How far do you pull out on the head joint, when the tuner says you're in tune or what? I've always wondered this because I usually play with the head joint pushed all the way in.
Also, is it best to align the embouchure hole with the center of the first key on the middle joint, or to roll the head joint inwards or outwards?
Thanks
Head Joint
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fluteguy18
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Okay, here is the deal. when you look at the tuner and it says you are sharp (needle is pointing to the right), pull the headjoint out. If it says you are flat (needle points to the left) push the headjoint in.
This adjustment will change everyday, but not by much (unless the weather really changed, or you are outside). Normally the headjoint should be pulled out just a little bit (they are designed that way so you have a little tuning leeway).
If you are just starting the flute, it is best to start by aligning the embouchure hole with the first key of the body joint. Then, over time you will find your "sweet spot", and that is where you should keep it until a teacher finds a better spot (for various tone reasons and projection purposes) for you. Most people tend to roll in when they should actually change thier embouchure so the headjoint is rolled out.
My professor had me roll my headjoint in saying that I had it rolled too far out (this change was for sound quality purposes and response in the lower register).
So, start out with it lined up, and then over time (weeks), find your sweet spot.
This adjustment will change everyday, but not by much (unless the weather really changed, or you are outside). Normally the headjoint should be pulled out just a little bit (they are designed that way so you have a little tuning leeway).
If you are just starting the flute, it is best to start by aligning the embouchure hole with the first key of the body joint. Then, over time you will find your "sweet spot", and that is where you should keep it until a teacher finds a better spot (for various tone reasons and projection purposes) for you. Most people tend to roll in when they should actually change thier embouchure so the headjoint is rolled out.
My professor had me roll my headjoint in saying that I had it rolled too far out (this change was for sound quality purposes and response in the lower register).
So, start out with it lined up, and then over time (weeks), find your sweet spot.
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flutepicc06
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There are no definite rules for these things, however, the headjoint is meant to be pulled out slightly (usually somewhere around 2-5 mm). The makers produce heads that are just slightly longer than they have to be so that you can compensate for pitch in both directions (if you're sharp, you can pull out, and if you're flat, you have the option of pushing in). However, if you don't have a problem tuning with the head all the way in, then there's no reason to move it. As for the embouchure hole in the center of the keys bit, teachers often use this as a starting place for students so that they put the flute together with consistency in the alignment...It's kind of a landmark to make it easier. For some people, they will play with the embouchure hole there, for others it will be rolled in or out. To figure out what's best for you, play the head, rolling in and out a little bit until you find the spot with the best tone, easiest intonation, etc., regardless of where that may put the body. Then, preserving the angle of the head, adjust the body so that it's in a comfortable position for your hands. You have to think of the head and the body of two separate units that can move independently of one another for this to make sense. Hope that helps!
Last edited by flutepicc06 on Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sherbert789
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flutepicc06
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Clear nail polish (Being a guy, I don't have a lot of experience with nail polish, so there may be another name for it) is a good way to go too. That way you don't have to worry about appearances, but it's still visible close up.sherbert789 wrote:Once you find your alignment spot with the headjoint and the body, a *tiny* dot of nailpolish on both the headjoint and the barrel of your flute can be a big help for putting your flute together. Just don't put it in a place where the audience can see it!
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flutepicc06
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Definitely a good question. The nail polish is pretty easily removed by a little bit of acetone, as I understand it, at which point you can apply new nail polish to mark the new sweet spot. You could even use different colors if you didn't want to go to the trouble of taking the old polish off. Personally, I;ve never used the ol' nail polish trick. I use the various engravings on the flute and know just about how they need to be aligned, and then fine tune it by playing. Over time, you learn to feel when the headjoint's in the right spot.
I prefer your approach over the nail polish, because I think that the sweet spot is dynamic and that you shouldn't get overly precise about it because it'll never be perfect for all situations. Not only that, I don't want to go get nail polish and put it on my flute, not that I'm lazy or anything...
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flutepicc06
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Well the "sweet spot" will change slightly from day to day, but it's not going to make a sudden jump, so the nail polish thing can work, but it's by no means the only way, and I completely understand not wanting to put nail polish on your flute. It won't do any harm, but not everyone's comfortable with it.
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sherbert789
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making a mark
I use a magic marker- it is easily removed if you want by rubbing so it is not like nail polish and it seems to last for a number of weeks before needing to be re-applied.