I was looking at flute on Ralph Sweets site,
'
http://www.sweetheartflute.com/antique.html
Its the Nach Meyer flute. Very nice looking, and a good price. I emailed Ralph about it. A friend of mine played a Meyer flute that had a wierd fingering system. Not fingered like a simple system flute or whistle. The holes played notes a whole tone apart, and the keys filled in the rest. Equally hard to play in all keys.
Hopefully that flute on Ralph's site is not laid out the same way.
anton
Nach Meyer flute
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Jayhawk
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Ralph has two very nice looking Nach Meyer flutes (one Ivory head, the other a 1 key I believe) at good prices. I think Ralph fixes these up for selling, so that's an even better deal.
Nach Meyer flutes, in general, use the standard fingingering like any other simple system flute. I'm not sure what your friend had...it almost sounds like some hybrid/transitional system flute. The flutes I've seen on Ralph's page should be normal flutes.
I had a German anonymous flute (some might call it a Nach Meyer flute). Despite the smallish tone holes, it still had pretty good volume with a good embouchure.
Let us know what Ralph tells you...he's a good guy and usually responds within a few days.
Eric
Nach Meyer flutes, in general, use the standard fingingering like any other simple system flute. I'm not sure what your friend had...it almost sounds like some hybrid/transitional system flute. The flutes I've seen on Ralph's page should be normal flutes.
I had a German anonymous flute (some might call it a Nach Meyer flute). Despite the smallish tone holes, it still had pretty good volume with a good embouchure.
Let us know what Ralph tells you...he's a good guy and usually responds within a few days.
Eric
flute
Here is the flute my buddy played
http://www.berkeleymusic.com/Meyerflute.htm
I'll let you guys know what Ralph says.
anton
http://www.berkeleymusic.com/Meyerflute.htm
I'll let you guys know what Ralph says.
anton
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monkey587
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I'm the one who played the "meyer system flute" at the store in Berkeley. It had a lovely tone, but the open hole notes played a really weird scale. I didn't fully evaluate it, but I thikn it was the wholetone scale. At least, the hole I expected to play a G played a G#, and I'm pretty sure the A hole played A#. It'd be a real pain for irish music.
I haven't been able to find info on this key system on the web. the guy at the store said basically it's a great sounding flute but pretty useless to anyone other than someone wanting to "authentically" play german music from that period.
No thanks...
I haven't been able to find info on this key system on the web. the guy at the store said basically it's a great sounding flute but pretty useless to anyone other than someone wanting to "authentically" play german music from that period.
No thanks...
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Jayhawk
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It sounds like it was in was in high pitch (A=445 or so - I can't recall how high continental pitch went at one time or another) or perhpas it was an Eb flute (how long was it?). It's definitely not some weird German scale or anything - the flute in the picture is a standard simple system keyed flute (played just like any keyless flute today).
Ralph should be able to tell you if it's at A=440 (always a worry with older flutes) and if the intonation is good. I recall seeing flutes on Ralph's page where he commented "good for ITM" or "improved intonation on a few notes". I'm sure he'll let you know all about the flute.
Looking at the flute on the website again, I'm not sure the foot of the flute really belongs on that body...that thick band doesn't look like it matches the upper bands - it might be that someone stuck two flutes together which would kill the scale making it more of a Frankenflute instead of a Nach Meyer.
Eric
Ralph should be able to tell you if it's at A=440 (always a worry with older flutes) and if the intonation is good. I recall seeing flutes on Ralph's page where he commented "good for ITM" or "improved intonation on a few notes". I'm sure he'll let you know all about the flute.
Looking at the flute on the website again, I'm not sure the foot of the flute really belongs on that body...that thick band doesn't look like it matches the upper bands - it might be that someone stuck two flutes together which would kill the scale making it more of a Frankenflute instead of a Nach Meyer.
Eric
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monkey587
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Playing up the scale using just the holes produced D, E, F#, G#, A#, B. It was definitely not just simple system.Jayhawk wrote:It sounds like it was in was in high pitch (A=445 or so - I can't recall how high continental pitch went at one time or another) or perhpas it was an Eb flute (how long was it?). It's definitely not some weird German scale or anything - the flute in the picture is a standard simple system keyed flute (played just like any keyless flute today).
The foot joint had C# and C keys, which worked just fine. It was a later add-on, but the rest was original.
It's not a "Nach Meyer" flute, it is a no name "Meyer System" flute. From a transitional period, as you suggested.
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Kevin L. Rietmann
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Maybe whoever made it didn't know what they were doing at all?
I've heard of German flutes with bad tuning, indeed I've an anonymous piccolo with funky tuning. Rick Wilson describes a "third flute" on his site, the example is by New York maker Geo. Cloos. This is a flute with a fingered Fnat instead of Fsharp. I believe he said these were usually short flutes, giving an F with all fingers down.
I've Nach Meyer 13 key flute, and six key fife and piccolo, and the fife and flute are pretty good players, the piccolo not so hot. I've read that there were possibly several Nach Meyer firms in operation, though. My flute is very well made, the fife not quite so, and the stamps are different in shape as well.
Interesting, the idea of a whole tone flute. Good for Debussy!
I've heard of German flutes with bad tuning, indeed I've an anonymous piccolo with funky tuning. Rick Wilson describes a "third flute" on his site, the example is by New York maker Geo. Cloos. This is a flute with a fingered Fnat instead of Fsharp. I believe he said these were usually short flutes, giving an F with all fingers down.
I've Nach Meyer 13 key flute, and six key fife and piccolo, and the fife and flute are pretty good players, the piccolo not so hot. I've read that there were possibly several Nach Meyer firms in operation, though. My flute is very well made, the fife not quite so, and the stamps are different in shape as well.
Interesting, the idea of a whole tone flute. Good for Debussy!
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Matt_Paris
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The flute on the picture is a simple system, Eric is right. How would it be possible to produce a G natural, instead? If it really produces this scale, it's just a bad flute.Playing up the scale using just the holes produced D, E, F#, G#, A#, B. It was definitely not just simple system.
It could also be a composite of several instruments: the rings don't seem to match.
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monkey587
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Possible. There was a key for G natural. I don't remember the others. I had already determined it was useless at that point so I didn't spend too long figuring it out...Matt_Paris wrote:The flute on the picture is a simple system, Eric is right. How would it be possible to produce a G natural, instead? If it really produces this scale, it's just a bad flute.Playing up the scale using just the holes produced D, E, F#, G#, A#, B. It was definitely not just simple system.
It could also be a composite of several instruments: the rings don't seem to match.
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Jayhawk
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Matt - Thanks for chiming in! I agree entirely. The key for G# on this flute would raise the note to A...and the F# key would lower the note to Fnat - so you have no way on this earth of playing an actual G. There was never a funky german musical period/style without the note of G.
Maybe someone messed with the tone hole size in the past and it's just a poorly tweaked instrument, but I agree it's made from multiple flute parts and that foot MUST be messing with the tuning of the instrument (maybe even the upper hand section is from a different instrument).
Eric
Maybe someone messed with the tone hole size in the past and it's just a poorly tweaked instrument, but I agree it's made from multiple flute parts and that foot MUST be messing with the tuning of the instrument (maybe even the upper hand section is from a different instrument).
Eric