Crans on low D

[Gabriel]

Hi,

I guess there where threads like that in the past, but I can't find them for some reason, possibily because the term "D" is too short for the search function.

Is there any trick for cranning the low D? I don't have any problems with cranning a low E, but the D keeps on dying as soon as I cut it. Does it depend on the flute? Getting a solid hard D isn't a problem as well...

Thanks in advance.

Best,
Gabriel

[lixnaw]

I use E/Fs/G and E/FS/E. It takes more practice than rolls but it's a nice change, it sounds great too!
But if your E crans are correct and you can't get a D cran, i'd say the problem is in the flute. Does it make a difference if you play sharp or flat ? Move the tuning slide about a bit.

[sclery]

The problem is not in his flute, Maurice makes very consistent flutes

I wish I could be of more help, I remember struggling with the low D crans, but perseverance soon sorted that out, and they started to come out great. Especially considering Maurice's flutes have a honking great low D..

I'm fairly sure it was only me, and not the flute, since I was a newbie

[Gabriel]

I normally cran with A/G/F#. This works fine with low E and middle D, but not with low D. I tried E/F#/G slowly and it seems to work. Have to practise more though. Any other tips?

Thanks,
G.

[BrendanB]

Hey Gabriel,

One thing you may want to try is to practice crans on the low D really slow. Play each cut slowly and really lift your fingers off the flute. That way, your fingers will get used to it and you have to sustain the low D in between each cut. If you can get a solid low D out of your flute normally, there's no reason you can't get a solid cran on the low D.

My guess is that you are so focused on the ornament when you are playing, that the tone gets muddled. Maybe I'm wrong, but try slowing things down and then building it back up again. That way, you'll end up with that really crisp cran that you are looking for without having to worry about losing the tone.

B

[phcook]

F-E-F
F-E-G
speaking of fingers, not notes
(playing then G-F-G or G-F-A)

[MarcusR]

Gabriel, just use the same fingering for the roll as you would do on your pipes, then just try to keep a steady pressure and well focused air stream through out the roll.

/MarcusR

[pancelticpiper]

It seems to vary from instrument to instrument in my experience. On some flutes and whistles certain cuts tend to make the bottom D break. I've found it to be more of a problem on low whistles than on flutes. On flutes I can play the same crann I do on the uilleann pipes (for me F#-G-A but any other combination is equally acceptable). However on the half-dozen or more makes of low D whistles I've tried, one or more of those cuts destabilises the bottom D and I've had to experiment with alternate cranns, ones I would never use on the flute or pipes, including using an E cut, which traditionally was not done on the pipes due to the fact that the same cranns were played on E as well as D.
But as stated above it comes down to breath control and a focused embouchre in most cases.

[Gabriel]

I found out that any cut on the left hand kills the tone. Crans with A/G/F# work just fine on my lowD (Chieftain OS) and on my pipes, but on the flute this A kills the tone. I guess I'll have to practise on doing right-hand-only crans, they seem to work just fine, at least played slowly. I will try my "usual" cran on my teacher's flute(s) as soon as I see him again to to make sure if it's the flute or my embouchure.