 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: NCGurl
Date: 2002-01-10 01:50
Does anyone know if there are there any *second* octave fingerings for the flutophone? Or is it's range pretty much limited within one octave (plus D)?
Also, are there ANY flutophone websites (with sheet music, etc..) out there? I am a clarinet player, and like many people out there, started out in elementary school with the flutophone, recorder etc.. I find that it can still bring lots of enjoyment, but the "nearest" websites I can find are for recorders and penny whistles.
Thanks!
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-01-10 02:43
Pardon my obvious, abundant ignoreance ... but what, prithee, is a flutophone? I'm intrigued!!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-10 03:02
diz...just for you. The flutophone (sometimes called tonette, or song flute) was a popular way for students to "immerse" themselves in music making at a early age.
However, if you've never heard a room full of flutophone students playing, the only thing to be "immersed" is the earplugs into your ears.
As punishment, many beginning instrumental teachers are assigned "flutophone" duty. If they don't quit teaching after that experience, principals usually recommend tenure. (or so it seems)
http://www.binaryarts.com/Our%20Products/Dimestore/01d_tonette1.htm
...GBK
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-01-10 03:06
Mental note ... never, but NEVER swallow liquids when reading a GBK response ... it could be damaging to your health! Thanks, GBK, if you'd been here when I read that - you'd have seen my "Esther Williams" impersonation (nearly died drinking a glass of water).
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-10 03:07
diz...send all medical claims to Mark...GBK
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-01-10 03:10
GBK - my mate (the company's staff editor) reckons the flutophone is like a kazoo with tone holes.
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Author: MsRoboto
Date: 2002-01-10 03:11
Well it looks like you can still buy the things and they seem to be in the $3.00 - $4.00 range at a couple of the sites I saw. Is that the PRO model??? LOL!!!
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-01-10 03:20
Reminds me of my childhood when I was forced to play the recorder in the schools' recorder troupe! It was rather funny and much of the time was spent trying not to pee our pants with laughter as we tried to coordinate marching, holding the recorder (I had the bass 'cause I had big hands) and stop our arm held music holder from wobbling around hysterically. Very entertaining, indeed.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-01-10 03:30
Now, upon reflection, and drying up eyes from over zealous laughter. My initial response to your posting, fair GBK should have been:
"why on earth and I surprised you knew THAT url" LOL :-)
Bite me GBK!!
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Author: William
Date: 2002-01-10 04:00
GBK--flutophone duty as punishment to see if beginning teachers will quit???? The same could be said of beginning violins, but don't mention that to Suzuki--or to the dedicated music teachers that I was privilaged to teach with for 34 years. With the direction of a competent music specialist/teacher, the Tonette can be an effective way for elementary students explore music without the hassels of reeds, mouthpiece buzz control and complicated fingerings. It should not be considered the only activity--singing is fundamental to musical growth--but should be a part of a comphrehensive approach including listening, vocalizing, rhythmic movement, writing and some musical history of musical periods and representative composers. BTW, every school district should have a curriculum developed and published for grades one through high school outlining musical expectations and expected outcomes at each level for instrumental, general and vocal music activities--ours had one. And the "lowly" flutophone--recorder, in my school district--was considered an important part of this master plan for musical growth at the early elementary levels. How effective they can be is only a result of the quality and dedication of the instructor and how organized the whole music department is, bottom to top. Bottom line, I do believe that, in general, elementary music teachers are not necessarily beginning teachers assigned for "punishment to see if they quit", but dedicated individuals who choose to teach music to children and guide their musical maturation. I am certain that you share this opinion, and I apologize for, perhaps, overeacting--but I did feel compelled to stand up (as an old retired music teacher) and "be heard." Good Flutophoning, when not Clarineting!!!!!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-10 04:04
William...As a retired music teacher as well (yes, I did teach flutophone - and rather well, if I do say so) all the above was said in jest...Sorry you misinterpreted what I said.
However, I did not keep my flutophone when I retired...GBK
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-01-10 05:07
As I recall, the flutophone is whiteish and has a bell, the tonette is black with a closed end and rather resembles a fat cigar. I confess to having studied the Tonette around 1958. My son still has the darned thing. Once I started clarinet I tended to overblow the tonette. The range was a C octave including D above and F#. I was never aware of any fingerings beyond that. GBK's link (thanks, it is interesting!) shows a song book I've never seen, but there was a method book (published by Belwin, I believe) covering both instruments and with pictures of band instruments on each page.
Contrary to GBK's theory of beginning teachers, I was taught by the city supervisor of instrumental music, a drummer or all things, but a fine teacher. Sadly, he died before our paths could cross again.
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Author: Rene
Date: 2002-01-10 05:34
To add something serious to that thread, I found that recorders (or their flutophone-tonette plastic imitations) are completely unsuitable for early musical education. Reasons are manifold.
1. The children cannot cover the tone holes and squeek. This is frustrating.
2. The children overblow. They simply are unable to use the proper amount of blow to get good sound.
3. The intonation is critical, and the children get the feeling that pitch does not matter so much.
4. Rythmic education is difficult because the necessary technics on the recorder are beyond the children.
5. It is a pain to teach a class. Ever heard four recorders in their so-called unisono?
You may say, that I might just be giving up too early. The fact is, while I can be infinitely patient, the children are not. They usually just want to get rid of that frustrating instrument.
My experiences are from children aged between 6 and 9.
Teach them to sing, dance and drum, or such. Works much better!
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-01-10 11:35
The Tonette is black and has a bell. I've got one right here on my bookcase.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-01-10 15:10
Purple noise: a sound consisting of every note that is NOT in tune -- produced by a room full of elementary school students playing plastic recorders (or Flutophones).
One of my most bizarre memories: 1,000 first graders (including me) in the local auditorium, all playing Flutophones for our poor parents.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Kathy Beatty
Date: 2002-01-10 19:19
Dee,
The Tonette was manufactured with and without a bell, and was also produced in colors. The bell is not functional. I think if you take a look, you'll see that the end of the tonette is closed up above it. The bell is more like an optional stand!
Flutophones are longer and thinner than tonettes, and the bell is part of the body. It was also produced in colors, although by far the most common color combination was (is?) ivory/red.
Song flutes are longer and thinner again, and do not have a bell at all, although they flair out a very little at the end.
All three instruments sound about the same.
Over the past couple of years, I've collected several of the 3 instruments off of eBay. Mostly, I've been buying the music books for them, though. I now have a rather large collection. I was surprised at how big the literature selection for these is. I probably have around 20 different books by now (I'm not at home and can't count them).
To respond to the original question, I do not know of a way to achieve the second octave on any of these instruments.
Kathy
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Author: LynnB
Date: 2002-01-10 20:06
Wow is this bringing back memories. In Lutheran school EVERYONE had to play the tonette. (Yes I still have mine and the yellow and orange box too!). We did sound pretty horrendous but it got us exposed to music and that's what counts.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-01-10 20:18
Did you happen to play Bach arrangements? ;-)
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Author: jenna
Date: 2002-01-10 21:23
we went through 3 flutophone teachers in third grade, before one finally stayed. =)
The one in the second URL is the kind I have.
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Author: Brian Peterson
Date: 2002-01-10 21:27
I inherited mine from my sister who graduated to the flute.
In addition to the wonderful sound, I remember the awful the stench when you pulled the "mouthpiece" off. The dangers of music class after lunch I guess.
Hey, how about a "Dazzler" model flutophone?
BP
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-10 21:36
Buffet in financial trouble?
Rumor has it they are working on a Greenline flutophone.
Stock price rises on speculation...GBK
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2002-01-10 23:10
We now bring you a Christmas concert provided for you by a swarm of angry bees and train whistles.
I actually kept at the recorder (Or flutophone) and found out that on recorder there is a fingering chart nearly spanning an excruciatingly painful THREE OCTAVES? (I only use the lower two, and I've gotten good at those.)
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Author: ron b
Date: 2002-01-10 23:34
Two older sons both played Flutophone in grammar school. Oldest went on to play trumpet and still does, at times, play duet or trio pieces and with small church ensembles. Next oldest son played clarinet but dropped out during high school. He still has his instrument and threatens occasionally to it up sometime in the future I keep hoping :|
Youngest son, who Did Not play F'phone, took up trombone then switched to percussion. Does that indicate something??? I still have one Flutophone, for no particular reason 'cept being a sentimental Geezer, I s'poze. It's the red and white model as shown in GBK's link.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-01-10 23:42
One of the best instruments I ever played, was a stunning Moeck Tenor Recorder. It was so devine to hold, and the sound ... wow! I nearly threw my plastic school recorder in the trash. I'd buy one, excepting that their outrageously expensive here.
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-01-11 04:33
Dee,
My tonette never had a bell, and I never saw one with til the first link. Kathy's explanation was interesting.
At only $2.98 for the flutophone in the second link, they have survived inflation rather well. As I recall the Tonette was $1.25 and the Flutophone $1.50 in the late 1950s.
When played well, recorders ("real ones") can have a tolerable sound, but I am always reminded by the sound, that wind instruments have further evolved since.
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Author: Emms
Date: 2002-01-11 11:28
I must have had a deprived childhood - never heard of or even seen a tonette / flutophone.
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Author: Emms
Date: 2002-01-11 11:33
I notice that the picture in the site GBK mentions comes under the title 'TOYS to wish for'. I have to admit, I can't imagine very much musical coming out of the end of this 'instrument'. Maybe my childhood was enhanced, rather than being deprived, to not have come in contact with this before!!!!!!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-11 12:18
Emms...Once you've been "in contact" with a flutophone, the sound is indelably etched in your brain, forever.
Consider yourself lucky...GBK
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2002-01-11 13:03
I'm enjoying the humor, folks! However, my young sons are learning to play recorders in school. Much thought is put into their education, and they play on finely-crafted wooden instruments, and they all knit (yes, they all learn to knit in 1st grade) their own recorder cases. They play recorders through their school careers, or choose other instruments to play in later school years. I found that my son transitioned to the clarinet rather easily after playing the recorder. I will comment, just like everything else, if it's a poor instrument, the playing cannot be very good, either. Don't get a cheap one! ...and you can get pro recorders!
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Author: LynnB
Date: 2002-01-11 15:56
After reading all this, I rumaged through my closet and got out my Tonette. My poor husband and dog had to listen to me for 15 minutes while I played over the music I still had in the box. What a sound :((
I also played recorder in high school but that was a 'real' instrument and I don't see any similarities to the Tonette. We had recorder trios where we played baroque music in churches. That was cool!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-11 18:49
Isn't it interesting that on a clarinet bulletin board the topic producing the most spirited responses over the last week has been about flutophones?
It's nice to see that there are many who have been scarred (or scared) for life by this "musical" (?) experience.
The urn on the mantle of my fireplace holds the ashes of my flutophone. May it rest in peace...GBK
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Author: Wes
Date: 2002-01-11 19:42
The Gibson Tonette I hold now in my hand has a blocked nonfunctional bell. It can be tuned by pulling out the mouthpiece to have an octave scale of Bb, B, C, or C#. Like the recorder, the note tuning is a little variable with blowing pressure. Overblowing the bottom note when set to a C produces a G which is a 12th as in the clarinet. However, as one goes up the scale, these overtones become flatter and harder to find. Thus, to comment on the original question, playing is probably limited to the bottom range. Acoustically, it sort of behaves like a closed pipe which is different from the recorder.
They seem to have acoustics which are akin to the ocarina and other whistles such as primitive ones from early central America. I've found the recorder to be too difficult to play in tune and to finger and have focussed for many years on the oboe and english horn which are easier to deal with.
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Author: Jean S.
Date: 2002-01-11 23:55
I have fond memories of the flutophone. My son played every flutophone song that I could find for him when he was six. I didn't come up with twenty books, but I did find at least six books. The sound wasn't very pleasant, but I really enjoyed his enthusiasm for the instrument. I always thought he picked the clarinet to play because it resembled his flutophone. When he started playing the clarinet at nine, he had all his old flutophone music to play again. The limited range of flutophone music made it perfect for a beginning clarinetist. Some of my favorite memories are of him trying to figure out how to play every note by reading his beginning band books. We finally had to get him a private teacher, because he couldn't figure out how to play those mysterious notes that were "over the break." He was very disappointed when he didn't learn the secret to these notes during his first private lesson. I remember those years as very intense and very happy.
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2002-01-12 15:52
I think we all criticize the flutophone and tonette (and even the recorder) when we know that we love them, um, VERY deep down.
I couldn't think of any other reason I stuck with recorder....
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-01-13 22:12
David - you make a very good point. The recorder is an entirely different beast and, in fact, I still lust after Moeck recorders - they very expensive, though.
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The Clarinet Pages
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