modern flute B foot

D5

Conventional Fingering

Impedance

Fingering a key depressed a key not depressed a part of the mechanism that is not normally touched Details in fingering legend. Acoustic schematic a closed tone hole an open tone hole Non-specialist introduction to acoustic impedance Non-specialist introduction to flute acoustics

This fingering is comparable to that for D4 except for the open register hole. The register hole weakens and detunes the first resonance. We can also consider that it creates a pressure node (or flow antinode) at the midpoint of the pipe, and thus allows D5 but not D4. Compared with the D4 impedance spectrum, the low frequency minima are less deep and at considerably higher frequency.

Sound

Sound spectrum of a modern flute with a B foot played using conventional fingering for D5.

Sound Clip

You can hear D5 played with conventional fingering by Geoffrey Collins.

Impedance

Fingering a key depressed a key not depressed a part of the mechanism that is not normally touched Details in fingering legend. Acoustic schematic a closed tone hole an open tone hole Non-specialist introduction to acoustic impedance Non-specialist introduction to flute acoustics

The open trill key acts as a tone hole for D5 (with cross fingering), and this gives the first minimum in the impedance spectrum. Note that further minima fall at frequencies that have no harmonic relation to this fundamental. Consequently, the sound spectrum shows a fundamental and no visible harmonics, hence the soft 'covered' tone.

Sound

Sound spectrum of a modern flute with a B foot played using alternative fingering for D5.

Sound Clip

You can hear D5 played with alternative fingering by Geoffrey Collins.