MusicyTechGeek

First, we are going to start with head joint. The head joint is the first part of the flute that flute players tend to upgrade. You can upgrade the head joint of your flute only and it can drastically change the sound that you are able to get from your flute. Although the rest of the flute does matter and change the tone and sound of the flute, nothing changes it nearly as much as a change to a head joint. The parts that we are going to discuss in this post are the following:

1. Head Joint Materials
2. Crowns/Corks
3. Risers
4. Lip Plates/Engraving
5. Embouchure Hole Cutting
6. Maker Logo
7. Uncommon Head Joints
8. Things to Consider When Buying a Head Joint.
9. Links to head joint makers
   

1. Head Joint Materials -

Flute head joints can be made from the following:

• Nickel -
  Nickel head joints are common on student flutes. Often they are on flutes that are cheap to produce. Students have to be careful about flutes with Nickel head joints because Nickel allergic reactions seem to be fairly common within the flute community. They tend to have the weakest response time, and the tone produced is often very ‘fuzzy’ and unclear. This all depends on the player, but I can’t say that I have ever had a positive experience with nickel head joints over the years of playing. Choose if funds are limited, or if you get given a flute with a nickel head joint, I suggest moving up to a silver plated head joint, or even better a silver head joint.
• Silver plated Nickel -
  Silver plated nickel is a step up from nickel, but because the sound still resonates primarily from the base metal, it will still have many of the acoustical properties of a regular nickel head joint. The biggest improvement is that if you have an allergy it will reduce reaction, at least until the plating starts to ware, which is common on cheaply made flutes.
• Silver (Various silver levels) – (Picture 1a)
  Silver heads tend to have a very clear and bright sound. Before professional level flutes became a common thing for flute players to own once they reach a certain playing level (which now-a-days, is college or before), they were only found on the best instruments. Now, you can get a solid silver head for rather cheap ($1,000+) and you can attach it to a lower level body and greatly improve your sound. These are standard now on intermediate flutes, and professional flutes.
• Gold plated Silver -
  This is something that was recently developed by hand made flute makers, and it is starting to ripple down into cheaper instruments. When hand made, they tend to be very high quality, and can have a very similar sound to silver heads, but it is often a little more responsive and has a slightly ‘warmer/softer’ sound. One of the reasons this has become very popular is because of the beautiful aesthetic of the gold.
• Gold (Various Karats) – (See picture 1b)
  Gold is known for being warm, and clean. It can range from karat level, but overall gold flute head joints are warm. They are the only metal head joint that are often compared to wood head joints because of the sound that you can get out of them. That said, some players prefer the sound and feel of a silver head joint. Hand made gold head joints tend to range from $3,000-$9,000 depending on maker and options.
• Platinum -
  Platinum is known primarily for it’s dynamics range and projection. It is not known for being a subtle metal, and because it is so expensive they are rare to see on a flute.
• Wood (Various) – (See picture 1c)
  Wood head joints are primarily used in baroque music. They are very harder to produce a clear tone with, but some people prefer to sound of a wood head joint over anything else. Many flute players are starting to have a wood and a metal head joint and use the wood head joint for chamber music or baroque music and then use the metal head joint for other performance venues. Wood head joints tend to start around $1000.
• Glass (uncommon)
  See Part 7.
• Composites
  See Part 7.
• Vertical
  See Part 7.
• “Other”
  There are always new flute head joints being made by makers who are trying to change the flute. It isn’t possible for me to know all of them, so if you find something that I did not mention, please let me know and I will add it!! For the ones that I found, please refer to part 7!

2. Crowns/Corks -
The crown is often made of the same material that the head joint is made of, however some players decide to buy crowns that have stones in them, and they are used as a piece of decoration. The cork that connects to the crown is often unchanged. However, there have been cork ‘alternatives’ made that don’t warp over time like corks do. Here are a few pictures of decorative crowns:
Here are three crowns that are made made for decoration:

3. Risers -
The riser is an upgrade that isn’t able to be seen from looking at the flute. Risers are typically made out of the same material that the flute head joint is made out of, and with hand made head joints you are able to have it be a different material . The riser is the piece that holds the lip plate to the flute. The acoustical properties of the riser is typically the same as the way the metals are listed for the head joint options. A lot of players mix and match, and will sometimes have gold head joints with a platinum riser, or a silver head joint with a gold riser. It all depends on the player and what they like more.

4. Lip plates / Engraving -
The lip plate can, like the rest of the head joint, be made from the same materials that the head joint is made out of. Some head joints have ‘winged’ tips around the hole and drillinger head joints are often made with special modifications to the lip plate. Engraving is done often as a symbol of beauty but on a technical level it helps reduce the lip from sliding when the flute is lubricated from playing.
(post some pics)

5. Embouchure Hole Cutting -
The way that the embouchure hole is cut changes the sound of the head joint dramatically. Each hand made flute maker has it’s own different standards and options for the cutting and this is where trying different types of head joints can really benefit you. They can give you vague descriptions of their perception of what the embouchure cutting will do for the sound, but until you play it and see how it personally responds to your personal type of playing you can never know for sure. Play as many flute head joints with different cuts as you can, and if you are comfortable with it and it responds the best to your playing, that should help determine the head joint and style you want.

6. Maker/Brand Logo -
The maker or brand of head joint is always stamped or engraved on the head joint towards the side of the barrel. This is where information such as serial number and material are often engraved.

7. Uncommon Head Joints:

Glass head joints – Although uncommon, they are made from crystal glass. I have no idea what the acoustical properties of it are.

Composite Head Joints – Head joints made out of ‘plastic’ materials, are often considered composite head joints. The sound can vary greatly depending on quality and composite materials. Because they are made from materials that can easily be mass produced, they tend to be cheaper than metal head joints.

Upright Head joints – Uprights are used often to prevent fatigue and allow the flute to be a little more natural feeling when playing. Many people consider an upright head joint when they have some medical issues that need to relieve finger and/or body tension. They are hand made to order, and because of that they tend to cost a lot.  The pictured head joint is made by Maarten Visser, and can by found at FluteLab.

Robert Dick Glissando Head joint – This is considered an experimental head joint. It is only made by Brannen flutes, and sales are done directly through Robert Dick. They cost around $2,000 each and are hand made and fitted to your flute. The Glissando head joint allows you to made the note ‘slide’ like a trombone…You can head Robert Dick play it on his site!

Picture 1a) Silver Flute Head joint

Picture 1b) Gold Flute Head Joint

Picture 1c) Wood Flute Head Joint

8. Things to consider when buying a head joint:

• When testing a head joint, make sure that your flute is in good working order and that there are no pad leaks and that there are no mechanical issues with the flute. These issues can get in the way of finding your perfect head joint.
• When you are testing head joints, make sure that you are in an isolated room and completely able to hear yourself and the differences when playing.
• Test the head joint by testing and playing in all dynamic ranges.
• Play in each register to see how it responds to low, middle, and high ranges. Make sure to test the dynamics in each range too.
• Close your eyes and try to hear as pure as a tone as you can and if you are having an ‘off’ playing day where you aren’t pleased with your sound overall, considering going back another day.
• Play each head joint for about 20 minutes, until you are able to get comfortable with it. This will make a difference when you compare, because you need some time to adjust to each head joint.
• Play on as many as you can, by as many different makers. You never know what you will find, and when.
• Don’t let material decide: Let what gives you the sound that you want be the right one. Just because people have ‘common’ experiences with certain metals doesn’t mean that it will work that way for you. The sound of the flute changes depending on each player and how they play.
• Go to a flute fair when possible to easily try many types of head joints, or contact your local seller and see if they have any trial program arrangements made with the common flute makers.
• It is okay to have more than one head joint. Consider having one for various types of music, just don’t get so many that you don’t have a ‘regular’ head joint that you use for your daily practice. It will hurt you if you don’t have a regular head joint to play on and if you are ALWAYS switching. It is like switching from piccolo to flute and back, over and over again. You have to allow your mouth and body time to adjust to the head joint that you are playing on.
• If you fall in love with a head joint, don’t let money be the factor. Many head joint makers offer credit programs, and if you want it bad enough and you are truly in love with the head joint you will make it work. There is nothing wrong with saving and putting money away for something that you want to have and hold onto for a long time.
• If you decided to get an expensive head joint, in my opinion, anything over $2,000 for the head joint ALONE, I suggest you get it insured. You insure the body and the head joint separately if they are made by different people and didn’t come part as a ‘whole package’.
• Have fun when testing head joints and take any opportunity you can to try a new one!

9. Head joint makers links:

Brannen
Haynes
Burkart
Drelinger
Guo
Robert Dick
Miyazawa
Muramatsu
Powell
Pearl

This is a list of recommend head joint makers to check out. This is not a completely comprehensive list, but it is a good place to start. Also, check out Flute World for more!!!

If you made it though this entire posting, thank you for reading! Please comment!!!!

-Kyle
@musicytechgeek on twitter!