Matter of opinion.

[Henke]

Thanks James. That was a good explanation. My flute teacher claims that a Böhm style flute can play with equall ease in any scale. The first scales I learned tough was E-maj, F-maj, G-maj and Bb-maj. They weren't really complicated any of them. With practise I could sertainly play them with equall ease. Are there really any scales that are harder? All accidentals I've come across could be achieved fairly easy. Acctually, the hardest note in the beginning to incorporate in a tune was second octave D, but that was only because it's quite different from the notes around it in the scales (exept for perhaps Eb), with left hand first finger and right hand pinky lifted.

[glauber]

Thanks James. That was a good explanation. My flute teacher claims that a Böhm style flute can play with equall ease in any scale.

No, he was right. In the beginning, the scales with more accidentals are harder, but as soon as you break the mental barrier, you can play in any scale just as well, in Her Böhm's flute. And because all notes are vented the same way, all notes sound equally good. It just takes practice. So play scale exercises, or join a band where the guitar player uses the devil's toy, also known as capo.

Of course, what you lose is the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between the keys, which are characteristic of the older style flutes, with their less-than-perfect venting and forked fingerings. You can have it both ways by learning both kinds.

g

[rossmpfc13]

Let's put it this way, I'd bet that the accordion dude probably can't even play in all 12 keys on his chromatic instrument anyway, so I don't see what he's arguing about. Also, no whistle player would pick up a D whistle to play in, say, Ab. I didn't bother reading everyone's replies, so my bad if people already said this.

[Henke]

Let's put it this way, I'd bet that the accordion dude probably can't even play in all 12 keys on his chromatic instrument anyway, so I don't see what he's arguing about.

Well. I think he can. All accidentals can be achieved and so all scales can be played. However, when I think about it, with these fact's it makes it even more strange how he could compair it with a whistle.

[BoneQuint]

I didn't read this whole thread, so excuse possible repetition.

Isn't "Bronze" a word that describes what the statue is made out of? And isn't "Statue of a Unicorn" a phrase that describes what the bronze is shaped into? In other words, they aren't "two different things." They're simply phrases describing an aspect of the same thing. Of course if you change the shape, the description of the shape may no longer apply, but the description of the material may. I really see no paradox or difficulty in that at all.

[peeplj]

Actually, I don't think it's true that Boehm flute is equally easy to play in any key.

But it is vastly easier than playing in the same key on an 8-key flute, for example.

C-major and F-major are dead easy on the Boehm flute. D-flat major and F-sharp major are more complicated, but with moderate practice they are brought within reach. The main thing that complicates them is the occasional of stepwise motion when moving more than one finger simultaneously is necessary.

This is also one factor that tends to complicate the 3rd octave to a learner.

All that said, though, the Boehm-system flute has the easiest chromatic fingering system of any instrument I've ever tried.

--James

[NicoMoreno]

I think that the key is that each key sounds the same on a Bohm flute. (The fingerings may still be difficult, but the sound doesn't change) Whereas on older style flutes, there are keys that sound different, depending on the fingerings.
(Ab major on my recorder sounds very somber, sad even, some might go so far as to compare it to a minor key.)

[Jack]

Quote @ peeplj

All that said, though, the Boehm-system flute has the easiest chromatic fingering system of any instrument I've ever tried

I'd agree that it's easy, but I think piano is even easier. Not to master, mind you, just for being chromatic. But does piano count as having a fingering system?

[peeplj]

Cran, you are right!

I shoulda said wind instrument, of course...

--James

[glauber]

Actually, I don't think it's true that Boehm flute is equally easy to play in any key.

Then you need to practice more scales, grasshopper!

(sorry, James, i'm sure you saw this one coming...)

What i like about the Boehm against the "Irish" (really Classical) 8-key flute is that in the Boehm all the keys are under your fingers; there's practically no lateral movement of the fingers. In the 8-key you're all over the place. Many (ok, several) (would you believe a handful?) people prefer the Baroque 1-key traverso over the 8-key for the same reason: though you have to do a lot of forked fingers, you're only moving your fingers up and down; not up, down, left, right, forward and back.

[Jack]

On the rare day that I'm brave enough to try the boehm flute, I really do catch myself stopping, to think, "which way are my fingers supposed to go?"

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

How about a double pipe whistle, with a secondary pipe which has no fingerholes, but closed keys which, when pressed, would give the semitones? Some bagpipes have these closed key pipes, but for extending the range of the primary chanter (musette de couer) or for harmonic accompaniment (Irish pipes regulators). An old Italian bagpipe, the sordellina, possbily used keyed pipes in this manner. http://www.polisci.ucla.edu/faculty/bon ... artfin.pdf.
Or just a keyed whistle? I asked this question on the flageolet post. Hmmm, what a weird sentence!

[Henke]

How about a double pipe whistle, with a secondary pipe which has no fingerholes, but closed keys which, when pressed, would give the semitones? Some bagpipes have these closed key pipes, but for extending the range of the primary chanter (musette de couer) or for harmonic accompaniment (Irish pipes regulators). An old Italian bagpipe, the sordellina, possbily used keyed pipes in this manner. http://www.polisci.ucla.edu/faculty/bon ... artfin.pdf.
Or just a keyed whistle? I asked this question on the flageolet post. Hmmm, what a weird sentence!

Wouldn't the double pipe whistle you describe mess things up a bit? If I understand it right, it would give a basic tone of D all the time you blow the whistle and when opening a key it would give an accidental, you would have two different tones, not just the accidentals. Wait, one more tube and we could have a whistle capable of doing chords! Wouldn't that be cool now?!?

[rossmpfc13]

Let's put it this way, I'd bet that the accordion dude probably can't even play in all 12 keys on his chromatic instrument anyway, so I don't see what he's arguing about.

Well. I think he can. All accidentals can be achieved and so all scales can be played. However, when I think about it, with these fact's it makes it even more strange how he could compair it with a whistle.

what I meant was that he as a musician can't.

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

No, I mean a closed pipe - no holes or exits, with keys which would only sound a note when opened. Although whether this would work with a whistle I'm not sure...might need some kind of complex mechanism to regulate the flow of air?