Flute Finger Hole Comparison
A common question that I am asked has to do with whether the potential buyer will be able to finger my flute. In general, my pvc low D flute has rather large finger holes, and the distance between the finger holes can be an uncomfortable stretch for someone with small hands. Also, a person with small fingers may find the larger finger holes harder to cover than smaller finger holes. I give the finger hole layout of my large flutes on the homepage and also at the bottom of this page. My feeling is that someone with average adult size hands can learn to comfortably finger my low D flutes. For smaller hand sizes I recommend smaller flutes in higher keys or conical-bore flutes in delrin or wood. Having a conical bore, as opposed to a cylindrical-bore flute made from pipe, allows the maker to compress the finger hole placement somewhat, so that the flute may be easier to finger. However, the differences may not be very great, as evidenced by the data below, where I am comparing the finger hole sizes and placement of three modern, high-quality, conical-bore wooden flutes with my cylindrical-bore low D flute. Thanks to the members of the Chiff & Fipple flute forum for the measurements of these new wooden flutes.
The wooden flutes that I have chosen for this comparison are: the Terry McGee Grey Larsen Preferred in D (2006), the Sam Murray Blackwood in D (2007), and Maurice Reviol Pratten-style D flute (2007). In the data below the numbers (1 through 6) refer to the finger holes on the flute, with (1) being the finger hole closest to the embouchure and hole (6) being the finger hole nearest the end of the flute. All measurements expressed below are in millimeters. Distances between the finger holes are measured from center to center.
T=Tipple, Mu=Murray, Mc=McGee, and R=Reviol:
1. T9, Mu7, Mc8, R9 (diameters of finger hole #1)
D. T37, Mu36, Mc39, R38 (distance between finger hole #1 and #2)
2. T9, Mu9, Mc9, R10 (diameters of finger hole #2)
D. T37, Mu35, Mc34, R35 (distance between finger hole #2 and #3)
3. T8, Mu7, Mc7, R8 (diameters of finger hole #3)
joint, joint, joint, no joint between the hands
4. T9, Mu9, Mc8, R9 (diameters of finger hole #4)
D. T28, Mu32, Mc32, R35 (distance between finger hole #4 and #5)
5. T11, Mu10.5, Mc8.5, R11 (diameter of finger hole #5)
D. T43, Mu37, Mc32, R38 (distance between finger hole #5 and #6)
6. T8, Mu6, Mc6, R7 (diameter of finger hole #6)
The numbers below show the stretch distance between the first and third hole of the left hand, and the stretch distance between the fourth and sixth hole of the right hand:
Left hand: T72, Mu71, Mc73, R73
Right hand: T71, Mu69, Mc64, R73
You will notice that the stretch between the 5th and 6th finger holes on my pvc flute is greater than on the conical-bore flutes, although the over-all right hand stretch is similar to the other flutes. I could reduce this stretch for the right-hand ring finger by making the 6th finger hole smaller, as the other flutemakers have done. However, I like to have the 6th hole large enough so that it is easier to half-hole it for the D# note in the scale. It is hard to do this when the 6th hole is small.
The following table shows the finger hole layouts for my larger flutes, starting from the 3-piece low Bb flute and progressively getting smaller in size and higher in pitch. The measurements are in milimeters. For reference: 1/4 inch = 6.3 mm, 5/16 inch = 8.9 mm, 3/8" = 9.5 mm, 7/16" = 11.1 mm. The numbers below show finger hole diameter and distance between the finger holes (center to center).
Large bore (20 mm bore diameter) three-piece flutes:
Low Bb: emb --(9)--49--(9)--43--(8) joint (9)--33--(11)--60--(8)
Low B: emb ---(9)--48--(9)--40--(8) joint (9)--30--(11)--56--(8)
Low C: emb ---(9)--42--(9)--39--(8) joint (9)--29--(11)--52--(8)
Low Db: emb --(9)--40--(9)--38--(8) joint (9)--28--(11)--48--(8)
Low D: emb ---(9)--37--(9)--37--(8) joint (9)--28--(11)--43--(8)
Eb: emb ---(9)--36--(9)--33--(8) joint (9)--24--(11)--39--(8)
E: emb ---(9)--35--(9)--27--(8) joint (8)--26--(11)--42--(8)
F: emb ---(9)--31--(9)--34--(9) joint (8)--26--(11)--39--(8)
Small bore (15 mm bore diameter) two-piece flute:
G: emb ---(8)--26--(8)--30--(8)xxxxx(6)--25--(9)--33--(6)
Bore diameter for Tipple large-bore flutes = 20 mm cylindrical bore
Circumference = 3.14 X 26 OD = 81.7 mm