Azumi AZ2SRBEO Intermediate Flute, Split E, Silver Head, Offset G
SKU: AZ2SRBEO
The Azumi Z2 Flute
Azumi’s Z Series flutes are designed with the advancing flutist in mind. The Azumi body features the Altus-Bennet scale which offers excellent intonation, carefully tuned harmonics, and balanced registers. The Azumi Z Series Flute comes with an Altus Professional .925 Sterling Silver Z-cut Headjoint which features a hand-cut embouchure hole with a wider, rectangular shape to provide a quick, free response and large tone throughout the range of the flute.
Altus Sterling Silver Z-Cut Headjoint
Incorporating a more rectangular embouchure hole with minimal over and undercutting,
this headjoint produces a quick response without sacrificing flexibility or control.
The sound is open and free, providing modern tonal color.
Silver-plated Nickel Silver Body, Keys, & Mechanism with Altus-Bennett Scale
Based on the work and recommendations of renowned British flutist William Bennett, the Altus Scale offers excellent intonation, carefully tuned harmonics, and balanced registers.
Altus flutemaker Shuichi Tanaka along with Bennett admired Albert Cooper’s scale work and made some modifications of their own, creating the Altus/Bennett scale. The Altus/Bennett scale is used on all Altus and Azumi flutes. The precise intonation not only makes these flutes effortless to play in tune, it also enhances the resonance of the instrument. A more resonant flute has more depth and color to the sound and is more flexible.
It may help to explain exactly what is meant by the “scale” of an instrument. The instrument’s scale is the relationship of the tone holes to each other, the size of each hole, and the distance of the tone holes from the embouchure. The musician will play with better intonation while expending less effort with a well-built scale.
Open Holes
An open hole flute has holes at the center of the A, G, F, E, and D keys. Open holes are the standard among intermediate flutes and are the preference of the majority of flutists.
Playing open holes requires and therefore develops fingering accuracy that is not essential on plateau keys. Open holes can be used for effects such as bending and shading, and the player can crack some holes to bring the pitch back up when playing softly on high register notes. Some clever trills make use of the open hole venting for better pitch. All Azumi flutes have open holes.
B Footjoint
The flute’s footjoint can be built to low C or B. The B foot reaches down to a low B, one half-step lower than the C footjoint. It has one more key and the length of the tube is extended by about one inch.
The B footjoint also adds weight to the overall instrument which increases resistance and results in producing an overall darker tone versus the brighter tone of a C footjoint. The B footjoint improves the overall pitch of the third octave.
Offset G and Split-E Mechanism
Offset G keys are offset slightly from the rest of the keys and are mounted on separate posts. A growing number of flutists prefer the comfort and hand position on the offset G flute.
The Split E mechanism is designed to make the high E more responsive. This mechanism physically splits the double G keys. When playing G, the keys behave as normal, closing both of the G keys.
When fingering high E, the mechanism closes the lower of the two G keys. This creates ideal venting for this note and therefore makes this usually troublesome note very stable. The high E speaks easier, and slurs from high A to E are much easier.
- French Style Case with cover
- Cleaning Rod
- Polishing Cloth
- Swab