My views add that there are more possibilities, while your views subtracts them. That's the point I'm making. To say that the metals don't matter like it's a difinitive statement is excluding the fact that it matters to many people of the world. Many of the greatest flutists in the world...or else they wouldn't buy gold or platinum, or aurumite, or titanium. (anyone ever play titanium? A guy in NH makes them...I'm so curious).

If you don't notice the difference, than say "I can't tell the difference" not "There isn't a difference" . See the difference?

If you took the time to read my posts, you would see a that I outlined my beliefs on the material debate, and never once did I say that material doesn't matter. I believe it does, but very minimally. I have played on titanium. The flutes are made by John Landell, who is actually located in Vermont, not NH, and they are great instruments, but I hold that that's mostly because of the workmanship that goes into them, not the fact that they're made of gold, or titanium, or whatever.

Welcome to the forum Jrbrook. I see that you are new here.

With the adjustment and pad problems post...are these flutes coming from a really good dealer and technician or some big place like Flute World where almost none of the employees even play the flute?

Sadly a lot of the Powell flutes that are coming straight from the factory is where most of the problems are from. I have talked to many technicians and Powell distributors that have complained about the pads always needing to be adjusted. Believe it or not, I have talked to a gentlemen who used to work for Powell and he informed me that they have been hiring people that don't even play the flute. So you talk about people on playing flute at Flute World. I think that is even worse. Now please don't quote me on that statement because I am just relaying what another person said to me. I don't know if this is a fact or not. I hate to bring that up because everyone on here knows that I play on a Powell and it is my favorite brand. So you know, I have nothing against Powell at all.

I know the debate will go on forever as to if different metals produce different sounds. For me, even blind folded I can tell the difference. But that is just me.

Split E? I don't particularly care for them. To me it makes that E sound very stuffy and just adds more complications to the flute.

Okay, play nice.

It is true, yes...there are lots of people at Powell that don't play the flute. And Brannen for that matter. Not that she worked in the shop but I was really annoyed when the girl that was attending to me while trying flutes at Brannen did not even know how to put a flute together. As Pan is my witness...

Though, it isn't to say that people who aren't flutists can't work on flutes. Actually, years ago I had a headjoint made for me at Haynes and Mr. John Fuggetta worked on it himself (such a nice man) and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Mr. Fuggetta was a flutist either) That was a day... Mr. Broegger was there, and also Jacques Zoon was there...talk about nervous...playing flutes in front of Jacques Zoon, and then he let me play his own wood flute. Wowser. But that's the thing...he liked to have the orchestral flutists in the boston area and the best students come and play the flutes they made there. That's what Jacques Zoon was there for. He was testing wood flutes.

Yeah, I think that's why it's best to buy a flute from a very knowledgable dealer where they tweak and adjust the flutes once they get them from the factory.

Have any of you played on a Powell Soloist cut headjoint?

Yes, I have tried the soloist. The Philharmonic is still my favorite though. Powell makes wonderful headjoints, but the Philharmoic that I had took too much air for me, so I switched to a Nagahara head and sometimes I still play on my Williams. The Soloist is between playing the Philharmonic cut and the Boston. The amount of resistance is right in between the two. I liked it a lot.

JRBrook wrote: The last two posts prove my point. ....... Body totally has an impact on the tone of the flute. I used my own headjoint I've been playing on for the last 10 years and tried it with the bodies of several flutes of different metals and makes. It's not all just headjoint. Each one had distinctively different qualities. I recorded them to listen to the same piece with the same headjoint but many different bodies. Not a one of them sounds alike. To people with a good ear, any change in metals and make-up of an instrument make a difference. French keys versus plateau keys...totally makes a difference. C-Foot versus B-Foot. Totally makes a difference. Split E versus not. (split E changes the tone of the E to be shrill so I prefer not to have it...but the g-donut tends to flat the A and is not a much better solution....but I'll work around it rather than crack an E I suppose. Body DOES matter significantly. To the more discerning flutist and listener. Some people who aren't even musicians can hear the differences when I've asked friends to listen and give opinions.

OK,

Now that you've made these claims strictly based on your observation, explain to us why you've settled on certain factors as the cause for the differences?

Explain the rationale as to why...

Bodies of differing materials sound different
Plateau and french keys sound different
C foot/B foot is too easy, but give it a shot anyway if you want

Would also love to hear why the Donut makes the A a little flat (with respect to an understanding of scaling for any particular model and various types of High E facilitators out there compensating such for any flute)

The Body tube vibration itself contributes about .1% to flute tone which is considered inaudible. Or are you suggesting something else as the cause for differences in body tone?

Can't wait to hear your explanation...

Joe B

YOU GO GIRL!!!

Well,Joe...these are my personal experiences. I am not proclaiming them that they are law for every person.

I see what you mean about taking too much air. In the low register anyway. The high and middles registers play wonderfully, but sometimes I really fight with the low register but that's just because my breathing has gotten sloppy, and I need to work harder. I am going to try all of them, but I do like the P head. It's similar to the head I've been playing for years.

Thanks for the feedback on the soloist head. Did you find that it was as versatile as they say it is? I like to be able to relax my embouchure when playing baroque music to get a "woody" sound that you can't get on some headjoints that are too "engineered" .

Jrbrook76,

I do not agree with your reasoning. You are:

1) proclaiming that if one does not agree with you it is because he is not an "advanced flutist" or do not have "a good ear". That is not nice and it is just not true. Sir James galway himself is saying that he cannot hear a difference between the metals and that even that a modern wood Boehm flute sounds like a metal one. He is certainly an advanced flutist and has a good ear.

2) saying that your opponents arguments are adding to your cause. I do not find this to be true neither. When flutist06 is saying "I've played many flutes of many different materials, and while the sound and feel of the instruments changed from maker to maker and flute to flute, the pattern does not match up with changes in material." I cannot see how this is proving your point.

The mind can be very deceiving and we can fool ourself very easely. Only double blind experiences conducted with scientific method can say if a phenomemon is real or if it is just a trick our mind play on us. please take a look at this one:

iwk.mdw.ac.at/Forschung/english/linortner/linortner_e.htm

Good reading. Before you claim that this experiment add to your views let me state the conclusion:
"The result of statistical analysis was that no evidence has been found that experienced listeners or trained players can distinguish between flutes . . . whose only difference is the nature and thickness of the wall material of the body, even when the variations in the material and thickness are very marked."

Now, I do think that gold flutes are nicer because they do not tarnish like silver.

Cheers!

Le Koukou

Well,Joe...these are my personal experiences. I am not proclaiming them that they are law for every person.

That's fine, I'm just asking you why exactly you've made the specific conclusions you have made and want to know how much of flute design you have considered. So I asked the questions.

You are pretty confident in proclaiming a particular reason for something being a causation. You need to back that up. It's one thing to proclaim that there are differences from personal experience. I have no problem with that. But to claim a specific reason by using that same criteria is not really acceptable. Please state the reasons you make the claims..

I am very well versed in design, acoustics, and am also a darn good player, besides being a technician who has worked with a flutemaker. I just want to hear your reasoning as to the why's of the differences. Please Explain...

Joe B

I can personally vouch for JOE B, he knows what he is talking about, so listen to what he says

Thanks for the feedback on the soloist head. Did you find that it was as versatile as they say it is?

You are welcome. Yes, I think that it can be explained as being a bit more versatile. It seems more flexible than the B cut, but I wouldn't say it is more flexible than the P. At least it wasn't for me. Sorry, I am not the best at putting things into words. What I really would have liked to try was the new Venti. Have you tried that one? Still, I really like the Nagahara on mine because it still has that Powell sounds, but doesn't take as much air and is more versitile for me. I have the A cut. You might want to try out one of them too, if you haven't already.