Death of a Myth
The headjoint is the most important part of the flute. It is the heart of the flute. It is through the headjoint that the air column inside the flute is energized, set on fire, and brought to life in a musical phrase. For almost a century now, sterling silver, gold, and platinum flutes have dominated the professional flute scene. It is interesting to note that these precious metals alone became the standard materials for the production of professional flutes in the United States. However, the old myth that a flute had to be made from precious metals in order to produce a beautiful sound is now dead. May it rest in peace.
This old myth had been kept alive over the years by manufacturers of precious metal flutes (of course) and by misguided flutists. But things have changed! The beautiful sound of the wooden flute has been made popular once again through the fantastic combination of the wooden headjoint with a metal body. As a result, many flutists have discovered that you don’t have to spend a lot of money buying a solid silver, gold, or platinum flute to get a fabulous, professional sound. On the contrary! With the J. Novo wooden headjoint, you don’t have to spend much at all!
Interestingly enough, it was Mr. Theobald Boehm himself, the famous inventor of the modern flute, who strongly recommended the wooden headjoint and metal body combination over 150 years ago! In the very popular book: “The Flute and Flute Playing,” by Theobald Boehm (translated by Dayton C. Miller), we find the following on p. 56:
“Boehm frequently combined two materials, making the body of silver and the head of wood. It was in his later years that he most strongly advocated this combination…”
The intonation of the flute, that is, what will make a note play in tune or out of tune, is determined by the size of the tone holes and the placement of those tone holes on the body of the flute, usually referred to as the “scale” of the flute. But the tone color of the notes, the sound quality of the notes, this is determined by the headjoint alone, and of course, by the material that the headjoint is made from.
In this regard, a J. Novo wooden headjoint produces a very rich and dark tone that cannot be matched by either silver, gold, or platinum. Proof of this truth is found in the comments left by professional players that are listed in the Testimonials section of this web site; these testimonials ultimately reveal that these players replaced their precious metal headjoints with a J. Novo wooden headjoint, something a professional player will not do simply on a whim.
FOR THE STUDENT/SEMIPRO: Therefore, even if you own an intermediate level flute that has a good scale (as most of them do these days) with good quality keys on it, and you replace the stock headjoint of that flute with a professional headjoint, you will have a professional sounding flute. It is really that simple! This, of course, is extremely good news for all those flutists who cannot afford to spend a lot of money on a solid silver flute (not to mention gold).
Using a good quality professional headjoint on an intermediate level flute is all you really need these days to get a professional beautiful sound. Now, if that headjoint happens to be a J. Novo wooden headjoint, you will have one of the most beautiful sounding flutes you will ever hear, and that is the absolute truth.
WE NOW OFFER A ONE WEEK TRIAL PERIOD (Headjoint can be returned after one week trial if not completely satisfied. See return policy under “Ordering Info”.)
The J. Novo Grenadilla headjoint comes with a two year warranty against cracks.
