sense of balance in holding the instrument may be affected.
Physical Problems
A word about care of the hands. Sadly, we all too frequently hear of musicians whose hands cease working properly for them—they encounter physical problems that create pain and dysfunction. You should know that some of these injured musicians report that the trouble started when they moved to a different or new instrument, therefore giving the muscular system something new to deal with. I broach this fearful subject as a way of cautioning you to begin the one-keyed flute, new to you and to your muscular system, slowly and with care. You will thank yourself later if you take the time in the first several weeks to develop a relaxed physical approach to finger placement.
Since the tone holes of the one-keyed flute are farther apart than on modern flute, the fingers are required to achieve a broader stretch to cover the open holes. Avoid tensing the hands. Think instead of flopping the hand onto the flute and letting the fingers spread in a passive way to reach the holes. Try not to stretch the fingers laterally. Don't feel it necessary to hold the fingers directly over their designated holes when the holes are not in use; allow the hand to relax when the fingers are resting above the flute. Most of all, don't do anything that results in pain.
Left Hand
Lay the flute on the first (index) finger of the left hand so that it rests on the knuckle of the lowest joint. The index finger and the thumb support the flute. The first three fingers of the left hand cover tone holes 1, 2, and 3. The first and second fingers will be curved and the third a bit straighter. The little finger should not rest on the flute.
Right Hand
The right thumb is placed under the fourth tone hole or a little farther down the flute. The thumb should be set in the same place each time to ensure the proper position of the right fingers over their holes.
The first three fingers of the right hand cover tone holes 4, 5, and 6. Let the tips of the fingers of the right hand flop over the flute somewhat in a hand position you would consider incorrect on the modern flute; you will find that you can cover the holes more easily at a point closer to the first joint. One eighteenth-century flutist (Miller, c. 1799, p. 2) recommends covering the holes about an inch from the tip end of the finger, adding, “I never knew a Performer [to] have brilliant execution who covered the holes of the right hand with the tip ends of his fingers.” An inch seems excessive to me, but experiment to see what is right for you.
Keep the little finger of the right hand relaxed and don't rest it on the flute when this finger is not in use. There is no need to keep the little finger extended in a ready-position to depress the key—such a position can only lead to physical problems. Some eighteenth-century flutists have dispensed bad advice regarding the placement of the little finger. Hotteterre (1707, p. 36) says that it should be “placed on the flute between the 6th hole and the molding of the foot.” Corrette (c. 1734, p. 25) claims that the little finger is “well extended so that it will always be ready to press down the key.” My advice is to ignore the advice of Hotteterre and Corrette. Keeping the hand healthy is a top priority.
checklist
Now that the fingers are in place, use this Checklist as a guide to using the fingers properly once they are set into motion.
An Interesting Side Line
Michel Blavet (1700–1768) was one flutist who actually played the flute left handed; that is, he held the flute to the left, using the right hand to cover the holes nearest the embouchure hole. Try this for fun! It was not, however, a recommended style, even in the eighteenth century. Hotteterre (1707, p. 38) writes:
There are others who…hold the flute to the left. I will not absolutely condemn this position of the hands, since you can play as well in this way as in the other, and there would be difficulties in trying to change it. But those who have not yet contracted this bad habit must take care not to fall into it.
ON TONE
And as that Instrument is allowed to be the finest which approaches nearest to the human Voice, the German Flute, from its sweetness and delicacy of Tone, undoubtedly claims a superiority over all others.
Wragg (1792, p. 1)
The tone of the one-keyed flute is quite different from that of the modern Boehm-system flute. We can be guided to an appropriate tone for this instrument (1) by considering the nature of the flute itself, (2) by listening to today's one-keyed flutists, (3) by reading eighteenth-century tutors, and (4) by experimentation.
First consider the nature of the flute itself. The one-keyed flute is designed with a conical bore which is smaller than that of the modern flute. The holes cut for the embouchure and fingers are also smaller. These characteristics are contributing factors to the one-keyed flute's inherently sweeter, quieter, less brilliant sound. Be prepared for these more delicate sounds. One-keyed flutes are made from a variety of materials, which also affect the tone quality. Quantz (1752, p. 50) tells us that a weak tone results from a flute made from porous and light wood, a narrow interior bore, and thin wood; a “thick and masculine” tone requires the opposite features.
Your concept of tone will be rightly influenced by listening to concerts and recordings of today's players of the one-keyed flute. Find good models to imitate, for example, Barthold Kuijken, Wilbert Hazelzet, Stephen Preston, Christopher Krueger, Sandra Miller, Konrad Hünteler, Stephen Schultz, Masahiro Arita, Janet See, and Frans Brüggen. As soon as possible, locate a teacher with whom to study, either privately or by attending master classes.
It is difficult to describe musical sound by way of the written word. However, we can get hints by reading how eighteenth-century flutists described flute tone. Keep in mind that the concept of flute tone undoubtedly differed from player to player and from country to country, even more so than it does today. And concepts changed as time progressed. The quotes that follow are presented in chronological order to give you an idea how the passage of time may have affected the concept of the flutist's tone. The overriding similarity among eighteenth-century sources is that the flute tone should imitate the human voice.
Quantz (1752, p. 50) described the most pleasing tone as one which more nearly resembles a contralto than a soprano and challenged the player to produce “a clear, penetrating, thick, round, masculine, and withal pleasing sound.”
Mahaut, writing in 1759 (p. 5), said “the tone is full, round, and clear.
