Flute Terminology

 

ABS Resin
ABS resin is a popular choice for use in some piccolos as it allows for free-blowing and solid tone quality.

Aurumite
Aurumite is a patented fusion of silver and 9 (or) 14k gold tubing. The combination of silver, together with the warm tones of gold are often favoured by the more advanced player.

B or C Footjoint
Most flutes come with a choice of either C or B Footjoint. The C Footjoint is normally the standard issue footjoint. The B Footjoint allows the flautist to play down to a low B and is often a preferred choice for reasons including:

– Repertoire (orchestral repertoire sometimes requires a flute with a low B footjoint)

– Balance of instrument between hands (The extra key creates a little more weight at the bottom end of the flute). With a C Footjoint, the flute is naturally top heavy and with a B Footjoint, the weight distribution is slightly different.

– The longer tube creates more resistance in the upper registers as there is a longer column in which to push the air down.

Closed Holes
Closed holes are keys that are fully covered over and more often found on student models.

Curved Headjoint
Unlike the straight headjoint, the curved headjoint bends around in a ‘u shape’ formation, bringing the flute closer to the player. Curved headjoints allow a player with smaller arms to reach the keywork more comfortably, thus encouraging good posture.

C# Sharp Trill Key
The versatile C# trill key simplifies many awkward trill and tremolo fingerings and can greatly improve pitch and tone clarity. In particular, the C# Trill key is useful for trill and intonation control between B to C# / C to C# / Top F# to G# /High G to A-flat / High G to A  and High A-flat to B-flat

D# & C# Rollers
These rollers allow for greater ease of movement of the right hand 4th finger between the low D#, C# and C keys on the footjoint.

Drawn Toneholes
The toneholes are ‘drawn’ directly from the tubing of the flute itself, which tends to create a free, flexible, less resistant flute, giving the player the feeling of a lighter sound overall.

E Ring
An e ring can be fitted into an inline model flute and provides a less expensive alternative and a more secure E in the upper register.

G-A Trill Key
The G-A trill key is located next to the D trill key. When pressed, it activates two additional trill keys on the back of the flute which results in the G-A Trill being easier to play.

Gizmo Key
The Gizmo key (also known as the ‘High C Facilitator) is situated on the footjoint and allows for improved intonation of the note ‘C4’. Most B footjoints come with a Gizmo key as standard.

Gold Plated
With the added weight of Gold plating, a difference to the overall tone can be audible due to the enhancement of the lower harmonics of the sound.

Grenadilla Wood
Grenadilla Wood (also known as ‘Black Wood’) is a popular choice of wood in the making of wind instruments due to the open, round sound that it allows the player to create.

Heavy Wall
Heavy wall refers to the thickness of the tubing – 018″ (0.45mm). A heavy wall flute tends to be more resistant but can give a player more depth of sound.

High G# Facilitator
When the G# lever is pressed on a piccolo, it half-closes the thumb key mechanism making high G# easier to play.

Inline G
The Inline G key is positioned in direct line with the other keys on the flute.

Key Arms
Key Arms connect the flute keys to the flute rod. In the case of French-style pointed key arms, the arm extends into the centre of the key, giving extra fortification and strength.

Kingma System
The Kingma System was invented and patented by Eva Kingma and comprises a Boehm system flute together with specialised extra keys, enabling the production of quarter-tone notes.

Lip-plate
The lip-plate attaches to the main body tube of the headjoint and can be made of variety of materials including metal and wood. The lip-plate is a part of the flute that you put against your lip, and through the production of air across the headjoint, sound is produced.

NEL
The NEL is built into the Sankyo flute tube in the lower G tonehole making the opening smaller. It facilitates a high E that speaks easily without the conventional split-E mechanism. The NEL is standard on all Sankyo flutes.

Offset G
The G key is not ‘inline’ with the surrounding keys of the left hand, which tends to be a popular choice for many players, as it allows for greater comfort with the hand position.

Open holes
Open holes (Also known as French or Ring key) are often the preferred choice of more advanced players / players above student level. Open hole keys quite literally have a hole in the centre of the key which can be found on the A, G, F, E and D Keys. Open holes encourage better hand positioning and also enables the player to use ‘extended’ techniques such as multiphonics and note slides.

PCM
PCM is a composite material used exclusively by Miyazawa, containing mainly silver and copper with a small amount of palladium. This type of alloy offers the player a brighter timbre / tonal control with more immediate articulation.

Pinless Mechanism
With less open entry points in the mechanism of the flute, the amount of body acids and perspiration that can enter and interfere with the mechanism is greatly reduced by pinless mechanism.

Pointed Key Arms
Pointed Key Arms (Also known as French-style) extend into the centre of the key, giving extra fortification / strength.

Reform
Reform headjoints (also known as ‘profiled’ or ‘wave’), refer to the way in which the wood is profiled around the embouchure hole. Many players tend to find that this type of headjoint aids the ease of articulation.

Riser
This is the part of the headjoint which links the lip-plate to the tube and can be made from a variety of materials including silver, gold and platinum. The riser is the first point of contact between the airstream and the flute and can have a positive impact on the quality of tone production.

Silver Plated
Most modern flutes are silver plated as opposed to nickel plating, as the latter can feel slippery and causes allergies.

Split E Mechanism
The split E mechanism  divides the action of the upper and lower G keys, permitting the lower G key to close when high E is played. Closing the lower G key and fingering high E decreases venting and brings more stability to the note with a faster response. This mechanism employs a separate rod and must be made on the flute during the manufacturing process. It ensures tonal stability of the high E, secure attacks and smooth slurs between the third octave A and E.

Standard Wall or Heavy Wall Tubing
Standard or Heavy wall tubing refers to the thickness of the tube of the flute. A silver flute with standard wall thickness (or medium wall) tends to have a brilliant, responsive sound. It is especially well suited for players who blow with a more gentle airstream and/or an extremely compact airstream. A silver flute with heavy wall tubing tends to have a darker, more powerful sound. This is generally well suited for flutists who put a high volume of air through the flute and/or uses a fast airstream when playing. The increased resistance of the tubing compliments players who tend to overpower a thinner walled flute, bringing ease of response with rich color.

Gold is a more dense material than silver, thus the tubing thicknesses are not as heavy. Because of the density of the material, gold flutes tend to have a darker, warmer sound.

Soldered toneholes are crafted independently of the flute and then soldered on to the tubing. The increase of weight to the flute (due to soldering) can give more resistance to the sound and some players prefer the dark timbres that can be created because of this.

Undercut Tone Holes
Undercut tone holes are bevelled so that the flow of air through the instrument is met with less resistance due to the synchronicity between the tone holes and tubing.

.925 Silver
.925 is Sterling silver and contains 92.5% silver content.

.958 Silver
.958 contains 95.8% pure silver and is also known as ‘Britannia Silver’

.997 Silver
.997 contains the highest purity content of silver.