Missing key. Help please!

[pjuuldk]

Hi.

I just bought a Miller Browne London, one keyed Bb flute/fife.
Well "one keyed", the key is missing.
I've tryed to search the net, but cannot find any keys.

Do any of you know where to buy a such a key?

And a litle puzzle, I hope that you can help me with.
I gues that a Bb flute with all holes closed is playing Bb.
If the missing key is lifted what then? B?

I hope that any of you can help me.

Happy new year everybody.

Peter Juul

[jemtheflute]

You won't find replacement keys on the internet - not just like that! Nor in even a highly specialised woodwind store.

Miller Browne as a brand still exist - part of Barnes & Mullins, who also make Generation tin whistles ("Flageolets"). They are selling plastic 1-key and 5-key high Pitch Bb band flutes to the band market. (I'm guessing, but I'd bet they're made in Pakistan!) So it is possible that if your flute is of recent production, a woodwind tech at a major music store or a good independent repairer may be able to obtain a key for you, or contacting B&M direct may get somewhere (doubt it, based on past experience!)

If the flute is an older model, you are probably in difficulties. The choices are either to find a sufficiently similar key from a seriously defunct instrument and cannibalise it, with modification if necessary, or to try to get one made from scratch. A woodwind tech may have a box of dead instruments and parts to raid and should be able to adapt anything reasonably similar in design, but getting one made from scratch will be much harder - most techs won't know how or want to do it if they do - too poor a return on the effort involved. As these instruments are readily available new and inexpensively and as you can also find (possibly better quality) old ones quite cheaply, (both under £80, with patience in the case of the older ones), you may well be better off looking to replace it - and you might get one that plays at A=440 too - more useful unless you want to join a High Pitch military band!

[pjuuldk]

Hi Jem.

Thanks for the info on Barnes & Mullins, I was searcing on Miller Browne.
Turns out that Barnes & Mullins allso are selling spareparts (keyes, springs etc.) to there flutes. I've contacted them and are now waiting for reply.

My flute must be an older model, made of Roswood, nice not very loud or shrill tone, fun to play, more difficult to control than my larger D flutes it's got a tendecy to roll in my fingers.

Once again thans for the info.

Peter

[jemtheflute]

Good luck with B&M, Peter - if your flute is an older one, key stock for current models may not fit...... but I hope it does! I suspect B&M won't deal with you directly but will refer you to a store that deals with them. Based on my own past experience with them they will only work through "trade" outlets, but you may be lucky. It's certainly worth a try. If they won't deal with you and you don't have access to a large music shop that will sort this out, I'd suggest contacting Windcraft to see if they can obtain the key for you.

Incidentally, I found out that Miller Browne is a B&M marque by Googling Miller Browne and then reading the info on some of the hits for sales of the current models.

Please let us know here how you get on. Good luck!