|
|
Frequently Asked Questions |
|
|
Q: How can I try a Lopatin flute or head joint? A: The Lopatin Flute Company exhibits at a number of regional events each year as well as the National Flute Association's annual convention. Instruments can be tried at these events. Head joints are available for immediate purchase and orders for flute are accepted. Visitors to the western North Carolina area can visit our workshop simply by calling for an appointment. Private showings can sometimes be arranged while we are in that region for a flute show, if there is sufficient interest. For example, if a professor at a college has a class who would be interested in trying Lopatin instruments, they can contact us to see if such a meeting may be feasible while we are attending a flute show in that area. These showings are usually scheduled to coincide with the events listed on our Events page. It is also sometimes possible to send instruments out for trial. |
|||||||
|
Q: What is the idea behind the SquareONE design? A: With square tone holes, the air column arrives at a straight edge. This means that the air column for the note you are fingering is a uniform length. This gives the flute great clarity, fast response, and a unique tone quality. Click here to read our paper, Discussion of the Square Tone Hole Flute to see illustrations which show in more detail how this works. |
|||||||
|
Q: Why should I buy a Lopatin flute? What makes them special? A: Being a flutist myself, and one who has always demanded a lot from a flute, I know how I want a flute to sound, feel, and look. But that could lead a flute maker to design flutes only to his personal taste and not that of his customers, so I have learned to listen carefully to what players tell me. I never stop trying to learn those things which help me make flutes that satisfy a broad range of players. I strive to make an instrument to my standards and to your taste. Also important is the attention I give to detail. Some of these may be so small as to be visible only to me. Details of this kind may seem insignificant when considered individually, but taken all together, they help create an instrument of unequalled refinement. That is time well spent. |
|||||||
|
Q: Are all your head joints cut the same way? A: As you will see on the Head Joints page, there are three distinct styles offered: the Scherzo, the Lopatin style, and the Modern Traditional. Each has its own character. The Scherzo is fiery and brilliant. The Lopatin is smooth, rich, and colorful. The Modern Traditional is dark and powerful. |
|||||||
|
Q: How long have you been making flutes? A: I have been making flutes for just over 20 years. I began working at Brannen Brothers in 1979 but, after a while, switched to part-time in order to do more playing. By 1989, the first SquareONE had been completed. With that, the Lopatin Flute Company was born. Although I started producing the SquareONE in 1989, I usually say that the Lopatin Flute Company was established in 1994 because that is when I officially separated from Brannen and began to make conventional flutes in addition to the SquareONE. For more information on my training, please see the page that talks about my career. |
|||||||
|
Q: You were once the piccolo player with the Metropolitan Opera. Why did you leave a position like that to go into flutemaking? A: From the time I started playing the flute, I was curious about how the flute worked and how they were made. Long before I learned to make flutes, I had begun to formulate ideas for improvements and changes. Although I was (and like to think I still am) an excellent player, I think that there are others who can do an equally fine job interpreting the piccolo parts in operas. It seemed, though, that my ideas about the flute were more original. If they were to become a reality, it was clear I would have to be the one to make it so. |
|||||||