I finally got fed up and took out my high E facilitator about an hour ago. What a difference. My high notes now sound clear once more. They are no longer cracking. My high E is sharp again and I am going to have to learn to make adjustments. A to E in both directions is a little hit or miss. I can probably work my butt off and fix that problem but I am not home everyday to practice.

When I took it out of the tone hole I could see why it was installed at the top of the tone hole. The tone holes are very shallow. I have never taken apart my Muramatsu before. I leave that for the professionals and I am still a dabbler. I got it back together with a minimum of fuss and not a single scratch on it. The pads are sealing well and I didn't have to make any adjustments. Thank you to the powers that be!

I am thinking about maybe getting a used yamaha with a split E and see if I like it. Maybe something cheap in the student line to see if I should possibly get one on my next flute. I played one with a split E for about a minute in the store. I thought it was great but I would like to play one for longer to see if I really like them.

No more doughnuts for me. I need to watch my figure.

im sorry it didn't work out for you. I love my donut (did you have the metal crescent thingy or did you have the plastic donut? who installed it?) and couldn't imagine life without it. I'm currently using another flute while mine is out of service. This one doesn't have a donut and it sucks! Maybe you're just a better player than I... haha

Maybe you're just a better player than I... haha

Ha Ha Ha

You are funny. I am a dabbler.

I had one of the best flute techs in town install the doughnut. He did a nice job. I can see that now that I have punched it out.

I had a metal doughnut. I believe that he had to cut it down to fit the hole. He does great work. A lot of the flute players with high end flutes here in town use him.

Very Intersting.

I'm getting ready to buy a Muramatsu and currently have a Yamaha 365 without a split E and a 674 with a spit E. When I moved up to the spit E I didnt notice any real improvement in lowering the high E, but noticed that some of the other notes seemed to be off pitch in different directions. Overall the improvement in the sound was so much better in the upgrade that I wasn't bothered. But Mura GX that I'll try first will not have a split.

A good source told me that she does not recommend the spit E because of the additonal hardware and lack of effect, but instead a disk if people have problems, so I was thinking about trying a disk. Not that I ever had any serious problems with the high E, just thought it was the thing to do at the time. (the split)

I did adjust to the split E however, but just don't think they are that effective. I've also read comments from good sources confirming my experience with other notes being out of whack.

One reason I wanted to try the disk was that I heard it also evened out dynamics in the surrounding notes (the E tends to be weaker than the others)

Anyway, you shouldn't expect miracles with a split E, and now I'm thinking the disk may not be worth it unless I could remove it easily, based on what you have said.

With my cheaper Yamaha I just learned to direct the air down more for the E than I did for the surrounding notes which you normally blow more horizontally as in any high pitch.

Just my 3 cents. Good luck.

I don't need a high e facilitator or a doughnut in my flute. I am now able to get the E to pop out in tune. I can go from high A to E and get it to pop out.

I guess that is what practice is for.

I guess the only bells and whistles I want on a flute are a C# trill key and a D# roller.

All of that for nothing.

Oh well.

my first flute has a split e but my new flute does not i haven't really noticed the difference, my new flue is better though(got a solid silver head and a brand name yay!), i suppose it is personal preference about split e's and high e facilitators, if you can play it well in tune without one why go to the bother of finding a flute with one?, but if you can't play wihout on you need it, i suppose it depends on the flute and the players ability with the flute.

micron wrote:

"Fast semiquava slurs..." (of course he meant "semiquaver")

For readers of American English, that's "Fast sixteenth-note slurs."

If everyone went back to Boehm's original design & had an open G# there would be no need for split Es, no double G keys to go out of adjustment & one less pad to leak.

split e's are for people that are lazy or just suck on flute and can't get an E out without one. i can slur no problem with my e's. its called practice!

why don't you? what is the big deal and why must you bully people to prove themselves?

If everyone went back to Boehm's original design & had an open G# there would be no need for split Es, no double G keys to go out of adjustment & one less pad to leak.

I learned to play on a flute that had an open G#... and swithced later. I still have the flute (in awful condition, but it was never great to begin with), and it seems that I haven't completely forgotten how to play it, but I'd rather not risk playing fast runs on it... especially in the 3rd octave.

I'm told there is a pro player in one of the London Orchestras who managed the swap to open G# in recent years.
I do know 2 professional quality players who use it. It is fascinating to watch them playing next to closed G# players, especially when they are in unison with the left little fingers doing opposite movements!

Going back to the original topic of the high E facilitator maybe the hole in the insert was a bit small & enlarging it would improve the problems it caused without adversely affecting the E too much.

"maybe the hole in the insert was a bit small & enlarging it would improve"

I tend to agree. I have a Sankyo with what they call "NEL", exactly this kind of insert, and I feel very comfortable with the high E and the other notes as well. This is the best solution for me, since my fingers are quite big and I really would not like a flute with offset-G.

It's a moot point now.

My teacher complemented me today. She told me how great my high E was and how good my intonation has become.

I am playing Poulenc Cantilena and a Handel sonata for my audition to get back into the music program at college.

I just hope that it will hold up under pressure.