Are there any advantages of playing an open hole flute?

From Wikipedia:

Open hole flutes (where some keys have a hole through the middle resembling donuts, and which holes the player must then cover with fingertips) are standard for concert-level players, though some flutists (particularly students) select closed-hole "plateau" keys, or use temporary plugs to cover the holes in the keys until they master the more exact finger-placement open-hole keys demand. There is some belief that open hole keys permit louder and clearer sound projection in the flute`s lower range. Open-hole keys are also needed for some modern "extended" avant garde pieces, including those requiring the player to play harmonic overtones, or to manipulate "breathy" sounds in addition to the traditional "pure" tone.

Open hole keys are typical of French technique, championed by the Paris Conservatoire, which dominated the 20th century. However, the century has changed, and the French school is under fire; specifically, the placement of the G-key (previously offset in student models and inline in professional models) may or may not be moving, depending on who you ask. Less controversial options include the amusingly named "gizmo key", which facilitates C7.

Open holes let you do some cool note bending, too; like a slide-whistle.

Open holed flutes are a lot more natural too, and help better finger placement and help with the eticate of flute playing, ie posture and balance and correct posture! I, personally, would strongly reccomend open-holed flutes!

Without going into details, I regard what was written in the last post as a load of nonsense, probably a repetition of some nonsense that some teacher said.

On the other hand, I respect the writer`s right to write the nonsense!

Amy, I hope you are aware of the several advantages of CLOSED holes. For many players, i.e. those not exploring slides, multiphonics, and other modern `effects`, or playing at a professional level where small humourings of tone &/or pitch can be utilised, there is probably no point at all in using an open hole flute. However there are are good reasons for NOT having open holes, which I have listed here before and could list again if requested.

There are only two real advantages to playing open holes, and they are both conditional.

One is if you want to play styles of music that require effects playable only on open holes such as slides and bends for Jazz. If you want to play classical music then this is not really an advantage.

Two is if you want to be able to play any flute. If you can play open hole you can play closed hole. The simple truth is that there are a lot of open holed flutes out there, and some are very nice instruments. If the best flute you find that is an open holed flute and you can`t play open holed then you will have to settle for the second best.

There certainly are many disadvantages to open holes, but in the end you have to play the flute that is the best fit for you and if you can play open hole then the array of flutes you can choose from increases greatly.

"Open holed flutes are a lot more natural too"

What is natural about trying to cover a hole up when you are trying to play?

I cannot play open holed flutes due to various problems with my wrists and hands. I find the position required to cover the holes impossible to hold without pain. Open holes add nothing but a few fancy techniques. If you like the feel, by all means play what you want, but rest assured that open holes don`t equal professional or "good etiquette" or anything like that.

I think Piko explained it nicely and Arak brought up a good point on closed hole advantages....
I have been playing with an open hole for nearly three years (it took me awhile to buy an upgrade) and I remember that it was difficult playing at first... I have been told by my director (not the same director that spawned the memorable fight between Arak and myself; we have a different director every year-our last one quit just the other week...)(Sorry, off topic again...)As I was saying-my director told me that an open hole flute will increase the quality of sound and give the flutist more of a rein over their instrument...They can bend pitches easier (how, I am still working on...) and there is more tone and note control.

IMHO (based on a fair few facts!) for perhaps 98% of people playing the flute, that is either irrelevant or nonsense.

Note that I wrote `people playing the flute`, not `professional players`.

Nice to see you back Jessie. I haven`t seen you here in a while.

Arak.. but a sock in it!!

I feel that an open hole flute has a clearer timbre vs a closed hole as well and I think it may really be that the open hole key design reduces the amount of harmonics one would hear vs a closed hole flute as air is allowed to escape throught the center of the tone hole key. A positive key leak so to speak.

uh oh... now you are going to hear it from Arak. Brace yourself. Lol!!

I play on an open hole flute for many reasons, the main one being...it`s my only flute!! But if I`m really honest....I know that my culture definitely views an open hole as more "advanced", therefore influencing me. I have been very interested learning all of the scientific and research information that has been presented here and on the other forum, but in all honesty, I know in my heart that I still NEED that open hole!! It apparently fills my need.

On the other hand: When my flute was in the shop and I used a very old, beat up pawn shop Bundy (nickel -or whatever that term is that Arak has taught us-, off-set, closed), I still received a lot of wonderful comments from the thousands of people who heard me when I played!!! Go figure. There are plenty of reasons why, but my point is....Play the flute that makes you feel good. It all works out (and I`ll continue on my open hole thank-you very much).

I wouldn`t like to disappoint Kara...

Piko, in theory, what you say is correct, but in reality, the effect is so small as to be not noticable...

Of the 12 notes in a chromatic octave, only 5 of them have open hole keys to supposedly increase venting. If that made a significant difference, then those 5 notes (Bb, A, F#, F, E) would have a significantly better tone than the other notes in the scale. In reality, they don`t, because there is quite sufficient venting from the opening beneath a plateau key.

Probably, if you set up the flute with the pads opening only half as far, then a tone difference for those 5 notes WOULD be noticable.