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The Bb flute has become popular lately
as a different voice for Irish
flute-players. Especially useful for airs, song-accompaniment and
arrangements for stage and recording work, the deep sonorous tones are
even
darker than the normal concert flute in D.
A variation is the B flute, the perfect
partner to the Uilleann Pipe "flat set" in B. I can supply either
pitch in a choice of models.
Rudall-style B
or Bb
Based on Bb flutes made by Rudall
& Rose, these are available in keyed or keyless styles, and in my
usual
range of timbers.
 Rudall Bb keyless in
Australian acacia
Eccentric bore head with rounded rectangles embouchure
I can do that more or less like the originals,
or, as I prefer with a few changes to the holes to improve tuning,
power and comfort, as in the flute below:
Rudall Bb keyless in African
Blackwood
Cylindrical head with improved elliptical embouchure. Offset holes
See the Rudall &
Rose Bb originals.
Also available
keyed and in other timbers.
Listen!
Listen to Matt Walklate, with two new tunes
played on my Bb flute, Cold in
April/Black Nab, (c) Walklate/Curley. In order to make the
file small enough to download, I've had to compress it a bit and cut it
back to once through each tune. About the tunes, Matt tells us:
Cold
in April came about through messing around on the flute on a
chilly April day! Black Nab
is a lump of rock in Saltwick Bay near Whitby, North Yorkshire where I
spend as much time as I can. Both tunes were written in the same
month on my D flute but when I got the Bb and tried them on it they
really came to life, so I set about arranging them with Seamus.
Find out more about Matt &
Seamus.
Siccama-style
B or Bb
The stretch on a low flute is just too much for
some
players. If you struggle with the stretch of a D flute, you
certainly
won't be able to handle a flute at significantly lower pitch. I
can do a B
or Bb with Siccama
keys for holes 3 and/or 6 to get around this problem. With the
Siccama keys the stretch is no worse than a
normal flute in D. Further, the relocated tone holes are larger
and better
positioned acoustically, giving more power and better tone on those
notes.
Available in keyless or keyed versions.
Top of image - normal Bb
keyless. Bottom of
image - Bb "keyless" with Siccama keys.
Note the much more accessible key touches for the third fingers of each
hand,
and better placement of the holes for these keys.
Boxwood 6-key Bb flute, with
additional
Siccama keys.
Note the immensely long upper c, Long F and Eb keys needed to span the
gaps.
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