At 12:50 AM -0400 10/23/07, A-NO-NE Music wrote:
Christopher Smith / 07.10.23 / 0:13 AM wrote:
Oh, most of the full-time flute players HAVE a low B instrument
available, but they hate it, and only pick it up to play the passage,
then switch back to their usual instrument at the first opportunity.
This seems to be true outside of US but not sure around here. C foot
has brighter sound than H foot. The response is also faster. However,
H foot gives easier intonation control for mid to high register. I now
play only H foot.
Very well put, Hiro. As to what has become standard, I think that
all our flute students, and certainly our professor, routinely play
H-foot instruments, and that includes incoming Freshmen right out of
high school. The open-hole, B-foot instrument has become the de
facto standard. Which has absolutely nothing to do with the piccolo
question, of course. Here is what our flute professor replied to my
question:
John,
Low c and c# extensions on piccolo are indeed rare. I would doubt that
anywhere near 2% of players have them. Considering the conical taper at the
low end of the picc, the sound of an extension would indeed become more
covered, small, and unresponsive. Writing down that low for picc is about
like writing in the stratosphere for alto or bass flute, not really the
point. While solo pieces for these instruments purposefully use the entire
available range, orchestral and band pieces are better served by staying in
a range that will project and can be managed in terms of pitch and quality.
Of course there will be exceptions; there always are! But I have to
question the statement that professionals will change flutes to avoid
the B-foot. Perhaps a handful, but their sterling silver or gold or
platinum flutes are a pretty big investment AND the instrument they
have mastered. Interchangeable foot joints I would believe, if
custom makers have that option available.
Turning one last time to my "Woodwind & Brasswind" reference catalog,
I find that with the exception of those designated as "student"
instruments, almost all flutes are available with either a C-foot or
a B-foot, some are available ONLY with a B-foot, and very few are
available with only a C-foot. The rule of thumb seems to be that
every flute with a street price over US$1,000 has a B-foot available.
John
--
- Hiro
Hiroaki Honshuku, A-NO-NE Music, Boston, MA
<http://a-no-ne.com> <http://anonemusic.com>
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--
John R. Howell
Virginia Tech Department of Music
College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240
Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034
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http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html
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