
Tone Holes, Drawn vs. Soldered -
The tone hole is the opening on the body that is covered by the
keys. The tone hole wall can be either drawn or soldered. With drawn
tone holes, the wall is actually drawn from the body and rolled
down, to form an even surface area for the key. With soldered tone
holes, the wall is soldered onto the body, allowing both the wall
thickness and the surface to be very exact. Because soldering
requires so much more hand work, it is generally seen only on
high-end instruments and is more expensive than drawn. While we
notice little tonal difference between the two, there are arguments
for and against both.
Wall Thickness - This
refers to the actual thickness of the tubing used. The average
standard wall thickness is .016". Generally, a heavy wall thickness
(.018") is going to have a darker sound and a thin wall (.014") will
be brighter. Some manufacturers feature a thinwall headjoint and a
standard wall body in an attempt to achieve a sound and response
that is lighter than the standard wall head and body.
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