Flute acoustics: measurement, modelling and design - School of ...

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Chapter IX
Applications and further directions
In this chapter several possible applications of this thesis are discussed and further work is
suggested. Two specific applications of the software described in Chapter 8 are considered in
detail as a guide to how similar problems may be approached. One application considered
is adding a new hole to the modern flute, and the other is an analysis of an unplayable 19th
century instrument.
9.1 ADDING A NEW HOLE TO THE MODERN FLUTE
The C♯ key on the modern flute performs many functions and its size and placement are chosen
so as to perform each adequately. Consequently, some makers have added an extra hole
and key. The problem is summarised in the following quite by American flutist and composer
Robert Dick (Dick 1999):
The small C♯ hole is the most multi-purpose of any on the flute. There is no way that one
hole can fulfill all of its functions perfectly. In balancing the roles of that hole—to make
the second and third octave C♯s and to vent the second octave D and D♯, the third octave
D, G♯, A and A♯, and the fourth octave C♯ and D—all designers have compromised. A full
sized tonehole placed further down the flute would make wonderful C♯s but the vented
notes would be terrible. A hole considerably smaller than the C♯ holes we’re used to
seeing would be better for venting. It would be placed visibly higher than the usual C♯
position. While making the vented notes nicer, it would produce extremely sharp and thin
sounding C♯s.
Boehm goes into depth about this dilema [sic] and his thought process about it in his
book “The Flute and Flute Playing”. He devised the compromise small hole, accepting
that it would do all of its jobs imperfectly, but well enough for musical players to correct,
and he opted away from making the mechanism more complex. A more modern solution
has been to add the key that most of us would call the “C♯ trill”, a full sized tone hole
which is normally closed and opened by a touch operated by the right hand forefinger.
This gives acoustically correct C♯s. Some folks don’t care for the “extra” mechanism; I
think its great. Going even further, Alexander Murray, John Coltman and Jacques Zoon
have devised mechanisms that switch between small and large C♯ holes depending on
the note being played.
Note that the fingering used for third octave A♯ (A♯6) in this chapter and in Appendix A
does not have an open C♯ hole. In this section I will use FluteCAD to decide on the best size
and position of an extra C♯ hole in an attempt to improve the tuning of the Pearl modern flute
(PF-661).
9.1.1 Unmodified tuning
The tuning of the unmodified Pearl flute is shown in Figure 9.1. The stopper was at 17.5 mm
from the centre of the embouchure hole and the slide was open 8 mm. The tuning problems