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writergirl25
(54 points)
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Which fingering is better to use? My Gemeinhardt has a bit of a different pitch for the two fingerings (though my Emerson doesn't). The F sharp seems to be a bit lower than the G flat.
Also, how often should I send in my flute to get professionally cleaned and checked?
Thanks. 
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Flutist06
(1545 points)
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There are not two separate fingerings for these two notes. They are enharmonic (the same note notated differently), and use the same fingering. I assume you mean which F# fingering should you use (RH2 or RH3)? and the answer to that is that you should use the "real" fingering (the one using your right ring finger) whenever possible, but should an extremely fast passage require it (say a fragment of a G scale with a fast transition from E to F# back to E), the alternate F# certainly has it's uses. How often your flute needs to be checked varies a little from person to person depending on how much it's played, how hard it's played, climate, and the like. The norm is a COA (Clean, Oil, and Adjust) at least once a year (I generally get it done every 6-8 months), and an overhaul every 3-5 years for the best maintenance.
<Added>
Just out of curiosity, what fingerings were you using? I mean, where'd you learn that Gb and F# had separate fingerings, and how did they differ?
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writergirl25
(54 points)
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Ok... I have always heard that the G flat fingering is RH3 and the F sharp fingering is RH2 (which is entirely pointless if you ask me :P). I was wondering which is proper to use.
And, does anyone else have a problem with a slight pitch difference between the two fingerings?
<Added>
I just saw your addition.
I was using both fingerings depending on which better suited the piece, though mainly RH3. The Gb and F# names were just for the purpose of identifying the two fingerings.
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Flutist06
(1545 points)
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OK...Gotcha! Yeah, there really are not two different fingerings (since they are enharmonic, and at least in equal temperament are the same pitch, one fingering suffices), though it's quirky little idea. You almost always want to use RH3, as I said, as the RH2 fingering generally is not as good tone- and pitch-wise. I rarely use the alternate F#, but if my memory serves, on most of my flutes (My gold, I think, is the exception), there is a noticeable difference between the two fingerings. Just in case something like this should ever arise again, generally the fingering using the middle finger of the right hand is referred to as the "alternate F#" or "trill F#," to differentiate it from the "real fingering." Using one of these names should help avoid confusion when discussing this point in the future.
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ripoflutist
(52 points)
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The RH2 fingering can be used on a forte high f# to bring the pitch down. The regular fingering is quite high. There is little effect on the color on the high f#.
You should only use the RH2 fingerings on the low and middle f#'s when you are trilling from e to f#
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Flutist06
(1545 points)
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There are other instances where the alternate F# can be useful, such as in a passage involving an extremely fast G Major scale fragment. To say that the fingering only has one use limits yourself.
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Micron
(1760 points)
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WRitergirl125, you wrote, "Also, how often should I send in my flute to get professionally cleaned and checked?"
Cleaning, it's up to you. It's a cosmetic issue; some silver flutes are black all over and play perfectly. Cleaning can sometimes be as simple as dusting away the dust with a few stabs of a paint brush - 15 seconds. Or it could mean buffing keys to remove tarnish, which could well involve replpacing all soft materials - an overhaul costing hundreds of dollars.
As for servicing. This is a list I give my customers who ask when a flute should be serviced:
1. The membrane covering a pad is torn or punctured.
2. The sealing indentation on a pad is irregular in colour, maybe having a darker spot where there is a pin-sized hole.
3. Low notes are particularly difficult to play. They may get quickly more difficult from 'G' down to 'Low C'.
4. One or more keys have to be pressed extra hard to make a note sound well.
5. Second octave 'D' is more difficult to play than first octave 'B'. Test this with light finger pressure.
6. After a key is pressed it is reluctant to rise again, as if the spring is not strong enough. (The problem is normally not the spring.)
7. Wobbliness of pivots, usually between the 'D' key and the supporting 'post' next to it, or the 'Bb' key (just above the 'A' key) and the supporting 'post' next to it.
8. When the Low 'C' key roller is pressed down, without pressing on the Low C# key, the two pads ('Low C' & 'Low C#') do not close together.
9. The 'tenon' joints in the body of the flute are persistently loose to assemble, or persistently tight, in spite of being cleaned, say with cleaning alcohol.
10. The key mechanism is unusually noisy.
11. Regarding linkages: Some keys move together, e.g. the F Key and the ‘F# Key’ immediately above it. If they do not begin moving together, or their pads do not close exactly together, adjustment is needed.
12. Notes are sometimes easy to play, but sometimes particularly difficult, even though the player is 'in practice'.
13. The tone has substantially deteriorated for longer than a few "off" days, in spite of the player being in practice.
14. Tuning has changed substantially, and cannot be attributed to the air temperature, or the development of the player, or being out of practice.
15. The entire top octave has become unresponsive.
16. If the flute is a 'student' model and is new. Almost all student flutes (and some professional ones) need some adjustment before sale and don't normally get it! Further adjustment is normally needed within a year or two, after which, adjustments tend to be more stable.
17. You have had repair work done which was clearly incompetent.
IMPORTANT:
Twice yearly lubrication is advisable. Some instruments get away with less, depending on the corrosiveness of the player’s perspiration, the grade of lubricant, the accuracy of construction of the instrument, and how corrosion-resistant the pivot metal is. It is a good idea for the user to learn to lubricate the flute himself. A guidance sheet &/or demonstration are provided if needed.
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