lip plate

bfloyd · Post by **bfloyd** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:48 am

Maybe a silly question, but . . . I notice that some flutes come with a lip plate and some do not (I'm thinking the latter more wooden flutes?). What exactly is the purpose of the lip plate? Is one easier to play than the other (with or without)?

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 9:28 am

Wooden flutes actually do have a lip plate. The only difference is that unlike metal flutes, many wooden headjoints do not have the outer edge of the lip plate clearly defined. That's to say that because of the thicker walls required for a wooden flute, the outer diameter of the tube places your lips at the same height relative to the inner diameter that a metal head does. It's merely a matter of whether or not the maker chooses to thin the rest of the headjoint to make it look like a more traditional head. The purpose of the lip plate is just to give you an easy target to get the flute lined up with your face correctly, while maintaining the height way from the tube, and the various shapes that are out there serve to fit your chin/lower lip in the most comfortable way. Whether or not a headjoint has a clearly defined lip plate does not affect how difficult it is to play. There are some amazingly resistant wooden heads and very free-blowing metal heads (and vice versa). It's really a personal decision what you prefer in a headjoint. Most wooden head makers offer a thinned/profiled head with an obvious lip plate, as well as more traditional models, so if you decide you like a wooden head, you still have several options.

bfloyd · Post by **bfloyd** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:42 pm

Thanks for the reply. I guess I was referring to the baroque flutes that I have seen thus far. I don't recall seeing a lip plate on them. I didn't think that the modern, Boehm style wooden flutes would, of course, be more modernized. Yeah, I'm still hooked on those early simple flutes:)

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:50 pm

Lip plate is almost a relative term when it concerns wooden flutes, or older flutes.

While there may not be an actual "plate" carved out of the wood, that is usually what that part/area of the flute is called.

So, while on many older wooden flutes [with wood or ivory heads], and some new wooden flutes, there may not be a raised plate, but that portion of wood around the embouchure is still considered the lip plate.