Hi I am new here & was wondering if anyone can tell me how much more difficult it is to play a baroque flute vs silver flute
I am interested in the stanesby flute for sale on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.fr/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... K:MESCX:IT
Stanesby baroque flute
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Re: Stanesby baroque flute
Really a beautiful flute, seems to be very well constructed!
It's not really more difficult to play a baroque flute, it's different!
You'll develop different skills to accomplish playing this kind of flute, because it requires you to change your embouchure and sometimes the position of the flute to tune. Also the tone you produce is very diverse from a silver flute, and also the volume of sound is smaller. It's obvious also that to make sharps or flats you must use fingers combinations instead of opening or closing one key, as in a silver flute. This leads to a more complex fingering work. Although, I'm not a baroque flute player, I think this is common sense. Maybe there is a baroque flutist here that could give you some more and better advise.
BTW, welcome
It's not really more difficult to play a baroque flute, it's different!
You'll develop different skills to accomplish playing this kind of flute, because it requires you to change your embouchure and sometimes the position of the flute to tune. Also the tone you produce is very diverse from a silver flute, and also the volume of sound is smaller. It's obvious also that to make sharps or flats you must use fingers combinations instead of opening or closing one key, as in a silver flute. This leads to a more complex fingering work. Although, I'm not a baroque flute player, I think this is common sense. Maybe there is a baroque flutist here that could give you some more and better advise.
BTW, welcome
Re: Stanesby baroque flute
Thank you so much for your reply, it is really highly appreciated !
Best wishes to you !
Best wishes to you !
Re: Stanesby baroque flute
You may have also noticed that the Stanesby is pitched in A-415 - significantly lower pitched than a modern flute (A-440 or 442). The lower pitch sounds (IMO) wonderful, particularly on period music, but you will only be able to play with others on instruments in the same pitch. As mentioned above, there are pros and cons to the two types of flutes, but be sure you realize that these are two very different kinds of instruments, the modern and the Baroque. A Baroque flute has a very small, round embouchure, and is tuned in the older, just temperment, as opposed to a modern equal temperment. Also, since chromatic playing outside of D major (pitched lower, but...) is only possible with forked fingerings, many notes are "shaded" (that is, less clear) than others (F nat, for instance, is much softer than F#, which is direct finger-to-hole). This quality of shaded notes is actually cherished in period music, written for this instrument - many Baroque flute purists distain Baroque music played on the modern flute, as modern flutes were specifically designed for equal volume and purity on all notes.