purchasing a foot joint

[gidperez]

My daughter plays the flute, and was told that it could be bennefitial for her to have a flute with an additional note on the foot joint if she wants to play in college. I just bought her a flute a year and a half ago, a very nice one I thought. I was wondering if it is possible to purchase JUST the foot joint for her, to save money. She has a Gemeinhardt Solid Silver Open Hole Flute. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[pied_piper]

While it might be possible to get a B foot for your daughter's Gemeinhardt flute, it is not very practical. Music store usually do not stock them as a separate item. It might be possible to order a B foot as a replacement part, but then it may need to be fitted properly (not too tight or loose) to your daughters flute. Buying a B foot as a replacement part (plus the fitting cost) would likely be more than the difference between a C and B foot on a new flute. In this case, your best bet is to sell or trade the current flute and buy another flute that already has the B foot.

[fluttiegurl]

Most likely, if she is a serious player in college she will need another flute. If she is a music major, it is very possible that a Gemeinhardt will not be suitable for what will be expected of her. This is not to criticize the Gemeinhardt, which should be fine for high school. Sadly, Gemeinhardt flutes just are not up to the standards of today's university flute studios.

For now, a C foot should be fine. It is not likely that she will need to play a low much, if at all. I would not waist the money on a footjoint.

[evrmre]

Most likely, if she is a serious player in college she will need another flute. If she is a music major, it is very possible that a Gemeinhardt will not be suitable for what will be expected of her. This is not to criticize the Gemeinhardt, which should be fine for high school. Sadly, Gemeinhardt flutes just are not up to the standards of today's university flute studios.

For now, a C foot should be fine. It is not likely that she will need to play a low much, if at all. I would not waist the money on a footjoint.

I tend to agree with this. I play a Gemeinhardt myself, but I'm not playing in the college environment, and really don't care what is considered 'standard' by the establishment. The low 'B' is a fairly modern addition, and is really only used for certain modern pieces of music. The longer foot can add a slightly different feel to the tone of the instrument, but is otherwise only applicable for those modern pieces I mentioned earlier.

Gemeinhardt is today considered to be less than it once was, as it's manufacturing shifted to china, as well as the materials used are now softer (so I understand), meaning they are more fragile. I personally like the tone of them, but have to admit that I tried a muramatsu EX111REB last week, and found it far superior. Similar marketing bracket to my gemeinhardt, but just much better tone and playability (at least for me). Specifically, I should mention that the low notes are harder to sound on the gemeinhardt (just been serviced) than on the muramatsu. Resistance seems to be higher.

Having said all that, I wouldn't go out shopping just yet, either for a flute or footjoint. Each college teacher has their preferences for what is needed, and what isn't. Wait until you know what is actually wanted before doing anything, and even then don't rush into anything. It shouldn't matter too much waiting a bit, and might give enough time (and money ) to get things exactly right.