headjoint cork affects tone & tuning
Dear Fluters,
This question appeared in my inbox today. I thought I'd answer it for all the students out there who may ask the same question in the future. Best, Jen
Dear flute student,
Ah yes; the mystery of the flute's headjoint cork and what it does.
That cork, with the silver discs on either end, hidden inside the tip of the headjoint, is what sets the flute's tuning.
It's supposed to be set at 17.3 mm from the center of the embouchure hole, but more importantly, here's the information you need, first and foremost:
If the cork in your flute's headjoint moves easily when you try and move it, then it's definitely time to take it to a reputable fluterepair shop and have a minimum of $10 worth of repair. Why?
a) Flute headjoint corks shrink over time, from so often being wet and then dry. They have to be adjusted and checked each year when your flute goes in for its regular servicing, so that the cork has an air-tight fit. Any cork that moves easily has already shrunk and is not doing its proper job of making an air-tight seal at the crown of the headjoint.
b) If your cork moves too easily, often you will also hear stuffy or muffled tone quality because air is escaping around the cork, which it shouldn't be doing.
c) Also, if your cork moves too easily (you can simply pull on the crown or push on it with your swab and it moves), then you may unwittingly move it when swabbing the headjoint, and put your whole flute out of tune.
Why?
The cork's exact position affects the tuning of the flute.
Too far out, the left-hand notes will be flatter.
Too far in, the left-hand notes will be sharper.
Either of these positions will put the scale of the flute out of tune with itself.
A healthy flute headjoint cork is very difficult to move by yourself. Some brands even use a rubber O-ring (Mateki for example) in attempt to make the ultimate air-tight seal. So if it's incorrectly positioned (not at 17.3 mm or the line on your cleaning rod is NOT in the middle of the embouchure hole) then you should only reposition the cork with expert help (your private teacher or a reputable flute technician).
In fact, have your flute teacher double check your flute both visually, and with a tuner, so that you can know for sure that you've got the cork in the perfect spot to have all three octaves of the flute in tune.
Now, back to the tone quality question:
If you canhear a change in the tone quality after moving the cork, that means the cork is definitely leaking air, and you have to have it replaced (this is $10 - $20 worth of a flute technician's time.)
On average, corks are replaced and/or tightened by a flute technician every 3 to 7 years.
A PDF for beginners that illustrates how the cork should be positioned for placing the flute's length correctly for tuning is here.
Articles about headjoint corks (courtesy of Miyazawa and Brannen companies) are online here.
http://www.miyazawa.com/library/other11.asp
http://www.brannenflutes.com/care.html
In general, yes, moving the cork will affect your flute's scale andpitch, but a leaking cork will affect your sound.
You can test for a leaking cork by creating suction on the headjoint, and listening for a hiss coming from the crown.
Let us know what you discover about this; and whether your cork is in fact leaking, thus affecting your tone quality.
Best,
Jen
This question appeared in my inbox today. I thought I'd answer it for all the students out there who may ask the same question in the future. Best, Jen
Question: I moved the top cork thing from the top of my flute and i was wondering if moving it would change the sound of my flute?
Dear flute student,
Ah yes; the mystery of the flute's headjoint cork and what it does.
That cork, with the silver discs on either end, hidden inside the tip of the headjoint, is what sets the flute's tuning.
It's supposed to be set at 17.3 mm from the center of the embouchure hole, but more importantly, here's the information you need, first and foremost:
If the cork in your flute's headjoint moves easily when you try and move it, then it's definitely time to take it to a reputable fluterepair shop and have a minimum of $10 worth of repair. Why?
a) Flute headjoint corks shrink over time, from so often being wet and then dry. They have to be adjusted and checked each year when your flute goes in for its regular servicing, so that the cork has an air-tight fit. Any cork that moves easily has already shrunk and is not doing its proper job of making an air-tight seal at the crown of the headjoint.
b) If your cork moves too easily, often you will also hear stuffy or muffled tone quality because air is escaping around the cork, which it shouldn't be doing.
c) Also, if your cork moves too easily (you can simply pull on the crown or push on it with your swab and it moves), then you may unwittingly move it when swabbing the headjoint, and put your whole flute out of tune.
Why?
The cork's exact position affects the tuning of the flute.
Too far out, the left-hand notes will be flatter.
Too far in, the left-hand notes will be sharper.
Either of these positions will put the scale of the flute out of tune with itself.
A healthy flute headjoint cork is very difficult to move by yourself. Some brands even use a rubber O-ring (Mateki for example) in attempt to make the ultimate air-tight seal. So if it's incorrectly positioned (not at 17.3 mm or the line on your cleaning rod is NOT in the middle of the embouchure hole) then you should only reposition the cork with expert help (your private teacher or a reputable flute technician).
In fact, have your flute teacher double check your flute both visually, and with a tuner, so that you can know for sure that you've got the cork in the perfect spot to have all three octaves of the flute in tune.
Now, back to the tone quality question:
If you canhear a change in the tone quality after moving the cork, that means the cork is definitely leaking air, and you have to have it replaced (this is $10 - $20 worth of a flute technician's time.)
On average, corks are replaced and/or tightened by a flute technician every 3 to 7 years.
A PDF for beginners that illustrates how the cork should be positioned for placing the flute's length correctly for tuning is here.
Articles about headjoint corks (courtesy of Miyazawa and Brannen companies) are online here.
http://www.miyazawa.com/library/other11.asp
http://www.brannenflutes.com/care.html
In general, yes, moving the cork will affect your flute's scale andpitch, but a leaking cork will affect your sound.
You can test for a leaking cork by creating suction on the headjoint, and listening for a hiss coming from the crown.
Let us know what you discover about this; and whether your cork is in fact leaking, thus affecting your tone quality.
Best,
Jen
posted by Jen Cluff at 4:07 PM
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Comments (3)
Hi
Thanks for your website which I find both interesting and informative.
Not so much a comment about snugness of fit etc but have you tried using a stopper and crown of different materials? Robert Bigio (for example) advertizes Delrin and Zirconium which are supposed to improve the tone and projection. I use a silver lined thinwood headjoint and (in common with everyone!) am always trying to improve my sound. The cost of these stoppers isn't that great, so I was thinking it's probably worth trying anyway, but before I take the plunge thought I would ask if you have tried one, and what, if any, difference you found.
Many thanks
Dear David,
good question; the sound samples that were done by Raymond Robinson showing exactly what each crown and stopper does are on my mp3 radio show called Fluteloops. Show no. 8 covers this topic with sound samples and spectrums.
Go to: http://www.jennifercluff.com/fluteloops08.htm
Best, Jen
Sorry! I had missed that one. Fascinating, and from the samples I would say more a difference in tone rather than any one sounding better. I think the comments made by both yourself and Raymond about the most important influence on the sound being the player is really the one to stress. I shall practice more... but I may treat myself to a new stopper too!