I am thinking of getting a flute with a B-foot for when I go to university, but I just read on a website that having a B-foot on a flute "affects the tone and resonance of the instrument." Is this true?

My advice is to have a standard C flute with a separate B foot. I always find the pitch up the top needs quite a bit of tweaking with the B foot on although the actual tone is the same (due to my superior skill......glugs red wine....)

Nope, doesn't change the tone in my experience. I love having a B foot joint though .. Psychological thing .. I find it easier to play with Plus the gadget for the high C leaves nothing to be desired

i personally think it has a SLIGHT difference on tone, i believe that the B foot flutes have a slightly warmer sound and the C foot flutes have a slighty more open sound


apparently theres B FLAT foot joints...:S

Chopin, there's no B flat foot joint on any flute I've ever seen listed anywhere - and we sell them. There are some people who seem to think a B foot means a B flat foot though. And, to put it bluntly, you're not enough of a flautist to be able to make any judgments about tone.

Liz

Oooch! That's below the belt!

Why? An educated listener could make reasonable judgements about tone without playing an instrument. Maybe 'standing away' from the instrument allows someone to make more consistent judgements. Tone is one of these personal things.
The AB has been known to examine candidates on instruments that they don't play.

I used to be a fan of Samuel Baron because of his tone. (Before considering his technical skill, like a slurred grace note from top B to middle C and faultless fast runs through all kinds of chromatic chaos).

If there's a Bb foot I've never heard of one (unless someone had one specially made) though it's possible to get extra tubing specially made so the lowest note of the flute becomes a Bb for special purposes (someone was talking about that on flutenet recently - you get the Bb instead of the C or B - someone needed a Bb in a particular piece.) and there are other tricks to get Bb, but I have NEVER heard of a Bb footjoint.

I know that is is possible to play notes belwo B with or without a B footjont - as for fun I am currently working o a piece that goes down to a low G, but you dont actually have a tone on the note, just a sound - made by sticking the tongue into the hole on the lipplate and then fingering HARD the fingering for the note you want an ovtave higher.

Not when this character already has THREE IDs here and makes no claim, on one of them at least, to play the flute at all. How many pupils in the average school orchestra have B foot flutes? Enough for any listener to compare and say B foot affects the tone? I doubt it!

I've heard of that - I need to try that out. Your explanation makes more sense (to me at least) than the one I read!!

Wow! That's so cool!

My friend (Violinist) managed to get a low G, the one an octave below the bottom string? Apparently he was pressing extremely hard!

I want to be able to do that but I'm really clueless!

*goes back to contemplation*

ive said sorry, what more can i do? (dont answer that) im here for peace...not war

Good grief, is that ID number 4?

fair enough, that you want to live in peace on the boards from now, but I think you will have to prove it by your actions rather than just saying it. Not getting at you, just something to bear in mind...

I own a Powell Signature flute (one of the new all silver versions) and I tried both a B foot joint instrument and a C foot joint instrument for about a week before deciding which one to buy.

In my humble opinion I would say the C foot makes the flute a lot brighter 'sounding' (notice I said sounding there, not tone), especially in the high registers, while the B foot produces a darker and warmer tone even in the high registers.

It's all a matter of personal taste, a lot depends on whether you prefer that brightness in the tone or not, but the actual tone, in the musical sense of the word, wasn't any different whether it was a B or C foot.

Good heavens, Amanda, how many instruments do you play?!

Liz

About a million!

I play on a BRannen Cooper with a B foot. I find it makes no difference to the low and middle register. It makes (on my flute anyway) the high register slightly duller and harder, but with a bit of practice and getting to know the instrument, you can sort that out easy enough. As has already been said, the gizmo lever also makes high C a piece of p***!! It's great!

I have played a B foot flute for years, and can assure you that the sound is darker than just the c foot. There are problems with having a B foot, so think carefully before making a decision to buy one. I honestly believe that the B foot joint needs repairing more often, and there's always that High C problem. For the sake of one extra note that you get to play maybe in a couple of pieces, is it really worth the extra money and hassle? I'll definitely be updating without the B foot.

While I was playing the clarinet - going back to when I was a schoolchild, I also learned to play the flute, although never owned one at the time.

To be honest, I find it extremely satisfying to be able to have an informed conversation about musical instruments and actually understand the mechanics of how they work etc. I haven't tried any brass instruments, but I've still taken the time to read up on how they work and the techniques used to play them.

Remember, apart from the music, I've also got a BSc in physics. Perhaps it's my endless thirst for knowledge that makes me want to do so many things.

As far as playing standard on the flute is concerned, I guess a Grade 4 or 5 piece is about the most difficult I can play properly.