The Flute: New Sounds Author(s): John Heiss Source: Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 10, No.

2 (Spring - Summer, 1972), pp. 153-158 Published by: Perspectives of New Music Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/832340 . Accessed: 16/10/2013 23:37
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THE FLUTE: NEW SOUNDS

JOHN HEISS

IN TWO previous articlesin PERSPECTIVES (Vol. 5, No. 1 and Vol. 7, No. 1) I on woodwind reported on the possibilitiesof playing multiple-sonorities and gave lists for flute,oboe, clarinet,and bassoon of those instruments, sounds I consider most dependable. Recent developments in the soundon my own instrument, the flute, an lead me to offer production possibilities updated report.Several of the techniques introducedhere are, to the best of my knowledge, my own discoveries; others have become known to me through contact with other composers and performers.My information, however acquired, is naturallylimited. The whole subject area of new performance techniques is quite vast and stillgrowing,1 even just for the flute. Many performersand composers currentlyhave theirown individual techchartsfornew sounds.2The presentneed appears to be niques and fingering one of communicationand consolidation,and it is in this spiritthat I offer what follows. The techniques presented here are divisibleinto fourcategories: (I) extension of the low registerof the flute, with modified timbre,by an octave downward, (II) production of "harmonics,"or more precisely,muted tones in the conventional low register,(III) introductionof noise elements into normal tone, and (IV) recentlydiscovered multiple-sonorities.3

I. Extended Low Register One of the modified timbres associated with the extension of the low register is the familiar and, indeed, now venerated key-slap,the earliest instance of which occurs in Varese's Density 21.5 (1936). Flutistsgenerally agree that the best method of production for key-slapsis to fingerthe desired note, then raise and slap closed the G-keywiththe fourthfingerof the left hand. This produces the maximum possible volume-a necessitysince the sound, although quite percussive,is rathersoftin the absence of any air blown throughthe embouchure. The effective without air range forkey-slaps
Even so seeminglycomprehensivea book as New Soundsfor Woodwind (sic)by Bruno Bartolozzi (Oxford University Press, 1967) is, as the author points out, no more than an introductionto the subject. There are no duplications whatsoever,for example, between Bartolozzi's listsand the information offeredherein. 2 Several who come to mind are Robert Cantrick,David Gilbert, prominentflutists PatrickPursewell,and Harvey and Sophie Sollberger. 3 Since precise verbal descriptionof the timbresproduced withthe above techniques is difficult, if not impossible,composers are advised to consult withperformers.

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PERSPECTIVES

OF NEW MUSIC

is thus low B up a minor sixthto the aforesaid G.4 To obtain key-slapswithintoa closed out air in the next lower octave one simply changestheinstrument pipe. This may be accomplished by carefullyand completelycovering the blowhole with the curve on the lower lip between mouth and chin. Clearly articulated pitches then result through use of the normal G-key slapping technique. Interestingly,however, these pitches are much closer to the below the fingered pitch than to the octave below it. (This is majorseventh
Realization (actual pitch)

4I

, J= 60

I Coverblowbolewith chin*

'

3-'

Flute I

Flute II Coverblowholewithchin*3--3 r

Readjustheadjoint FluteIII

ri~~~~P'~~ ff

-3

-' 3t----J

r---3--

----

I I g

'

"

I I

'-

l I

f ^

S^

chin* Coverblowholewithc-in r 3--^ % tir---

bloole with 2Cover

Ai

r-3-i

Normalembouchure

h Theactuapitc sounds l a mor s

the n th loer than

d pih

lowerthanthenotatedpitch. *The actual pitchsoundsa majorseventh

ThreeFlutes Ex. 1. From Heiss, Movementsfor

4 The instructions which air"arebecoming istothe "without air"and "with common, bitofair "With air"actually "Use a little is a cleardifference. means, good sincethere oftheslap."Notations soundto be that to gainresonance, butallowtheprimary vary.

a sustained I propose P for "with tonewhich "without andalso c for air,"Jfor air,"
ff s,'t

is to be attacked of a key-slap. This latter effect is postheassistance sharply through siblethroughout theentire or bysimulation either rangeof theinstrument, directly with with thetongueforpitches aboveG in thelowand middle (Simulation registers. thetonguealso works twooftheabove wellforkey-slaps "with air"aboveG.) The first notations call forsoundswhich be of short duration. mustnaturally

154

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COLLOQUY AND REVIEW

readilyunderstood if one compares the closed pipe key-slapto the open pipe and player. In this slap withoutanyembouchure contactbetween instrument intervalis more nearlyan octave.) case, the difference One may obtain the pitches above the fingeredG (sounding Ab below low C) by slapping the lowest available key with the right hand index finger. Although the sounds produced in this way are of somewhat less intensity than the others, theyare useful nonetheless. (Key-slaps "withoutair" above G in the conventionallow registerare considerablysofterthan theircounterparts a major seventhbelow, and for thisreason are less useful.) A suggested Three Flutes notationis that shown in Ex. 1, a passage frommyMovementsfor (1969) in which these sounds project well. A second timbrefor the projectionof sounds below the traditionalrange involvespressingboth lips into the blowhole and playingwitha trumpet-like embouchure, making the lips vibrate. The flutistPatrick Pursewell has a withthistechnique,whichis used in a reputationforconsiderable proficiency piece of his entitledIt Grewand Grew. II. Low Register"Harmonics" availIt is normallyassumed that harmonicson the flutebegin at the first able point for overblowinga fundamental,namelyone octave above low B. Non-conventional fingeringsmay be used, however, to produce tones of below thispitchdown to low DS.5 Example 2 gives fingerings various timbres sounds. Although other fingerings which produce muted, soft,foghorn-like are possible, those given here were selected to obtain the highest potential of timbreand intonation.Strictly speaking,these pitchesare not consistency harmonics; theyare, rather,unfocused and spread tones resultingfromthe closing of holes below the one open hole which produces a given pitch. In my notations,(tr) indicates a trill,Th, 2, 3, 4 and 5 referto the fingers. thatthe Lettersin parenthesesindicate keysto be depressed, and (i) signifies Three keyis to be closed but the hole leftopen. The thirdof myMovementsfor Flutes develops these sonorities as the basic sound-material with, I feel, witha sustainedlow This movement effect. concludes,incidentally, electrifying Bb-a scordature pitch obtained by pulling the headjoint out about one inch and playinglow B. (The playerneeds about four seconds in whichto do this safely.)The tone is soft,round and, if played non vibrato,quite beautiful. Finally,and forlack of a betterplace in whichto mentionit,thereare many who have excellentcontrolof "whistletones"-the-verysoft,high,and flutists clear pitchesobtained by extremely gentleblowingacross the extraordinarily blowhole.6The pitchesare overtones of a fundamental(generallylow B, C, to tenthpartials. or C#)in the region of the fifth III. Noise Elementsin the Tone One of the earliestsounds in this now verybroad categoryis the swooshlike effectin the Villa-Lobos duo for fluteand cello entitled TheJet-Whistle
5 Bartolozzi's
6

Robert Cantrickis expert at this. According to Harvey Sollberger,the flutist

go downonlyto G#. fingerings 155

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PERSPECTIVES OF NEW MUSIC

A
O

o
0

o
4

o
1-

0 0

LeftHand RightHand

Th, 2, 3, 4 2, 3, 4(2), 5(C#)

Th, 2, 3, 4 2, 3, 5(C & B)

Th, 2, 3, 4 2('1), 3, 4

Th, 2, 3,4 3, 4, 5(C)

Th, 2, 3, 4(%) 2, 3, 4, 5(CX)

Th, 2, 3, 4, 5 2, 3

Ex. 2. For theflute: forlow-register harmonics fingering closes his entire mouth over the blowhole, fingerslow B, (1953). The flutist and blows a sudden burst of air. One can discern the overtones of this B descending rapidly fromabout the eighth partial,but the strongestimpression after the attackis thatof air-a quick, white-noise-like, downward glissando resultingfromthe performer's rapid exhalation. A number of related sounds are obtainable through similar procedures. A master of these techniques is David Gilbert, whose astonishingPoem VI (1966) for alto flute sounds like an electronicpiece and must be seen performedto be believed. Joyce Mekeel, a composer and teachingcolleague of mine in Boston, has a solo flute piece entitled The Shape of Silence(1969) in which spoken words, sharply enunciated, are used both to articulate and to sustain low-register tones (see Ex. 3). This work calls also for sotto voce tones of barely audible wind-likesound, which are obtained by blowing pitch witha predominantly rapidly acrossrather than into the blowhole. The composer neatly elides a sung tone with a played one in the passage quoted in Ex. 4. Readers are advised thatforsimultaneousproductionof sung and played tones,the flute's pitchesare best placed in the low register.7
7 The earliest exampleknownto me of simultaneous and singing on the playing flute is by Sam Moston a jazz LP from the 1950'sentitled TheHerbie Mann-Sam Most

Quintet (Bethlehem, No. BCP-40).

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COLLOQUY
notation. Proportional Each measure is approximatel

AND REVIEW

seconds longn Lootien Joain--

as many repetitions of
thewordas possible, speed increasing mf

whisper emphatic f loud, intense,

(flatten)

fIoud(ie
speak

ItN
speak

Itx
speak

6??(-....'
speak

((
speak (diminuendo to nothing)

jt-xsp(ee)

>
-

(tone) -

---a

(Sfz) k

mf n (tone)

flatten stayflat P

(breath)

Ex. 3. From Mekeel, The Shape of Silence

dead sound evenly,

Flute
Malevoice:
FlutJ~~e

1~-

I
slow gliss.f.-'

tho - - rnn

(tone)

------'

sto

nnn(e)

Ex. 4. From Mekeel, The Shape ofSilence

IV. New Multiple-Sonorities The multiple-sonorities given in Ex. 5 are offeredas additions to those listed in the two PERSPECTIVES articlesmentionedabove. The totalcontentof the currentextentof my solid informathese three listsfor fluteconstitutes tion in this area. Many additional sounds are no doubt possible; however,I have submittedonly those which I feel are relatively secure as to intonation and ease of production. As a final note, I hardly need emphasize the viabilityof the foregoing techniques for new music. Receptive performers consistently prove that the new techniques are easily learned and assimilated,and the effective integration of such techniques into works by composers as diverse as Martino, Johnston, Perle, Schuller, W. O. Smith, Paul Zonn, and those mentioned herein is testimony to theirproliferation and vitality.

* 157-

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PERSPECTIVES
o * = longor shortduration = short duration only = trill the indicated finger(s) 21 22 23

OF NEW MUSIC

24 _

25 0oI

26 0!

26a. t a 2, 3, 4 4(%)

a--

0 O i%o Th, 2, 4 2, 3, 4, 5(B) Th, 2, 3, 4

.o Th, 2, 3, 4 Th,2,3,4(%) 2, 3, 4, 5(C)

LeftHand RightHand

Th, 2, 3(),4 2, 3, 4

2, 3(%), 4, 5(C) 2(%), 3,4, 5(C$)

27

27a

28

29

automatic flutter

30

31

32

33

33a

(.LeftHand RightHand

|I

?
Th(Bl),2,4 2(tr), 3, 4

0 o Th, 3 4(tr)

n) bK

$o

tt

Th, 3 2, 5(Eb)

Th,3,4,5 2, 3(tr)

Th, 2, 4 2, 4(tr)

Th, 2 2(E), 3(tr),4

Th, 2,4 4(tr), 5(E6)

34

34a

34b

35

35a

35b

36

36a

36b

A
LeftHand RightHand

.
Th, 3 2(tr) Th, 2 4(tr)

--

'
Th, 2, 3,4 2, 3, 5(C$)

x I

Ex. 5. Multiple-sonorities for flute (to be added to those listed in PNM, Vol. 5, No. 1 and Vol. 7, No. 1)

158

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