MusicyTechGeek

Today, I’m going to be talking about two different types of flutes. The Kingma System Flute, and the Grenaditte Flute.  With advances in flute materials, and advances in the mechanical system, it has opened up a new world in terms of what is available to flute players today.  Not only do flute players have the option of having a hand made instrument made for them from companies like Powell, Burkart, Muramatsu, Haynes, and more, but they they have the ability to choose a more modern flute that isn’t considered a ‘standard’ in the flute world.

The first flute that I’ll be talking about is the Kingma System Flute.  This flute has additional keys added to it so that it can easily play quarter-tones (aka, microtones) that are very popular in modern music.  The addition of these keys not only allows for quarter-tones, but also different overtones that allow new chords to be produced on this flute.  Flute players can also use these different fingerings and keys to make sure that they are in tune in ensemble music.  Flute players have a wide variety of tone colors available from this flute, and hopefully at some point, I will have the opportunity to play one to test out.

A picture of the Kigma System flute system with added keys

The Keys added to the flute are the following:

C up, G up, F# up, D up, B up, Bb up, C up, and C# up.   These keys open up the ‘middle’ of the keys that are normally closed when a note is being played, creating the microtone.  Not only are these easier to finger with the extra keys, but they closer to being in tune, and they are not awkward fingerings.  You can order them directly from Eva Kingma or you can order them in America from Brannen Flutes.  Robert Dick plays exclusively on these instruments, and is well known for creating powerful music that uses the instrument to it’s full potential.

The next flute I will be talking about is the Grenaditte flute, which is made my Guo Musical Instruments based out of France.  What makes this flute special is the fact that it is made completely out of a composite material that is unaffected by weather like common concert flute.

Grenaditte Flute made by Guo in France

What makes this flute special is the fact that it is made from a composite that has acoustical properties in between a wood flute and a silver flute.   It isn’t a tradition bohem system flute, it actually had a custom key spacing, an extended Bb key, and a redesigned ’cock’ in the head joint that allows for more tonal colors not available in a regular flute.  Also, because of the fact that it is easily machine reproducible, the cost of the instrument is minimal of a hand made silver instrument.  You can buy this instrument for around $2500 *USD* where a hand made silver flute would range from $4,000-$36,000 (depending on maker, model, and options). The only USA seller of these instruments that I know of is: Flute Specialists, based out of Michigan. This is an option that either most flute players don’t know about, or they are unsure of the experience they would have with the new material. However, as more people hear about it, they may consider it as a primary instrument due to the equal temperament due to the custom system, or as a secondary instrument due to it’s ability to not get destroyed by humidity for outside performances.  Guo also makes Grenaditte head joints, and a “G Flute” which is basically an Alto Piccolo.

Here are two videos of the flute being demonstrated:

Thank you for reading my first blog post.  As I find more flute related advancements, I will share them! My next topic will be: Modern music composition software and choices for modern composers.

-Kyle

UPDATE: I will be posting a new blog post with a more compressive list of what advances are being made on the flute.  This will include everything from crowns, lip plates, other key systems, and materials.  I may finish this up before I start my composition related posting.  Thank you for reading! *Updated on 5/25/09*