Greetings everybody!

I'm back for a nice and long holiday in France. I hope you had a nice summer too (those of you in the north). My ADSL wideband connection is down since I came back and I cannot connect as often and as long as I would like to.

But I have a question that cannot wait for the telcos:

I have much, nuch difficulty with the D4 in my new Yamaha 684 with B foot. (i.e., I cannot make it sound.) Up to B is OK and easy. But D4, no way!.

What is the fingering you would recommend for this note?

Thank you.

I use L3, R1, R2, and my right hand pinkies on the C# spatula and C roller. It also sounds if you use the gizmo rather than the C# spatula and C roller. There are several fingerings for the fourth octave D (and other extended range notes), and not all work on every flute, so you might want to play around with them to find the one that works (and sounds) best on your flute. There is a very useful fingering chart at http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/flute/fl_alt_4.html with the fourth octave fingerings. Welcome back, by the way! I hope you enjoyed your vacation!

Sorry...Add the left thumb on the B key to that fingering.

Thank you Flutist06. I tried that fingering and it workes for me. Not easy, though...

jose luis, there is a really good fingering book if you can find it by James Pellerite, I think its called handbook of fingerings for the flute, it should be available out there somewhere, many many fingerings listed

You're very welcome, Jose Luis, and should you be interested in the book Patrick mentioned, it's called A Modern Guide to Fingerings for the Flute, and is indeed by James Pellerite. It's available from Amazon, Fluteworld, and I'm sure many other places.

Oh, and Jose Luis, I have an older Yamaha that is the equivalent of what you play now, and have to say that it is more difficult on that particular instrument than on other flutes I've played to produce anything in the upper registers. It may just be a trend of that particular instrument. Some flutes are made with a stronger low range, others with a strong high range, and some that are consistent all over the instrument. I get the feeling that particular flute just has a weakness when it comes to the higher ranges. If you can learn above D (say to E or F), which you'll never really need to play, it will make it much easier to hit the D (as will practice...It's very high, and it takes a while to learn to control it). You don't need these notes to sound great, because chances are you'll never encounter them, but just being able to hit them at all will make the D seem easy by comparison.

I have a Yamaha 561 that I am using as a backup flute and I have to say that it depends on which headjoint I am using on it at the time to determine the upper register. I find the upper register harsh and harder to produce an even tone on the original EC head that came on it, while my Nagahara or Williams head have no problems. The only problem I have on this model and any other Yamaha I have played on is that the lower register wants to go flat very easily for me.

Yeah, I have an EC head too, and I can't say I'm a big fan of it. My gold flute plays so much better (as you would expect) that I can hardly stand to play the Yammie anymore. I noticed the exact same thing with it in the higher ranges. It's very difficult to get a nice sound on up there, and not nearly as easy as it could be to produce some of those pitches.

Thank you all for the information. I will check if I can get the book locally. Otherwise I could order from USA but shipping costs are high, normally.

I have an EC but I can play without much effort up to B3. But C4 is still at my limit or really, outside it.

So difficult was it that we suspected the instrument could have had problems at C4.

But my teacher played it herself and told me it is normal.

So the problem is just me, particularly a wrong embouchure and lower lip position, that looks like, should be considerably different for that note.

True is that I have just started to deal with notes higher than A3. But this year my teacher has decided it's time to be able to play the complete chromatic scale -and of course she is right!.

This takes me to an additional question:

To play C4, Trevor's book (and teacher) fingers L1, L2, L3, L pinkie and R1. But looks like that for B3 and C4, I should also press the special key on the B foot with the right small finger.

This is rather an awkward position and it is still worst with B3, having the R3 on the trill and the small finger stretching at an angle to reach the foot key.

Do you play B3 and C4 on B footed instruments this way?


<Added>

OOPS.. could have had problems = could have problems

Hey Chris,

Where do I test Tom Green flutes out? I need a place that doesn't put a hold on your credit card for the amount as I haven't saved up enough yet, but want to be well-informed of what I want once I have saved up the money. Luckily, J.L. Smith is coming to my university on Friday to let us try all sorts of flutes. The problem is that the two that I REALLY want to try they don't carry/have in stock. I am defintely not thinking gold, but will be trying a gold Brannen on Friday. We'll see what happens.

-Dennis

Jose Luis: I do not play my B's using the gizmo. It makes for an easier transition in some respects, but I do not use the gizmo for C4 either, so I feel no need to have it down for the B. You might consider trying it, and if you don't like it, don't do it. I have the feeling that most people do not play B3 with the gizmo on (In fact, beyond Trevor Wye, I know of no one), so it would be nothing unusual for not to use it.

Dennis: I know fluteworld deals Tom Greens, but other than that, I think the only other option for a new one is to buy directly from the maker. I have a rather personal attachment to Tom Green Flutes (as I think we all do with our favorite makers), and generally notice when something about them comes up, but I don't remember anyone else dealing in them. I bought mine direct from Tom Green himself. You might also be able to convince a dealer that does not put a hold on your card to get a Tom Green in stock so that you could try it. You could consider contacting him and explaining the situation, and see if he might be able to help you out. Other than that, I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions. Sorry!

Dennis,

Talk to Kara to confirm this as I'm sure she does much more business with fluteworld than I have, but I do not believe they will put a hold on your credit while trialing instruments... even though they may say so when you call.

It's a risk to use credit/money that you need. You never know what can happen. I had trialed a flute and had my car broken into the next day. If I had missed the UPS delviery at home, the flute would have sure to have been in my car and stolen that day... then my computer stopped working that weekend... ended up buying a new laptop.

Regards,
Stephen Kaupiko

Unfortunately Flute World does put a hold on your credit card. I know this for sure because one time I gave them a wrong card by accident which didn't have enough funds for the flute I was taking out on trial and they declined it and told me I needed to use another card. I don't think that Phil from Flute Center of NY will put a hold on a card though and he is always more than willing to try and get something in for you if you would like to try it. Nice guy