Left Index Support

fgpx78 · Post by **fgpx78** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:08 am

Hi all,
I'm new here, I'm an amateur flute player since 1992.

I once viewed a flute with a little thick metal block positioned where you lay
the left index. It would act as a support, giving me (I tryied the flute there) extra relax to the left hand, and major control over fast piece.

Do you know if ther's some factory that offers it as an optional? Did you ever see it?

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:17 am

Most factories COULD do this for you, but very few will without a good deal of additional cost. Custom work on a flute is generally only done on top of the line or handmade instruments in any case, and usually not after they have been bought and played. It's possible that your repair tech could do something like this (some of them are well versed in building custom key extenders and the like), or may be able to refer you to someone who can. This is not one of the usual options, as is a B foot, C# trill, Split E, etc. etc. so it would almost certainly need special attention from any maker willing to do it.

briolette · Post by **briolette** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 7:22 am

This might sound awful and could very well damage the finish of instrument, but a good friend of mine would frequently place a large blob of that sticky poster hanging tack gum on her flute right where her left index needed to be supported. She had bony fingers and would actually bruise in that area otherwise. The tack gum formed a nice cushion for her finger. I would suspect modeling clay would work too....It may be worth trying in your case and certainly much cheaper than getting custom metal work done.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 12:07 pm

you can also buy clip on rests like Bo pep, and other such things. The first chair flutist here at EKU has one of these, and then put a Dr. Scholls pad on the rest. She is really tall (around 6'7") so, the rests helped the flute be "bigger" in her hands. So, it helped her hand from cramping. I have also heard of flutists buying a sort of black foam pad that clarinetists and saxophonists use. These reed players often purchase a special foam pad to go onto their mouthpieces to help protect their teeth. You can get this foam in almost any reasonable size, and it comes off of instruments really well without marring the finish. So, you might want to give that a try. Maybe combine several suggestions. Look around on http://www.flute.com

they have a lot of health articles on there that are relating to what you are looking for (rests/supports).

Almost all of these sort of solutions are really cheap (although the clip on rests can get expensive..... but not as expensive as custom metal work). They also can be replaced much easier.