An Open or Closed Hole Flute

Yet another conundrum facing flautist, students and their parents is whether to purchase an open or closed hole flute.  Believe it or not, there is still a lot of debate regarding which key type is “better”. I personally think “better” is the completely wrong paradigm to use in this scenario. But first, what is the physical difference between them?

The Open Hole Flute

The idea of the open hole flute can be traced back to the 1840s with Clair Godfroy and Louis Lot[1]. Despite open holes traditionally belonging to the French Model Flute famous French flautist Marcel Moyse did not embrace the idea. Basically, an open holed flute has holes in the middle of 5 different keys (A, G, F, E and D). In order for the flute to produce a ‘normal’ sound, the flautist has to both press the keys down and cover the holes so that no air can escape.

The Closed Hole Flute

The closed hole flute which is also called the plateau flute does not have holes in the keys. This means the flautist need only press the keys down. Typically, this is referred to as a German model flute. Interestingly enough Theobald Boehm, German composer and flautist who invented the modern-day flute, believed that closed hole flutes were of superior quality to its open hole counter-part.

An Ongoing Debate

I personally find phrases like “better than”, “superior” and “inferior” a very narrow way of thinking. Up until today, there have been no objective means of measuring whether open or closed hole flutes are “better”. Both sides seem to present reasonable arguments.

But now let’s look at the context.

Context

I personally recommend beginners play a closed hole flute. There is little benefit to them starting off with open holes. This is because all the flute repertoire that requires an open hole flute is quite advanced. My reason for recommending closed hole flutes for beginners is because in order to play an open holed flute you have to be very precise with where you place your fingers on the keys, which does not come naturally for anyone. As a teacher, I find that the most challenging part of learning flute is getting the sound out and coordinating your fingers.

A Flute Problem

It’s very different to piano and violin where every beginner is guaranteed the instant satisfaction of producing a sound. Some young flautists have to work very hard to get a sound and adding anything else, like open holes would just be too much. Another reason for closed holes is younger student’s fingers may not be big enough to adequately cover the holes. While you can buy special plugs for the holes I have seen them fall out of flutes and get lost on numerous occasions which again makes a closed hole flute a more practical option. However, if you are looking for a step up flute my recommendation changes.

When to Get an Open Hole Flute

I strongly advise people to purchase an open hole flute when they swop to an intermediate flute because:

1. Many works composed for flute from the 1900s onwards were specifically written for and thus can only be played on an open holed flute. This is because composer like Takemitsu, Thomas Reiner, Robert Dick, Ian Clarke and numerous others make use of extended techniques. These are methods of extending the sound flute beyond what it was traditionally intended to be and includes things like multiphonics, glissandos, a different tone and quarter tones. If you want to be a flautist in the 21^stcentury I cannot stress how important it is that you are able to play works from both the 20^thand 21^stcenturies for which you need an open holed flute.
2. Open holes also force students to fix any sloppy technique and hand position, this, in turn, increases the speed they can play at and significantly improves their overall technique.

Decisions, Decisions

If you are looking to purchase an advanced to professional flute then the choice is entirely yours. By now you should know what type of repertoire you want to focus on and your technique should be developed enough for it not to influence your decision. Essentially it all comes down to your personal preference as neither is really better than the other.

Repertoire

When Marcel Moyse claimed closed hole flutes to be superior the works and techniques for open hole flutes hadn’t been developed yet. Consequently, it would have seemed like an unnecessary trend. Today if you passionately dislike music composed after 1900 and love baroque and classical it might make more sense to look at a closed hole flute but again it’s up to you.

I personally see no reason beyond that of education to learn baroque and classical styled music. It has all been played and recorded hundreds of times. I am passionate about works that are new and exciting so naturally, I have chosen an open holed flute.

[1]The Flute Book: A Complete Guide for Students and Performers – Nancy Toff

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