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Bamboo Headjoints for Alto Flutes

I love the sound of the alto flute in G. It is particularly suited for chamber music and jazz. Boehm & Mendler made an alto flute with a wood headjoint. It is pictured in "The Flute And Flute-Paying" by Theobald Boehm, translated by Dayton C. Miller.

I find the bamboo alto headjoints help mellowing the sound of modern instruments which tend to be too bright. The bamboo also improves the second octave and makes the sound less "windy" and more focused.

I have experiemented with varying the thickness of the bamboo. It seems that the thicker the bamboo, the mellower the sound. The thickness does not affect the responsiveness of the alto flute. Next, I will experiment with drastically changing the shape of the headjoint. Gourd shape comes to mind.

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For more information please call (978) 461-0705 or e-mail david@sideblown.com

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