extra holes (another beginner question)

Spot Beagle · Post by **Spot Beagle** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 1:36 am

<font color=purple><i>This may sound a bit silly, but the answer doesn't seem to be anywhere. Tape could be used, but that leaves such a sticky mess on pretty wood work. Corks are really hard to find around here, try impossible.

oh, the question;
Does any one know what the two big holes way down at the bottom of a d flute do. They're to far down to play, but they must have a purpose, because so many pictures have them. Maybe at Christmas time we could put mistletoe in them.

thanks for the answer.
jeff

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Spot Beagle on 2001-10-10 03:37 ]</font>

nickb · Post by **nickb** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 4:25 am

On old flutes those two holes would have had keys, to enable the playing of low C and lowC#. When Irish flute players took to the flute, they often removed the keys because they never used them, since they just played the flute like a low D whistle. For some reason modern keyless flute makers like to make their flutes with what is really a low C foot joint, without the keys. Perhaps they like the way they look?

DrGiggles · Post by **DrGiggles** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 8:18 am

The longer foot with the two holes aren't meant to be covered up except on a modern concert flute. The supposed reason for the longer foot and the two tone holes is because it makes the lower notes more solid and clearer.

I can't speak for Irish simple-system flutes, but on modern flutes, a B-foot (the longer foot) does seem to have a more solid lower octave than a C-foot.

Spot Beagle · Post by **Spot Beagle** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 7:24 pm

On 2001-10-10 10:18, DrGiggles wrote:
The longer foot with the two holes aren't meant to be covered up except on a modern concert flute.

thank you, I'll stop hunting for corks then.

RudallRose · Post by **RudallRose** » Wed Oct 10, 2001 10:53 pm

don't cork them!
they're venting holes to ensure the bottom register, particularly the low D, is in pitch.
talk about plugging holes in a flute, my favorite (or not) story is how Seamus Tansey took his antique Rudall&Rose (he calls it a Ruddle), removed all the keys, filed down all the block mounts and plugged the holes. Seems they were getting in his way.
Eeeek!
Now, seeing as he "ruined" a Rudall in some people's eyes, I wonder if it's still a collectible simply because it was Seamus Tansey's Rudall! Now there's a switch!