gemeinhardt

Kiran · Post by **Kiran** » Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:15 pm

i just recently got a new gemeinhardt 2sp flute. i've been playing a 2sp since 5th grade (i'm in 9th now)

and decided it was time to get a new one. I didn't get one any earlier because i wasn't sure if i was gonna stick with flute, but i ended up playing it still.

anyway.. my old flute was a gemeinhardt 2sp, and so is my new one. The problem is that i can't get any of the low notes out such as D, Db, and C unless i work on it for about 10 minutes, which involves alot of patience.

i was able to play them with my old flute just fine, but not with this one. I asked a couple friends that play flute and they think it just needs to be broken in because it's brand new. Does anyone know why i can't get my low notes out?! any help, or just reading this, would be greatly appreciated.

thanksss!

powayflute01 · Post by **powayflute01** » Thu Nov 25, 2004 1:08 pm

There could be a number of reasons...but what is most likely is that your flute has a leak or two that needs to be adjusted. Did you try the flute before you purchased it? You ALWAYS should try an instrument before you purchase it to make sure it functions correctly. I don't think your new flute needs to be "broken in"; I could see that you might need adjustment time if you got a different brand of flute that was perhaps denser, but you didn't.
So in a nutshell...if you take private lessons, have your flute teacher examine your flute to see if there are any leaks. If you don't take private lessons, take your flute to the shop. Sometimes flute manufacturers do poor adjustments on their flutes before shipping them out, and perhaps yours just needs a little tweaking.

amhso · Post by **amhso** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:25 pm

I find gemeinhardt different to play than other flutes, dont know why. I'd probably get that checked up at your local flute store

.

Flutetastic_Times · Post by **Flutetastic_Times** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 7:48 pm

I've noticed that on my gemeinhardt flute comparied to my friends um..I foget what brand..it is harder to get out low notes, but i don't think thats the case in this situation. i'd do what the other person said get it cheacked for leaks. on little leak can definatly throw you off a bit.

fluttiegurl · Post by **fluttiegurl** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 9:11 pm

Actually, I have found that adjustment screws can be a very good thing, especially on a student flute. Without them, any minor adjustment is made by bending the keys. This can be a very bad thing for a student to even attempt and can, over time, bend the keys and cause serious damage. I have one handmade flute without adjustment screws. It has had few problems, but when it does, I feel completely helpless. None of my students have flutes without them, nor do I recommend it.

Some companies got the brilliant idea to put the screws underneath so that you can't see them and "assume" that it is handmade. Personally, I hate this! It makes it more difficult to adjust because you have to literally hold it upside down to see what you are doing

I try to teach my students how to do minor adjustments, but this should be done VERY carefully and using extremely small movement to the screw, which will hopefully not allow for it to become too tight or too loose. It really is best to have it looked over by a trained tech every 6 months or so for adjustments. Even the slightest adjustment can cause a flute to play differently.

I have found that the major flaw with some student flutes is that the adjustment screws don't always fit correctly and tend to come out. This can be a simple fix be a trained repairman who can replace the screw itself. Or you can do what I do in this case, send it back to the manufacturer. After talking to a Gemeinhardt rep, I realized that if we don't let them know what is happening, they don't know to fix the problems. Flutes usually don't have problems until 4-6 months after purchase. At this point, the manufacturer usually does not have any contact with the buyer, one drawback of buying a factory produced flute. On the other hand, the alternative costs as much as 10 times more.

H. Blanchard · Post by **H. Blanchard** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 7:26 am

I've never had any trouble with mine. I've had it since I was 8 and now I'll be 12 soon. I have noticed that my flute leakes alot but i don't hav trouble playing low notes. I wonder if there is something that's not quite right with it.

I hope you can figure out what's wrong.

SaturnCat · Post by **SaturnCat** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 12:43 pm

I don't even own one.

Band_Geek · Post by **Band_Geek** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 3:56 pm

I had a Gemeinhardt flute back when I was first starting to play the flute. It never gave me any trouble. Im too lazy to read all the long posts above but it could be that Gemeinhardts from the 70s and 80s are different from those today. That may be way.