Four-Piece Flutes

I am now able to offer the larger flutes in a more-adjustable four-piece model in the keys of low D, C, B, and low Bb. As you can see from the photo below, the four-piece flutes have a joint between the 5th and 6th finger hole as well as the joint between the hands. Naturally, one can ask if that extra joint between the hands is really necessary, and I can offer my rationale for the extra joint.

People usually purchase a flute for themselves or for someone they know. If they plan to play with piper's grip, they may select a flute with inline finger holes. However, one quick look at an online flute forum, and you will see that flutes often find their way into the hands of multiple owners who may have different needs than the original purchaser. Thus, it is a good thing for the flute to be as adjustable as possible. Having a joint between the 5th and 6th finger holes makes it possible to adjust the holes inline for right hand piper's grip or to offset the 6th hole for a more classical grip.

Also, for the largest flutes there is the option of covering the 6th hole with the right ring finger or with the pinky. Being able to rotate the 6th hole to any offset position is very helpful, for the offset that you might want for R3 is not the same offset that you might like for the pinky.

Lastly, with a four-piece flute it is possible to construct a flute with an offset 6th hole that can be played either left or right-handed. On the standard headjoint without a lip plate I can cut a universal embouchure that can be played equally well either left or right handed. You merely need to rotate the joint and change the position of the offset 6th hole when you want to hand the flute to another player who plays opposite the way you do.

The photo shows a four-piece low D flute. To also show different options that are available, two headjoints and two endjoints (short foot and long foot) are pictured. The standard headjoint without the lip plate has the circular 9.5 mm diameter embouchure hole. The headjoint with the lip plate has the two semicircles 9.5 x 11 mm diameter embouchure hole. I discuss these options on separate pages: "FAQ", "Flute Embouchure", "Optional Lip Plate Headjoint", and "Sorting Out the Options". You can click on the photo to enlarge the image.