This blog is dedicated to the sublime instruments called nose flutes and which produce the most divine sound ever. We have chosen to discard all the native models from S. Pacific and Asia, for they need fingering to be played. We'll concentrate on "buccal cavity driven" nose flutes : the well patented and trademarked metal or plastic ones, plus, by a condemnable indulgence, some wooden craft or home-made productions.

Nov 1, 2014

New Nose Flutes by Martina Sommer

I recently received two Nasenflöten by Martina Sommer, and it is the right opportunity to make an update. Indeed, we have already made a review of Martina Sommer's nose flutes (check this 2011 post please), but her instruments have a bit elvolved and the the way to get them has changed: no more at sommer-musik.de, which page is dedicated to Martin Sommer's music, but on de.dawanda.com or by direct contact ( musik-zeit[at]gmx[dot]de ).

In fact, few things have changed: Martina's nose flutes are hand made with nice woods, and each instrument is unique in its shape and wood combinations. But it seems that Mrs Sommer experiments with more complex shapes, including asymmetrical ones.



I got two nose flutes of rather elaborate shapes, one symmetric using curves, and one asymmetric only made of angles. They were provided with an user manual, a cardboard box and equipped with a leather neck cord.

The first one is made of hornbeam and robinia, and shows lateral edges taht have been filed into a watermelon slice shape. On the airway cover, a central depression has also been filed: those cuts are an help to grip the nose flute and press it under the nose, either with 2 fingers, or with adding one in the middle.

The second one (cherry + walnut wood)is even more interesting, with its asymmetrical shape. It definitively has a great look, very angular, like a stealth F117 airplane.

As expected with Martina Sommer's production, the craftsmanship is precise and neat. However, a soft sanding on the fipple would be nice for a perfect finish.



Unfortunately, the "technical parts" have stayed the same since our first review. The airway (which is not rectangular but rounded) is far too thick to provide a real "air blade": it measures up to 3 mm at the maximum of the rounded canal. Then, the mouth hole, which is a perfect circular hole, is also far too big in heigth (1 cm of diameter, while we know that .6 or .7 are the max: Heinrich Handler's Nasenflöten have a 3 mm high mouth hole and works like in paradise!).

So, all in all, a thick airway plus a too high mouth hole make the Sommer's nose flutes sound weak and windy. You have too blow strongly in them, and get a rather medium quality of sound. Schade, sehr schade. Yes, alas, because those nose flutes are beautiful and made with care, for a decent price (20€).



6 comments:

  1. Love the cubist air duct cover; the asymmetrical nose flute is a great design as an object! I only wish any new design would contribute to an improved sound. If wood is the chosen material, make it in such a way that it will sound as a proper wooden flute. That is what the nose flute as an instrument could really use: an extended and improved basic sound!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, my prefered one is also the asymmetric stealth one! Great design!

      Delete
  2. Wow- those look amazing! Beautiful and unique craftsmanship. It's a shame about the sound; perhaps she will make a modification to future models.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mary-Anne! Well, I think solving this problem would lead to a change in the making and the fipple design...

      Delete
  3. I think €20.- is a fair price for the quality of the craftmanship. Any such artisan should be able to make a 'razorblade' labium! Great to see that you are still around, Mary-Anne!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree, it is a pity that those beautiful, nicely done instruments are so weak in terms of sound quality. Sehr schade!

    ReplyDelete