White Crow Flutes - Whats New

Introducing
The Traveler

On the request of players that like to travel with a flute but need to be conscious of space, we have created a more compact flute designed for packing in.
The flute is a combination of minimums and maximums with high priority on the voice quality and playability.
The “Traveler” will be initially released in three commonly preferred sizes of F#, G, and A. In the near future a high C for the ultra small packer will be released.

There is no premium on the price of this flute so it is priced the same as our standard flute (see models and price page).
So be sure to specify the “Traveler” with your inquiry.

Mouthpiece is short and well rounded with no fragile or sharp edges to be concerned about.

The Blowhole is larger to facilitate quicker drying between uses.

The rear chamber or slow air chamber has been shortened to the minimum standard for effective use.

The flue is wider designed more for volume than articulation yet gentle and quiet play is also easily possible.

The bird is a very low profile “no snag in the bag” type of design. It will come with two birds, one medium height the other very low profile. The med height is for players with less experienced breath control and helps prevent overblow. The very low profile bird is for those with good breath control or use it to develop more breath control.

The playing bore of the flute is 2 increments wider than our standard flutes and 3 increments wider than our optimized designs. This shortens the bore length as well.

The holes are drilled closer to one another and the holes smaller. This makes for both easy reach and ease of hole covering. Smaller tone holes also support greater articulation.

In summary, using the “G” flute as an example, this reduces the total flute length by about 3 1/4 inches over our standard flute of the same key. The total flute length is well under 20 inches.

The oversized bore does give the flute a more rounded or hollow tonality yet still crisp and responsive. The oversize bore and smaller tone holes however does not support optimized 2nd octave play so that option is not available in this model. It will however play into the second octave but plays the typical 2nd octave notes common to 95% of the commercial flutes available today.

The woods used will be selected based on a balance of resonance, weight, and durability to travel demands. Special orders for lightweight woods are being offered for those concerned with every packed ounce as well as space. Please email for possible wood options and availability.

Technical briefs about tunings, recording equipment, and sound specific to flutes.
Click on the links!

Given some the results of a recent survey I posted to NAF flute players and direct customer requests,
I have decided it is important to provide the opportunity for varying design options for our flutes.
Each is designed to meet specific player requirements. Each flute will be marked on the body with it's type.

Optimized:
These designs are for the advanced musician that desires a highly engineered instrument with a very well
tuned fully chromatic play well into the 2nd octave (generally 5th). These designs have a somewhat longer
and narrower bore than most flutes on the market. This is both a functional and visual design change.
The longer/narrower bore provides for better 2nd octave tuning and uniformity of tone across the full scale.
These flutes tend to be cooler and brighter in the color of their tone. The fingering on these flutes is the Eastern
Woodland progression yet nearly all flutes (above Low D) have a fully chromatic play up to a 3rd and/or 5th
above the octave depending on the model. Note: Lower flutes have 2nd octave limiting design requirements.
These flutes are also designed to be very expressive and respond to very subtle breath changes and are well
suited to seasoned players, recording artists, or the player that just wants a flute that they can grow with.

"Stubbies":
These designs are the result of requests for lower flutes for those with shorter arms or smaller hands. As a result
I now offer flutes that have a bore larger than the optimal sizes which makes them shorter in bore length. I also
shorten the rear air chamber to the minimal required size which shorten required arm reach. The holes are drill for reach ability,
decreasing the finger stretch. These flutes generally have a warmer, more rounded tone to the sound.
Because of the above concessions (sorry the laws of physics!) these flutes generally are limited to one full octave
of fully chromatic play. These flutes are designed to be more forgiving in breath control requirements making
it is great beginner flute or for those who desire a low flute yet have had problems with longer flutes.