In March there will be a flute exhibit in NY, so I`ll take that chance to try different flutes and heads. I`m really excited In the meanwhile, I`ll work on the embrochure, angle, direction, etc. You`re great, thanks a lot.

OOOH! Is that in NYC? Where and when do you know? Thanks if you do!!!

Suppose that having perfect pitch meant not merely that you can identify C# out of context (in contradistinction to in relation to other pitches, that is), but also that you can identify C# in respect to any frequency deviation from an ideal or absolute C#. Then we’d have a paradox. Why? Because there can be no ideal or absolute C#. In an A major tonic triad a C# should normally be 5/4 the frequency of the A a major third below it, which is the just major third, approximately fourteen cents flatter than an equally tempered major third. A violin playing a C# as the third of an A dominant seventh chord resolving to a D major triad will normally play it at least as sharp as a Pythagorean major third, 81/64 the frequency of the A a major third below it, approximately eight cents sharper than an equally tempered major third. The difference between these C#’s is the syntonic comma, approximately 21.5 cents, nearly half of a quarter tone. You don’t need an acute sense of pitch discrimination to distinguish a syntonic comma, an obtuse sense of pitch discrimination will suffice.

"It is hard to hit every note, but on the two first octaves I can manage. It is on the third that everything goes to hell: always too sharp"

The Yamaha line is designed for A=442.
If you try to tune to A=440 with the flute head pulled out a "Normal" amount like about 4mm. you problem will continue. Pull out the head to about 12-15mm. and roll out while playing to compensate and to project the sound.

~Bilbo

I stink at intonation, it`s probably because my weakest playing ability is TONE. I have really good technique but tone?..OMG! It`s so hard and fustrating, and sometimes i could have this NICE SWEET sound and next day, i cant even get a sound out. WHY? I don`t know! Does that happen to you guys too? well, some of you guys in this forum are professionals. (i could tell^^) so probably not.
*sigh*

I have my bad days too. Everybody does. I didn`t feel good the other night and tried to practice the flute. Everything was off. I sounded horrible!

Re: "The Yamaha line is designed for A=442. If you try to tune to A=440 with the flute head pulled out a `Normal` amount like about 4mm. you problem will continue. Pull out the head to about 12-15mm. and roll out while playing to compensate and to project the sound."

Let`s suppose, for simplicity`s sake, we have a flute that can produce only two pitches. The lower pitch is A442 and the higher pitch is the upper octave, A884. Because frequency is inversely proportional to air column length, the upper octave is produced by opening a hole precisely halfway down the sounding tube. Now we pull out the head joint such that the lower pitch becomes A440. For arithmetical convenience, let`s suppose the length of the sounding tube was originally 440 cm. (on a conventional C-foot flute it`s actually about 24 inches). Since--again--frequency is inversionally proportional to air column length, with the head joint pulled out it becomes 442 cm. Now the octave hole should be 221 cm. from the mouth aperture but is in fact 222 cm. from it. Thus the higher pitch, which should now be 880 cps, is in fact approximately 876 cps, approximately eight cents flat.

Is it possible for my flute to have intonation problems or is it me? I mean i work on it and some notes can`t..well..isn`t close to tune. like my middle d flat and my HIGH c, HIHG d flat. i know that really high notes are naturally sharp. but still..can it be the flute? Or maybe i blame my flute too much^^. I always have intonation problems..*sigh

schoolgirl0125 try out a different brands if you can. If you still have the problem, then you will know it is you.

YEAH. On my cousins emerson my intonation was great. i guess it`s my flute. STINKY GEMIENHARDT! oops, i shouldn`t say that. Something bad could have it. My band director said always LOVE your flute. yep..sure i`m trying.

I haven`t check the forum in a while. The exhibition info is in this site
http://www.nyfluteclub.org/
Also, I tried pulling the head, and setting the tuner at 442, but at least in my case that`s not the issue, but keeping an even tone and in the right pitch, especially in the third octave.
A couple of days ago I tried the flute of a guy I met through a friend (Muramatsu AD) and it really made a difference. Not that I hit every note on the right pitch at the first try, but after a while playing it was a lot easier to play than my Yamaha. But well... $$$$$...
I`m thinking a Muramatsu head.

You`re having personal issues with your Gemeinhardt and you`re not liking it right now. No worries. lol.

Try giving your flute to someone with good intonation and see if they still have good intonation and hopefully they have your same problem.

If`n it`s the flute anything from tears in a pad or improper key height can negatively affect intonation. Simply take the flute to a repair person and ask them to clean and adjust it and ask them to replace any bad pads... ask for an estimate of the cost. If it`s going to run you $30-50 then go ahead... if over $100 get a new flute. If you find everything after adjusmtnet is fine and dandy, GREAT!, but if not at least if it`s in good adjustment you can re-sell it in good conscience IF it is a small investment.

With practice you can overcome any flute scale issues (like with vintage flutes), but if the flute has defects that cause unusual intonation issues only on certain notes then that is something that you should not have to overcome.

So should that flute get righted by an adjustment you are better off keeping your current flute and saving for an even better flute. Unless... you are not old enough to work and your parents are willing to put in for a good flute for you. By all means get the best you can with your parents help while you can.

I remember my parents were leery at the idea of spending $100 on a flute (oi!). Even now if they had any idea the savings I have set aside for when I decide to purchase a new... instrument they would think I was nuts.

Hopefully things work out for ya.

WOW! THANKS! That helps so much. I haven`t had my pads checked in 3 years, so maybe there could be problems with it. When I hit a note, it could get out of tune at first but then it would adjust to it after a while...but on my cousin`s emerson, When I hit a note it was in tune right away. And some notes, I don`t know what to do with it^^ I think I`ll just..somehow..find out a way to hit the note in tune the first time. Maybe embrochure(can`t spell), or my air?

Re: "Also, I tried pulling the head, and setting the tuner at 442...."

You seem to have overlooked my penultimate posting, which demonstrates with simple arithmetic why this could not possibly work. (Moreover, if Yamaha flutes were CONSISTENTLY tuned to A442, this, of course, would not explain why their third octaves should be out of tune in respect to their lower octaves--to belabor the bleedingly obvious, as comedian John Cleese might put it.)

To be honest I didn`t understand your posting. I`m not that good with numbers, spanish teachers use math for grades only . Is good, though, knowing that is a physical explanation.