This week, we are happy to feature one of Indy’s finest: Straubinger Flute Company, maker of fine flutes and world-renowned Straubinger pads. David Straubinger and his son, Joel, are the makers of very fine, handmade instruments, which are only available for purchase directly through the company. In addition, their pads are known and used worldwide in the finest handmade and semi-professional flutes in the world. Their design is often imitated, but never equaled. The Straubinger pad consists of different materials and components than a traditional pad. The patented pad and washer are machined to close tolerances, one at a time, on a high precision lathe, which churns out thousands of pads per day and tested for accuracy. Within the pad cup, a stabilizer and a washer unit serve to ensure that the pad closes at precisely the same measurement each time. There is also a support cushion to prevent shrinking of the pad covered by two skin layers to help protect the cushion and seal out moisture from the body of the pad. Of the instruments that are currently available at the Indy Flute Shop, the Miyazawa is currently the only brand to feature the original Straubinger pads. The Yamaha

Every month or so, I will be highlighting a brand of flute and/or piccolo that we carry here in the Indy Flute Shop. First up is Altus and its sister step-up flute, the Azumi! The Altus flute company was started by master flute maker Shuichi Tanaka. He began collaborating with William Bennett in the late 1970s, using Bennett’s influence and knowledge of the finest vintage flutes and Mr. Tanaka’s experience with both flute playing and making. The first Altus flute was built in 1981. Altus flutes today are known for their wonderful intonation and scale, which is called the Altus-Bennett scale. It was carefully designed to provide effortless intonation, finely tuned harmonics, and exceptionally balanced registers. Many flutes, even at the professional level, have noticeable tendencies, such as going sharp in the extreme high register. The care and attention that the Altus-Bennett scale gives makes this much improved. In the mid-1980s, Altus started designing a step-up flute, using the same attention to detail and high-quality workmanship to create an affordable and durable instrument for serious students. The resulting flute is called the Azumi, named for the city of Azumino, where Altus flutes are built. Azumi flutes have amazing features such

This week, the IFS blog is all about headjoints! Surprisingly enough, this part of the instrument is often responsible for the biggest sound improvement when upgrading to an intermediate or higher level instrument. Extra keys and gadgets are certainly important as well, but the headjoint is what really makes the sound sparkle and a flute really sound like “yours.” On student level flutes, headjoints are often machine cut and shaped using a generic format and lip plate shape. These factors are decided for the greatest ease of basic sound for the beginning player. Step-up flutes, on the other hand, come with a headjoint that is hand-finished and uses a more sophisticated formula for optimal flute sound for the advancing player. A process called “overcutting” and “undercutting” is often used to create angles in the instrument off of which sound can resonate, and the subtle contours of the instrument are much smoother. Just like with other aspects of intermediate-level flutes, the cost is determined both by the quality of materials used and the number of hours that go into making the instrument. All flutes in the Indy Flute Shop come with a headjoint that is solid silver, and they have all