Inline G verses offset G

[joolz]

Ok, what is the consensus here. Is inline G a thing of the past? I have only ever played an inline G and when I was asking the salesperson about buying a new flute with an inline G, she told me that I would have a hard time reselling it later as all higher priced flutes (semi and professional) tend to come with offset G. Is this true?

For anyone who has gone from inline to offset, what is the difference - really!

Thanks,
Juliette

[flutepicc06]

Is inline G a thing of the past?

she told me that I would have a hard time reselling it later as all higher priced flutes (semi and professional) tend to come with offset G. Is this true?

For anyone who has gone from inline to offset, what is the difference - really!

It's not yet a thing of the past, but it's quickly going that way. While basically any flute above the student level would have had an Inline G 35 years ago, recent revelations about ergonomics and their link to RSI's and carpal tunnel have made the Offset G far more common. Where as most handmade flutes (some where in the 80% area) were Inline models not too long ago, nowadays, almost any flute maker you ask will say they're building 60+% Offset models instead. The Inline G is a pretty poorly thought out mechanism, to be honest. To be practical, it would require the ring finger to be noticeably longer than the middle finger, but aside from that, there are many compromises built into the design just to get everything operating on one rod. This increases friction (and thus wear) at some important points in the mechanism, which can lead to reliability issues in the long run. The only reason that Inline G's exist is that Louis Lot (one of the most famous French flute makers of the late 19th/early 20th century) started making them to eliminate a rod and get more flutes out the door for a greater profit, and as he was so well-respected, others started mindlessly copying his products. The original Boehm design called for an Offset G. Inline G flutes can indeed take longer to sell (and go for significantly less than their Offset counterparts), but I would be far less concerned with resale value than what is comfortable for you. For the vast majority of players, Offset G's are more ergonomic, but you may prefer an Inline....In the end, you have to play both and decide what you like better. There's no difference in either tone or intonation (or any other facet of how the flute performs), so from the player's point of view, it's purely a comfort choice. I played an Inline G instrument for several years, and had no real problems coping with it, but the Offset is by far more comfortable, and is what I play exclusively today, even on my custom flute. Hope all of this helps!

[joolz]

Yes it does - thank you so much - obviously the right person to ask!!

Juliette

[flutepicc06]

Yes it does - thank you so much - obviously the right person to ask!!

Juliette

I'm glad I could help! What kind of flute are you trying to order?

[joolz]

Still thinking about the Muramatsu. Actually i am a bit of a dope. I jsut checked the Yamaha I am currently using and it actually does have an offset G. It was my old Gemeinhardt that has the inline G. So that's why I hadn't noticed a difference when I was trying out the new flutes.

I got out my Gemmie and gave it a go. I definatley like the offset G. I'm so glad I got that sorted out!

Juliette

[fluteguy18]

Very Good! I too made the switch from inline to offset when I upgraded to my handmade flute. For me however, I also had to take into accound the fact that I was developing carpal tunnel.

But, now about 9 months out from the switch, I have absolutely no pain in my hands. So, I dont regret it one bit.

I do know someone who is absolutely convinced that she can't play an offset G flute. So, even though she has Carpal Tunnel from the inline g key, she refuses to make the switch [even though it fits more naturally in her hand]. So, just be glad that you arent one of those people who are so thick that they think they cant possibly change anything about their playing/ set up. [She also was dead convinced she couldnt change her embouchure **its very tight and lopsided and yields a thin tone** and therefore did not try].

[Mark]

hmm.. I'll have to watch for Carpel starting up then.. hopefully I will regain more use of my little finger so I can switch back to offset while still playing g# without my finger missing the key.

I'll take your post as a warning, thanks.

mark

[fluteguy18]

As an additional note to my previous post, I had developed a few bad habits with my hand positioning. But, even after they were completely fixed, I still had some problems [I have small hands for a guy, and because of a minor birth defect, my thumbs are slightly short in proportion, so the inline g system was just a bad situation all around because I really had to stretch to reach it].

[andy957]

Ok, what is the consensus here. Is inline G a thing of the past? I have only ever played an inline G and when I was asking the salesperson about buying a new flute with an inline G, she told me that I would have a hard time reselling it later as all higher priced flutes (semi and professional) tend to come with offset G. Is this true?

For anyone who has gone from inline to offset, what is the difference - really!

Thanks,
Juliette

I'm just an advanced beginner at this point, but when I went to buy my flute, without ever having played one, I had to get an offset G because that finger on my left hand is slightly shorter than the others, so the offset helps a lot with comfort.

I have heard (read?) some funny thing about the consensus being that inline G looks more "professional" because that's "what the pros play", which I find ridiculous. Like all the other threads on this great forum about instruments, it's all about personal preference and what works for you. Those are just my $.02 worth.