All about the Headjoint Cork

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flute intonation, flute maintenance, flute pedagogy

Recently, one of my private students reported that their band director had told all the flutes in band that you could adjust the cork placement for tuning purposes, rather like a tuning slide on a brass instrument. I would like to know where this idea originated in music education literature and pedagogy. It can be said with certainty that flute makers and professional flute teachers kindly wish that the cork assembly be put in the proper position and then left alone. Tell the kiddies to keep their hands off the crown. If the crown is loose, it should be gently snugged down and left alone. Why? Because the flute will play in tune at the pitch it was designed for, i.e. A=440 or A=442 (most flutes today at every price point are designed to play at A=442).

Piccolo and flute cleaning rods with cork measurement lines

• What is the ideal placement of the cork assembly in the headjoint? 17 mm (I have a cleaning rod that says 17.3 mm, but I honestly don’t know how you could place it with that kind of precision without a special caliper) and for piccolo, it’s 8 mm. Basically, the line on the cleaning rod should be dead center of the blow hole.
• What happens if you move it away from the ideal 17mm placement? If the cork assembly is too close to the crown, the high notes will be more flat and the low notes will be more sharp. The more you move it, the more out of tune the scale becomes. Conversely, if the cork assembly is too close to the blow hole, the high notes will be more sharp and the low notes will be more flat. (This was precisely the problem with the pre-Cooper/Bennett scale flutes. The headjoint was too short for the body, which was tuned to A=435. The intonation was horrendous). See Tuning Tendencies of the Flute
• The flute already has a “tuning slide”, otherwise known as a headjoint tenon or receiver (in flutemaker parlance). The flute is designed to play at it’s manufactured scale with the headjoint pulled out 5-6 mm or ~1/4 inch. If the student is having to pull out much more than that to play in tune, or can’t push in far enough to get up to pitch, the issue is with how the flute is resting on the lip and the angle of blowing. See Troubleshooting Tone and Pitch Issues

Now, about the cork itself. Cork is the bark of a special kind of oak tree that grows in Portugal. It has been used to seal small openings, like wine bottles and other stoppers for centuries. When compressed, it expands to create a tight seal, hence it’s use in flute headjoints and for wind instrument tenons. It is often additionally sealed into place with paraffin wax. As a cork ages in a flute, it can shrink because it loses it’s natural moisture or develop mold if the flute headjoint isn’t swabbed out sufficiently. If the cork shrinks, it can start moving up toward the crown. The student progressively tightens the crown (because it is loose) and moves the cork up to the top of the flute (which compresses the cork further and negatively impacts the intonation as described above). At this point, or if the cork is moldy, it should be replaced. Some repair people recommend replacing a cork every couple of years as a matter of course. They are cheap and take only few minutes to replace.

Finally, it can be well worth it to experiment with replacements for cork stoppers. Personally, I stopped using cork in my headjoint 5-6 years ago now. I use the Celestine Rexonator in most of my instruments, including piccolo and alto flute. It’s made of solid brass and fits over the stem assembly. It seals in with a small plumbing gasket. It’s very easy to install. It adds a world of resonance and response to the flute, improves the quality of articulation and also changes the balance of the flute in one’s hands slightly because it weighs an extra ounce or so. There are a couple other companies out there that are now offering similar devices. Also, there are stoppers made of Delrin plastic or that just leave the cavity above the assembly plate open. They all make sense in that cork is an acoustic dampener. Taking out the cork and using a more resonant material has a measurable effect on the sonic signature of the flute.

As always, if you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances, click here. Dr. Cate’s Flute Tips will be available soon in book form. Manuscript is done and editing is underway. Stay tuned for updates about pre-ordering through Amazon soon.

Solutions for Common Third Octave Problems

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embouchure, flute balance, flute embouchure, flute fingering, flute intonation, flute pedagogy, flute students, flute technique

The third octave on the flute is an interesting phenomenon because of the embouchure issues it presents and because of the technical and acoustic properties of the instrument. It is definitely not as straight forward as the lower two octaves in terms of the mechanics of the flute. The reason for all the cross fingerings and venting in the third octave is because each note is combining the harmonics of two lower pitches to reinforce the sound of each note. One of the easiest to conceptualize is the fingering for high E: T12|12(Eb) It is combining the overtone series of both E and A. In fact, if the air speed is insufficient, an out of tune A will sound below the intended pitch with this fingering. You can get to the high E by playing harmonics on either E or A. For E it will be the 4th partial and for A it will be the 3rd partial. The two combined make the standard fingering for third octave E (among flutists it is generally agreed that the E is better in tune without the Eb key).

Be sure your flute students know the third octave fingerings. It isn’t enough for them to just overblow a 1st/2nd octave fingering. They will be playing harmonics rather than the correct third octave fingering. The real fingerings will always sound more solid and will be easier to play in tune. Give them a way to practice these fingerings and test them on the practicing you assign. The kids need concrete ways to build their facility in the third octave.  Here is one way to practice third octave technique.

Then there are the common embouchure issues you see with kids. It is common for students to struggle with buzzing rather than playing the desired pitch in the third octave. What causes the buzzing? Their lips are stretched laterally, from corner to corner. If your kids are pulling their corners, there is a really high probability that they will buzz in the third octave. Have them pay more attention to how they are shaping the aperture in the middle of their lips (like how your lips are shaped to blow a kiss or to drink through a straw), and forget about the corners. Remember to blow!

Another common problem is trying to control the third octave by flattening the aperture, rolling the flute in and pinching. Usually what goes with this is insufficient blowing. Oh no! High notes! Cue the Psycho shower scene music! The results are going to be really sharp and likely unsuccessful beyond high E or F. They will be lucky to get to a G. You have to help unwind them. Flute lower on the chin, roll the flute out a bit, relax the corners, shape the aperture (think of saying “W”) and blow more. Make sure the flute is aligned properly, check hand positions and balance. It seems paradoxical that rolling the flute away from you a little bit would improve the response and intonation of the high notes, but it works like magic. Check out this device (Flute Tutor) that can help enforce this positioning with your students.

If you find these entries useful, please subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment. If you have a topic you would like to see explored more fully, you can contact me via IM/Messenger on Facebook or email me at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics, workshops and performances,  click here.

Gadgets and Gizmos

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accessories, flute balance, flute fingering, flute technique

Sometimes flute players can use a little help when it comes to balancing the flute in their hands. This can be to assist young players in developing efficient hand positions or for comfort. One of the easiest and cheapest things you can use is a foam pencil grip cut lengthwise.

You can put it underneath the C key as a left hand cushion or you can cut it in half and put it under the F key as a right hand thumb guide. Because the grip is round, it will stay on the flute really well. However, it can fall off. You could use a little bit of a removable adhesive to make it stick to the flute, while making it easy to take off if necessary.

  

There are also several adaptive devices that are affordable and readily available. For the left hand is the Bo Pep finger saddle. It provides a little more thickness to the body of the flute and a very secure depression that the inside of the index finger rests in. Here is what it looks like on the flute:

If it is properly placed, it won’t interfere with the C key. It’s also really comfortable.

For the right hand thumb there are a couple different devices available. Which one you choose depends on the size and shape of the thumb. If the player has a short to medium size thumb that is nearly straight, I like the Thumbport. It is designed to rest against the ribbing underneath the F key, between the kickers. It provides a little shelf that the thumb goes underneath that helps with balance. It frees up the fingers from holding the flute so they can move more freely.  If you have a very long thumb or one that hyperextends at the first joint, the Thumbport won’t work so well for you.

 

Bo Pep also makes a thumb rest for the right hand that goes directly under the F key. This device can be used by almost anyone, but is especially good for people who have long and/or hyperextending thumbs. It gives a flat and stable platform from which to balance the flute.

We have looked at the pros for these devices. There are a few cons to consider.

• The Thumbport seems to only work well for people with medium to short and/or straight thumbs. Not a good choice for long and/or hyperextending thumbs.
• The BoPep products are made of a hard plastic which can scratch a flute.
• The foam pencil grips can slide even though they do stay in place really well. This is a minor issue for an advanced player but it might be helpful to use a removable adhesive to attach it to kids’ flutes.

Also, I really don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution for balancing the flute correctly. These devices can be helpful, but they are by no means necessary in most cases. And providing one device exclusively over others for your students can cause more hand position problems than you ultimately solve for them. Check out the previous posts on balance and hand position, It’s All About Balance and Flute Balance and the Right Hand.

If you find these entries helpful, subscribe, share with your colleagues and come back regularly for more flute tips. Feel free to comment and ask questions. What do you want to know about flute pedagogy? Maybe the answer to your question will be the next flute tip. Find me on Facebook or email me your questions at dr_cate@sbcglobal.net. For information about clinics and workshops click here.