Basics

• Offset G. The pair of key cups out of line with the others.
  
  
• Split E mechanism. The offset cups can move separately, the lower one can close without the upper one, but not the other way round. This makes top E natural easier, but there are drawbacks.
  
  
• Covered action. There are no holes in the keys. Finger placement is not critical.

• Inline G. All the key cups are in line.
  
  
• The two cups moved by the left hand third finger are inseparably linked together.
  
  
• Open action. There are large holes in the keys. Finger placement is critical.
  
  
• 'Pointed' key cups. An ornamental and stiffening ridge linking the cups that are not touched by the fingers to the axle line. This is a usual feature of hand made and better quality instruments.

Notes of Mechanism

The name of this 'gadget' gives rise to misunderstanding. The 'split' cups are responsible for G, for which they must close together. However, the purpose of splitting them is to improve top E natural. The lower of the two cups is linked so that it goes down with the of the right hand middle finger cup (5). (But not the other way round.) The effect of this is that top E natural, fingered Th 12_ 45_ D# has only one vent hole open in the middle of the sounding part of the instrument. This is advantageous for ease and security of tone production and brings a slightly difficult note into line with top D#, F natural and G. It has become an almost essential feature of student flutes. Unfortunately, life for the flute player is not that simple! It does nothing for top F#! Top F# is a bane! Not only does it have two open vent holes, it has an undesirable closed hole below the sounding part of the instrument. This is a 'double whammy'. Given the popularity of sharp keys in flute music, top F# can become something of a bugbear.

Unless you are carefully trained to use your lip and ear to focus on high notes properly, F# is a real problem. I found, when I was teaching, and had to take on a couple of pupils with the new model Yamaha student flute that featured split E, that their high note problems were solved by its removal. My reasoning was that one unusually 'good' note next to one of the worst notes on the instrument was a recipe for disaster. By making the notes more equal in tone and 'resistance' their problem passages were much more easily dealt with. The link was easily removed, and could almost as easily be replaced as it was a simple screw fitment (no longer the case), but they never wanted to have it back.

There are, admittedly, times (Dvorak 8th Symphony) when it can be useful, but there are other ways of dealing with top E natural problems. Split E kills the standard fingering for top G/A trill. Again, there is a way round, but it is not so good. My teacher had a flute with a little draw bolt on top of the second G cup. With foresight it could be set in the most appropriate position. He always had it disengaged.

The 'clutch' linking the two cups is particularly prone to disarrangement and correcting it is the most frequent of all the repair jobs that I have to do.

Until I got a flute made this way I was extremely sceptical. I had always played on covered action, offset G, between the wars wooden flutes made by Rudall Carte. There were none better, and most British players used them. In the late 50's there was something of a revolution in flute playing in Britain and the new 'French' style became the rage. Silver flutes became the norm, together with inline mechanism and, what's more, open action. The two always go together.

I am a convert! I like the directness of the key action, the need for clean and precise finger placement improved my technique, and I fancy that I hear my instrument better. There is no gain without pain though. It was quite a shock to the system after over forty years. I was told that the only thing to do was to lock my old flutes away, banish them like old flames, and concentrate on the new love of my life.

You can plug the holes as a temporary measure, perhaps just one or two, but it is best to take the plunge and eschew plugs completely. There is the 'halfway house' of offset G with open action. It doesn't appeal to me but there is a lot to be said for it. On a mass produced instrument I think the action may be more reliable.

The Stopper in a Flute Head

The stopper or 'head cork' of a standard metal 'Boehm' flute. Wooden and 'Folk' flutes are made differently.

1. The 'crown'.
   
   
2. The cork, usually natural but there are synthetic alternatives.
   
   
3. The front plate.
   
   
4. The back plate.
   
   
5. The threaded rod. (This is permanently fixed to the front plate.)

Issues

The performance of the flute is critically dependent on this simple assembly. For the best results all the following points must be correct.

• The cork must be tightly squeezed between the plates.
  
  
• The cork must be a tight fit in the head joint.
  
  
• The face of the front plate must be the right distance from the mouth hole.
  
  

Problem Solving

Warning!

Never try to remove the stopper assembly from the top end of the head joint.

Only in a very few flutes is this possible.
You are most unlikely to meet one of these instruments.
The flute head is slightly tapered towards the top end and the plates are a near fit to the tube when the stopper is in the right position.
If you push the stopper too far up, the front plate will jam in the tube.
A lot of force will raise a ring around the head.
This is an irreversible scar that will haunt you for ever.

Do not use your cleaning rod to move the stopper. Working from the top end, after removing the crown, you will need a special tool, a short length of thick wall metal tubing that will fit over any nut like device attached to the back plate. I found a nice piece of chrome plated brass tubing, just the right size, in the gutter. In a previous life it had been a car radio aerial. You will also need a piece of dowel for the other side. It use useful to have a position line marked on it.

1. Weak and 'unfocused' tone, difficult top notes.
   
   

   Caused by voids in the cork assembly.
   
   
   Remove the crown, and then the stopper assembly. (Down the flute.) Screw the front plate and then the back plate onto the cork, firmly. You may like to glue the front plate onto the cork. It will prevent the plates loosening again. The the threaded rod is sometimes not threaded for its entire length (as in the Yamaha example illustrated). If the cork is not tightly fixed when the back plate will move no further you need a new (longer) cork. The problem may be solved by putting packing between the back plate and the cork. Use a slice of bottle cork, it does not have to be a good fit, though that would be nice!
   
   

2. Tuning problems, particularly between registers.
   
   

   Caused by an incorrect stopper position.
   
   
   For a Boehm flute the front plate should be about 17.5mm from a the middle of the mouth hole. You should be able to judge this with your flute cleaning rod. (Preferably the one supplied with your flute.) There is usually an incised line round the rod at the other end from the 'eye'. When the end of the rod is against the plate this line should be visible half way down the mouth hole. It is important to check for voids before you spend time on this. If there is a rattle from the head when you shake it or gently tap it against your hand there is certainly a loose back plate and the stopper assembly must be attended to first.
   
   When the stopper is too far back the harmonic notes tend to be too close together, in simple terms, the octaves are narrow. They become wide if the stopper is too far forward. Because of the different ways the third octave notes are produced this is a very difficult adjustment for a beginner to make satisfactorily by ear. Experienced (really professional) players have preferences for slightly different positions and the technique to justify them. The situation is further complicated by the position of the head in relation to the body (pushed in or pulled out).
   
   The classic stopper position is for it to be back from the centre line of the mouth hole by the internal diameter of the tube at the mouth hole. You can check this by putting the marked end of your cleaning rod into the mouth hole and looking down the tube to see where the line comes. Flute rods are made with rounded ends so that you get a true picture of the relationship between the mark and the size of the tube.
   
   

3. Loose Crown.
   
   

   This is not in itself actually very important, the crown is hardly ever fixed.
   
   The stopper is probably not a tight enough fit in the head. Remedy this by tightening the plates or replacing the cork. The stopper should be screwed up to the head just enough to hold it firm. If you work hard at it you will draw the stopper out of its best position. If you undo it, and then push it back, you will move the stopper back down the flute.
   
   Particularly in 'school' flutes, stopper problems arise like this...
   
   

   1. The crown is turned clockwise until it will move no more. There are two stages of effect. The first pulls the cork up too far and the second loosens the grip the plates have on the cork.
      
      
   2. An attempt to get things working properly usually involves unscrewing the crown and pushing the stopper back down the flute. This is only effective if the plates are still hard against the cork (they rarely are).
      
      
   3. If the front plate is not hard against the cork, everything looks satisfactory when checked with a flute rod, after pushing the stopper back, but the flute won't play properly. Sometimes, even more confusing, the flute won't play properly at the start, but, later, suddenly does. That is when the void behind the front plate gets filled with water. A void there does not have to be big to upset things, particularly in the third octave.

The Joints

1. Tight Joints.
   
   It is important that you do not put any grease or other lubricant on the metal to metal joints of modern flutes. They are fittings, not bearings.
   
   The problem with grease is that it tends to pick up particles of dirt that get embedded in the metal making the joint difficult to fit and separate.
   
   The joint surfaces inside and out should be wiped clean and dry when ever the flute is put away. (After every playing session.)
   
   If you are having trouble with a tight joint that jams you must clean it thoroughly.You need a solvent on a tissue, or piece of cloth. Alcohol (meths), acetone (not nail varnish remover, it has a small amount of oil added) or 'Zoff' or similar solvent for removing the residue of old fashioned sticky plasters. The inside and outside parts both need to be thoroughly cleaned. If there are black marks left on either surface the joint will not mate smoothly and the surfaces need polishing. The black marks are hard dirt particles embedded in the soft metal. Polishing with fine steel wool lifts them out and removes any burrs that are left. Be very careful not to abrade the visible plated surfaces. Wipe the joints over again with the solvent afterwards.
   
   
2. Loose Joints.
   
   Loose joints are the result of careless handling. Take care always to hold the parts in a staight line, with your thumbs pointing in the same direction, as if holding a bat or golf club. If you always do this the open end of the tube will not be rolled over making the joint loose.
   
   Correcting a loose joint is a routine job done with special tools. Do not attempt to fix a joint without them. The kit comprises an expanding mandrel, a stepped mandrel, and a shrinking die.
   
   
3. Construction
   
   There are several ways of making the joints. The socket is usually a separate piece of tube but it can be expanded from the main tube. I do not think there is much to choose between them but the best instruments are always made with a separate tube.
   
   I will provide some pictures later.