My band director wants me to get a Bfoot for my 3SH Gemeinhardt, technically changing it to a 3SHB. I asked him what I really needed it for because honestly, when do you see a low B in your music?? He said it also improves tone quality and overall sound, and I wanted to know if this is true...I do want a B foot but I wouldnt know how to go about getting one since I cant find anywhhere that sells just the B foot without the rest of the instrument, so I guess my main questions are:

1. What does the B foot do besides extending the range a little?

2. How do I get one, new or used, or whats a good place to buy?

Thanks!

your band director is full of crap. if you dont want a b foot dont buy one. if he wants you to get one so badly, tell hi mto purchase one for you. they can be quite costly and its a quite a challenge to find one of the perfect fit (at least for a gemeinhardt because their sizing sucks, no offense). unless youre playing pines of rome or something, theres no reason to have one.

stupid band directors... they know nothing.

Well I do want one actually, and I would like to get one by Gemeinhardt for my Gemeinhardt flute. Although my director wants me to get one, its not like hes forcing me, and I think it would be interesting to have one. I just cant find one to buy anywhere, even on eBay!

while I respect those who play a b-foot, I have never found the need for one in recent years, especially for any of my students, I fear your BD is falling for the marketing...

"Although my director wants me to get one, its not like he's forcing me"

Is your band director a flutist or is their main instrument ...something else?

This is from what I've seen a recent trend in band directors. Getting involved in the selection of instruments. suggesting specific instruments for upgrade....Your BD may not be forcing you, but this person's powers of persuasion are strong with the students. You may have that kernel of doubt now that you aren't playing on the best or you may be thinking that if you upgrade a bit, you may be viewed by your band director in a more positive light.

It would be my view that a B foot is not necessary in band unless you are playing certain solos for contest such as the Doppler Fantasy. It comes up very rarely in band music and when it does it probably won't be heard well because weiter the flute isn't working properly or the player can't get the required ton and volume. So that leaves the ability to close the B key on very high notes (High C facilitator) and the question as to why any composer would write those very high notes or very low notes.

So, I would say that the flute model/brand that you have is adequate for band. Now if you wanted to go into music, then at that point of graduation from HS, you may want to ask your potential flute prof. what they'd advise.

Was it not preferred by John Pierre Rampal to play on a C foot? I believe that he perferred the tone.

So I'd say just practice.

The alleged ability of the B foot to improve sound is probably urban legend stuff.

I think it can even degrade Eb2 sound quality because of reduced flute venting, for a note which is far more common that C4. This could require additional efforts and training for the player to get decent Eb2.

Dealing with the two rollers on the B foot is for me another added difficulty.

It's true that the longer case does not fit in normal briefcases, except (sometimes)diagonally.

And it costs considerable money...

Micron has a great idea, I have even seen commercially produced extenders that do the same thing, but as I noted, in most pieces with a low b, there is always a suitable alternative to those of us who play a low c...

Just curious, how do you play low #C, C and B with an extender and two keys?

Well my BD main instrument is...trumpet. And from what I see, the B foot is completely uneccesary! I play saxophone mainly, the flute is just for doubling and for fun. That hose extension on the C foot is interesting though.

I am not a band director (but have friends who are ones), but I do teach privately. It is not a marketing trend, as someone has suggested, that a B footjoint is being asked for by this band director. The music that is available for high school bands assumes the flute section has this feature. I have had my students show me their music, and it is definitely there (even on a transcription for band for the William Tell Overture from the 1970s--flute 1, 2 and 3/piccolo had it on their parts). Even flute choir music from the 1980s has flute 1 and 2 parts going down to a low B. If it was a current marketing trend, why were people getting them back in the 1970s (my college flute professors' 1970s Haynes had a B footjoint) and earlier?
If you are performing more advanced music as a soloist, you would need the B footjoint for the extended technique (it definitely helps in playing Robert Dick's music, especially Flying Lessons).
I do all respect your opinion about the B footjoint, but James Galway has a B footjoint on his flute. Even the Yamaha Julius Baker model (which I know was built to his specifics) has a B footjoint. Why would these respected flutists and teachers recommend to their students if they didn't feel it was needed?

i personally dont feel that you should choose a flute based on its footjoint. but if you already own a flute with a c foot and want to upgrade solely based upon a b foot, i think its absolutely absurd. many of the flutes in europe do not have a b foot as its standard option and is special order whereas here in america its a special order option to buy a c foot.

i personally love my b foot, but would not tell someone that their flute is superior to anothers based upon what kind of foot they have. its much like saying that because my flute is an inline g, its not as good as the same model flute but with an offset g.

a gemeinhardt with a b foot is not nearly as good a flute than a powell with a c foot.

also, can you name at least 10 different pieces that the average high school band plays that involve a low b? ok, even 5 pieces. im talking grade 4 and lower. because this is the "good" high school band and i will give you the benefit of the doubt there. if you can, i will eat my words. every single word.

this debate has raged on this forum before and will again...when I have lectured in the US, asia and europe, I have been asked about the bfoot/cfoot question many times...I always ask for a show of hands as to who owns a bfoot, many hands go up (depending on the country), then I ask who has actually played a piece with a low b, and maybe one hand goes up...

Because each state has a different grading system for band music (even solo and ensemble music), mentioning 5 or more pieces at your grade 4 would not work. I can tell you that I have students who go to schools that are class A/AA and some that go to class B schools. Class in this case is regarding the number of students that attend the school district. Both class B and class A/AA schools have played music that have required a B footjoint in the flute part.

Each person can have their own opinion in regard to the B or C footjoint. I am just surprized, with the number of professional flutists that are on this list, that you have not performed any solos that ask for the B footjoint. I would assume that everyone has played Doppler or even a little of the modern pieces that are part of the flute repertoire.

those pieces have options for those of us who play c-foot, Rampal played all those pieces, and he hated the bfoot