Pseudo Old-System Fingerings

 

 
Introduction

Rockstro was no fan of what he called "pseudo old-fingering-flutes" - flutes that generally finger like an 8-key flute in the lowest and second octaves, but which have keys added to relocate some holes (eg the Siccama flute), or which rely on Boehm's bore but not his keywork.  But he kindly provided a list of fingerings that can be helpful in the third octave, where these flutes tend to depart significantly from standard 8-key fingering.  The table below is lifted from Rockstro's Treatise on the Flute.

You will see I rarely go up that high myself, and have had to pencil in the names of the notes to save having to count the ledger lines.  I've left them in just in case you suffer from vertigo too!
 

There are several fingering charts for the usual 8-key flute elsewhere on this web page.  These can be used for the first two octaves of pseudo old-system flutes.
 


Acknowledgements

Taken from "A Treatise on the Flute, R.S. Rockstro, 2nd Ed. London 1928".  Copies of Rockstro can often be found via the public library service.  Indeed, if you notice that no-one has taken it out in the last 50 years, the library might accept an offer for it!


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Created: April 2006