Hi there.. just got finished reading Miller`s translation of Boehm`s "The Flute and Flute Playing" and had a couple questions on today`s alto flutes. Boehm mentions how one must compromise the quality of tone in the lower two octaves on your standard "C" flute, in order to allow for decent intonation on the awkward cross-fingerings in the third octave. Then, he goes on to describe his "bass flute in G", which is our alto-flute of today, and how there was no compromise in the tone quality of the lower notes made for this instrument in his design. Does anyone know if this stands true for today`s alto flutes, or have they since come to encompass the same range as their higher cousins?

Without refering to the passage itself, isn`t he saying that in designing an alto flute the lower half of the range is paramount, so the compromises can be made in the higher range rather than the low notes.

Well, the passages in the text (p19) refer to his decision to make the C flute with a bore diameter of 19mm rather then 20mm to facilitate the high notes. This, in his opinion, degraded the tone quality. Then, in the section dedicated to the bass flute (p120) the translator notes boehm`s decision to design it "as a completely new instrument" with no such compromises. He also notes comparisons of the tone of the instrument at the time with the french horn, or even saxophone or violin being played softly.

The biographical notes from the editor also mention that he nearly exclusively played the alto flute the last 20 years of his life.

If the statements about bore diameter are the main facet of this question, I guess I could just as well have looked up the bore and tone-hole sizes of today`s flutes to compare!

thanks, and happy holidays.

There are ALWAYS compromises in acoustic design of instruments.

So I think some meaning was lost by the translator.

Current alto flutes vary quite a lot in diameter from brand to brand - a lot more than do soprano flutes.

gotcha.. So, I noticed on fluteworld`s site that they don`t really have any regular mention of bore size. Is there another site where I could get this kind of information for most major brands, or would I just have to email the dealers/makers? I`m looking a bit into getting an alto flute some day, and would do so purposefully to get a really rich lower octave.

cheers

You can`t go by measurements. It is the combination of a large set of parameters that make a flute go well or not.

You need to TRY as many flutes as possible, paying attention to intonation, clarity, volume, etc, and be wary of dead notes in the second octave, which are often a compromise. Second E can often be improved by adding the first trill key, or lifting the left first finger. Second octave F is often improved by adding the second trill key.