I’ve been working on my Taffanel and Gaubert this summer to shore up some aspects of my flute technique. The very methodical, repetitive nature of those etudes made me aware of some tension in my left hand. My hands are fairly large, and my hand was tending to collapse inward somewhat.
For less than $8, I decided it was worthwhile to try the Bo-Pep Flute Finger Rest, which is designed to help with this problem. It’s a little plastic thing that clips onto the flute’s body, allowing a more open hand position.
It looks like this…
…and clips on like this. No adhesives or tools required. Installs in one second. Having tried it, I have no concerns for the safety of my flute’s finish.
Works like a charm!
It comes with a little fabric bag, presumably for storage. My flute fits just fine in its case with the finger rest installed, but even if it didn’t, it would be no problem to snap it on or off as needed.
The verdict: a cheap, effective, and dead-simple flute customization. It immediately opened up my hand position and helped a lot with the tension. Now back to Taffanel and Gaubert…
Bo-Pep also makes a Finger Saddle (for smaller hands, I think) and a Thumb Guide.
This is a big issue for this doubler, well that and not having taken lessons on the flute. Thanks for the review. I’ve ordered one and a stand for my desk so that I can start making progress. That and the McKenna custom head should make playing the flute mostly a matter of lessons and practice.
olá..tenho o mesmo problema de dedos longos..e aqui no Brasil não consigo comprar…tem como vc me enviar um jogo…para mao direita e mao esquerda?
Grato
I have just ordered one. Has anyone tried putting moleskin on top of it to make it softer on the index finger? With relatively large (and 76yo) hands, serious and extensive practice is painful, and a piece of plastic probably won’t ease that very much.
TDinDC
Do you have this for Alto flutes?