Mid post on another thread it occurred to me to ask this question and I decided that it might be worth a new thread in the woodwind section.

Open vs closed hole flutes: I have noticed more and more that I can these days feel the vibration of the sound in the body of the flute as I play, particularly on my finger tips.

I'm tending to assume this is a good thing

This is something I've only noticed with open hole flutes, BUT... I haven't had much opportunity to play closed hole flutes for quite some time, so I don't know how much is due to the fact that I'm simply a better flautist these days.

So a couple of "wonderings" really...

Does anyone know what I'm talking about??!

& am I right to assume it's a Good Thing ™?

I know there is at least one really good flautist on here who plays closed hole instruments - I don't know offhand who else does but I'm sure there must be others - do you notice this on your instruments? Do you notice it if you ever play open hole instruments? Does it make a difference to the feel?

Does anyone have experience of this on open hole who has then felt or not felt it on closed hole?

I'm just curious really, I'm unlikely to change my flute any time soon so it's idle curiosity rather than research ... would be interested to hear others' experiences though

Hope this makes sense

It makes sense to me! Being a clarinetist I feel a little strange playing my friends closed hole flute. It just doesn't work for me I guess.

I can feel the vibrations through my yamaha 821 (closed hole), i can feel the vibrations more on this flute than on a student or intermediate yamaha, but then again this is a hand made flute and the keys are considerably smaller than on any other yamaha i've known - i don't know why sarah but i also feel that it's important to me to feel such vibrations, but it probably doesn't mean anything other than that.

I also have an open hole altus flute, but prefer the yamaha just because it's a better flute

I can feel the vibrations through my saxophone (closed hole!).

I think I feel the vibrations when my hands are nice and relaxed so not clamped too tightly on the keys.

Thanks for the responses. My gut feeling was that the holes surely wouldn't make that much difference, but I've read people claiming that it was because of the open holes. So it's interesting that you feel it more on a closed whole flute, angie, and that you feel it on a very definitely closed hole sax, TSax!!

Rosemary: I find closed hole flutes feel really weird and almost insecure to me now - it does depend so much on what you're used to doesn't it?

Yup, being able to feel the vibrations was one of the first things I noticed when I upgraded to an open hole from my old closed hole Yamaha 211. I quite like literally feeling the music under my fingertips when I'm playing now.

actually sarah that was a bit wrong, i said i feel it more on the yamaha 821 than on the student or intermediate yamaha ...... the vibration is much stronger on my altus open hole flute, but i prefer the yamaha 821 closed hole

the confusion was probably my fault, the lack of nicotine to my blood stream is making my brain fizzy

Ahh right - sorry - my brain is fuzzy too! Sorry (Well done on surviving the nicotine loss though!)

So it's more with the open holes but still there with the good closed hole flute?

I really need to try a closed hole flute again soon and see if I notice.

Reverie: I wonder how much is due to "better flute" ness and how much due to "open hole" ness.

Curiouser and curiouser...

hi i cant say i have noticed it so much on my pearl closed hole nly when i play higher notes so far but do like it when i play a bamboo flute and feel the vibes under my fingers the bamboo has quite a strong scent and ( not that i nibble it or anything) taste to it

When did folks start noticing the phenomenon?

I've only noticed in the last couple of years I think - certainly throughout the range of the instrument - I imagine it is related to tone development??

I have heard open holers mention they like the vibrations but maybe you can actually feel the air a little as well as the vibrations. On my closed hole flute I can feel them, I quite like it! But like you Sarah I only became aware of it more recently.

I remember noticing the vibrations when I first moved to an open hole flute but now it just feels normal to me and I guess I don't really feel anything. I've always wanted to try a closed hole flute again to see how 'weird' it feels to me but haven't played one in over 2 years.

I really don't think there's any difference in sound and the vibrations are just because you actually feel the air going down the flute on your finger tips which you don't get with an open hole flute.

Someone recently gave me an old yamaha 271 that they no longer needed, a basic student yamaha but with open holes. I can feel the vibrations a little, but the whole thing seems to vibrate as well - really just an old instrument that needs a bit of attention perhaps?!

I play an open holed flute myself and like feeling the vibrations, I feel more connected with the music...If that makes sense!

A well-known flute teacher who posts a lot on the internet flute lists said once that the reason he prefers to play an open-holed flute is that so he can be sure he's playing when in the company of a large brass section. The only thing that tells him is the feel of the air against his fingers.

I've recently started playing an open-hole oboe and it's surprising how much more I feel 'in touch' with the music and the sound. I like the Gillet closed hole system on the oboe, it's very convenient for alternative fingerings and trills, but somehow, after playing an open-hole instrument, it does make your hands feel rather distanced from the feel of the music.

I have an open-hole Powell flute too and although I have to plug a couple of the holes, owing to small hands, the open holes provide far more feedback as to the depth of tone and air flow.

That is one of the reasons i've never been able to get on with an open holes flute.

That's it, I'm getting an open holed flute Funny how something else on someone else's thread makes sense to you isn't it?? I can't hear "me" when at orchestra, brass or not So i'll get an open holed flute, at least then I'll know whether I am playing or not. Thanks Andante and Sarah.

On topic........I can't feel the vibrations on my finger pads, but I have asbestos fingers after the 1000's of bedbaths I've done over the years, running hot water and washing my hands at least once every 10 minutes (MRSA).
Bev.