Improving a Flutes Performance - Help Needed!!!

[EmmTutt]

Hi!

I'm a University student from London who's dissertation topic is to investigate the performance of a flute and how this can be improved. I'm a keen flautist myself so it is a topic of interest to me.

I've created an online survey which I need as many flautists as possible to complete for my initial research. I would be incredibly grateful if any flautists could quickly complete the survey - it'll take 3 minutes and contains multiple choice questions. No personal details are required and all answers will remain confidential.

Here's a link to the survey:
http://www.kwiksurveys.com?s=HOMHHM_af504282

Thanking you in advance for any replies - any questions please do not hesitate to reply.

Best wishes,

E

[pied_piper]

Interesting. Would you post your results here when the survey is complete?

[EmmTutt]

Certainly, I'll see what I can do once I have collated all my research

Also, a big thank you to anyone who has completed the survey – you help is greatly appreciated!!!

[JButky]

Hi!

I'm a University student from London who's dissertation topic is to investigate the performance of a flute and how this can be improved.

I'm curious as to why you centered your questioning around flutist's Performance practices rather than the Flute's Performance itself. Was this intentional?

[EmmTutt]

Yes it was - the main focus of my study is to investigate how temperature effects the pitch of a flute, but at the moment I'm trying to keep the topic as broad as possible to see if there are any other improvements that can be made to the preparation process or if theres any performance practices I've failed to investigate.

Ultimately as I am a Product Design student, I am looking to design a product that will either improve a flautists understanding of temperature effects or improve their control over temperature effects.

The idea stemmed from the times I spent warming up my flute before a performance to then have it go cold while I wait to play. This happened when I was younger and did not fully appreciate the effects temperature had on my flute. Other examples include practicing in cold churches, outdoors or when playing two instruments, leaving the second one on a stand.....

Hope that makes sense.........!!!

[JButky]

Hope that makes sense.........!!!

Yes it does, Thank You..

[pied_piper]

Ultimately as I am a Product Design student, I am looking to design a product that will either improve a flautists understanding of temperature effects or improve their control over temperature effects.

Initially looking at this for flutes/flutists makes sense. That lets you have better control over your study. However, the problem you described is not limited to flutes. All instruments have similar issues with temperature. What makes it an even bigger problem is that wind instruments are flatter with lower temperatures, but stringed instruments go sharper with lower temperatures, which further exascerbates the problem of instruments staying in tune when the temperature varies.

Eventually, if you are so inclined, you might expand your study to design products for other instruments as well.

[wkzh]

Ultimately as I am a Product Design student, I am looking to design a product that will either improve a flautists understanding of temperature effects or improve their control over temperature effects.

Ahh that explains the funny questions.

Initially looking at this for flutes/flutists makes sense. That lets you have better control over your study. However, the problem you described is not limited to flutes. All instruments have similar issues with temperature. What makes it an even bigger problem is that wind instruments are flatter with lower temperatures, but stringed instruments go sharper with lower temperatures, which further exascerbates the problem of instruments staying in tune when the temperature varies.

Eventually, if you are so inclined, you might expand your study to design products for other instruments as well.

If I'm not mistaken, winds go flat because of the increased density of air, whereas strings go sharp because of the increased string tension with contracted strings. Correct me if I'm wrong!

Since you're in design...

About other instruments... there's one interesting one, I don't think many people have come across it. (The internet's so full of interesting things, but nobody mines it!) It's apparently also the reason why Powell broke off from Haynes: THE THERMOCLARINET. (Strange isn't it? Flutemakers squabbling over a clarinet. Note that Powell isn't mentioned in the patent.) It's essentially a double-walled clarinet with warm air between the two walls. Of course, this would not be practical for flutes because we require very low tone hole chimneys.

I was thinking about problems with larger winds, e.g. contrabass flutes, because I don't think players can churn out so much air to warm it up. Perhaps you could attach... an array of thermostats? (Making the instrument play-huggable's another option, like a cello, but that'd be hard to engineer.)

An alternative approach is to use instrumetns that have insulative single-walls, e.g. wood flutes. Of course, on a metal flute that's tougher. I was thinking maybe a metal that has really laggy thermal properties, i.e. low thermal conductivity and high heat capacity. One such metal, I think, is titanium. Gold, on the other hand, is worse than silver in this aspect. Platinum isn't much better. I think some people have come up with some high tech metamaterials that can prevent heat flow in certain directions by some ??? means (quantum mechanics, definitely) but I doubt flutemakers will want to tinker with such alien technology. Unless, of course, a material scientist decides to go into the trade of flute making and start building flutes of this stuff... Oh yes, I must mention, that metamaterial, if my memory serves me, is made of silicon. Silicon flutes, anybody?

Ultimately, most flautists will eventually learn to cope with the problems of temperature... well, most of them. I suppose this is where your survey results come into play. So the above propositions may be a tad impractical. However, however, however... I wouldn't mind something that warms up my foot joint a wee bit. Low notes are so often flat because of that. But a "tunable foot joint" would suffice, really.

[pied_piper]

I think some people have come up with some high tech metamaterials that can prevent heat flow in certain directions by some ??? means (quantum mechanics, definitely) but I doubt flutemakers will want to tinker with such alien technology. Unless, of course, a material scientist decides to go into the trade of flute making and start building flutes of this stuff... Oh yes, I must mention, that metamaterial, if my memory serves me, is made of silicon. Silicon flutes, anybody?

How about carbon fiber flutes: http://www.matitflutes.com/

The thermal conductivity of carbon is almost nil when compared to metals like silver or gold:
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/therm ... d_429.html

About the only other solids with lower thermal conductivity are materials like clay, brick, or portland cement. Now there's the ticket, a portland cement flute!!

[wkzh]

How about carbon fiber flutes: http://www.matitflutes.com/

Ahhh carbon fibre! How could I forget? I think the problem would be aesthetics, though, some people simply prefer metal flutes. I'd prefer wood myself, but surface blemishes might be an issue.

And my mistake, platinum actually has a lower thermal conductivity than silver, and gold is lower than silver as well. Another potential material might be steel: it does have somewhat lower conductivity than silver, but I suppose it might not be a sufficient improvement.

There we have it, "Cold as steel" is an invalid expression

About the only other solids with lower thermal conductivity are materials like clay, brick, or portland cement. Now there's the ticket, a portland cement flute!!

Ummm... I think Coltman did build a portland cement body for experimental purposes before. But can you imagine the weight? Gosh.

IMHO, I think the thermoclarinet's by far the most effective idea out there: heat distribution. A system of heat tributaries? Hmmm.