Good morning! Tomorrow I am embarking on a very exciting trip to Washington, D.C. for the annual National Flute Association convention! Last year’s convention was my first time attending, and I am SO excited to see what this year brings! Be sure to check the IFS Facebook page for pictures and updates! In the meantime, I wanted to talk about a professional-level feature that is a mystery to many players: soldered tone holes. To begin, the term “tone hole” refers to the holes in the tube of the instrument, upon which the keys sit when they are installed on the flute. Soldered tone holes, in the simplest sense, are usually included only on high-end instruments for one main reason: they add many hands-on hours to the instrument. Standard student up to semi-professional flutes use drawn tone holes, which involves a machine punching out holes upon which the keys will seal down the tube of the instrument. A steel ball is then drawn through the tube of the instrument, pulling it up and out to create the hole. These machines are very precise, especially on higher end instruments, so they are acceptable for the majority of players. Flutists who demand a

Boy, it seems like summer is getting shorter and shorter, doesn’t it? Here at Paige’s Music and the Indy Flute Shop, we are in full swing with back-to-school time, preparing students for beginning or continuing band. It’s such an exciting time for everyone! This week, I wanted to take some time to explain the purpose of an open-holed flute and the function of the plugs that come with the instrument. Most beginning level flutes are closed-hole, or plateau keyed, instruments. I’ve written about this before, but the basic premise is that all the student has to do to seal the key is to depress it down, no matter where the finger is placed. Some beginning-level instruments, however, do come with open-holed keys, which makes for a unique learning experience for the beginning student. These keys do tend to cultivate better hand position from the beginning, since the student has to pay more attention to where the fingers are placed, but it can still be a challenge, especially for those with small hands. This is where plugs can be quite helpful. All beginning open-holed flutes should come with a set of plugs, which are usually a silicone material. These plugs fit

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