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NEWS
12.20.2009
REVIEW FOR PICCOLOIST.COM
Recently I was given the chance to try a stopper plug made by Mark
Seidman of seidmanflutetechnology.com.
Initially intrigued by the interesting shape of the little gadget, I
wasn't thinking that it was going to make a huge difference in my
overall sound. I had tried a few others before this particular plug.
Most were similar in material, having being made of Delrin, or just
your traditional headjoint cork. The little plug is very well put
together and has 3 "O" rings which the maker claims "for just the
right dampening of balance and tone control".
One downfall was my own responsibility. The cork in my headjoint was
almost 2 years old and was not easy to get out. It literally had to be
broken apart since it was glued on to the little metal plate quite
good! After getting through that, installing Mark's stopper plug was
extremely simple. Mark gives you step-by-step installation
instructions on his website.
The very first thing that stood out was that my lower register just
seemed to "pop" out (in the words of Emeril, "BAM!"). I'm used to
playing on a colorful headjoint that I absolutely love, but all of a
sudden the notes seemed to feel more powerful and have a bit more life
to them. I thought that playing up through the registers that I would
lose some vibrancy or quality due to the low register's new
brilliancy. Not the case! Both my middle and high registers were not
affected by Mark's plug and the flute just seemed to play more
effortlessly than it ever did before! Tone and pitch were not affected
at all.
Consider playing low-register passages from "Syrinx" or parts from the
Khachaturian "Concerto". For articulation, try the allegro from Bach's
"Sonata in C Major". For the high register, I played Ran's "East Wind"
and overall found that something like the Dutilleux "Sonatine" was a
good piece for all three registers. However, a student flutist would
fare well on just their scales.
The sound is not brassy, nor is it fake or shrill. I still sound like
me, but I feel more powerful and feel like I am projecting more. I
imagine something like this would work wonders in most flutes,
especially for those who are seeking a new headjoint or flute. Perhaps
you wouldn't need to go there quite yet....
Consider trying a stopper plug made by Mark Seidman before spending
thousands on a new headjoint. He does give you a 7 day money-back
guarantee and for only $25 (which includes shipping, $10 more for
international) it is a steal! Mark himself says, "no other stopper
plug in the world creates this shape space around the tubing for
maximum resonance".
I played on my new setup for the first time in a recent Christmas
concert with my orchestra and have not taken it out since! The other
flutist in the orchestra also tried my flute and agreed that it
sounded great! Overall I would rate this an A+ buy because of the
final result being so positive. Go get one for a flutist for
Christmas!
For more information on the stopper plug by Mark Seidman or to
purchase, please visit Mark's website at
Seidman Flute Technology
(Cristina Ledford tested the Seidman Flute Stopper Plug on a .017
Silver Muramatsu flute with a Silver Lopatin headjoint and a 14K
riser)
06.27.2009
Leonard Lopatin gives us a sneek peek at the new SquareONE Piccolo!
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