Tonettes, Song Flutes, Flutophones, and Precorders
Tonettes, Song Flutes,
Flutophones, and Precorders
by Howard
Fosdick 03/05/2019
An article on cheap plastic flutes? Surely I jest! Actually, no.
There are a whole host of reasons to familiarize yourself with
these instruments -- even if you never play them.
Perhaps the biggest one is simply that they've introduced tens of
millions of American schoolchildren to music. You probably
remember tooting one yourself.
These simple flutes are inexpensive, easy to clean, portable, and
nearly indestructible. They fit small hands and make playing
scales intuitive. They're often described as pre-band instruments.
The idea is that kids start on an instrument that's as fun and
approachable as a toy in grade school and then graduate to concert
instruments as they mature. It's no surprise we view these cheap
flutes as the perfect means to start youngsters in their musical
education. 80 years of experience proves it's so.
Oh, and there's one more reason to discuss these flutes. You might
actually enjoy playing them! They're not all just for kids. We'll
listen to sound clips that show how even these simple instruments
can act as vehicles for true musical expression.
History
The pre-band concept starts in the late 1930s with the inventions
of the tonette and the song flute. These little
black flutes quickly become familiar to a generation of
schoolchildren as they establish themselves as ubiquitous in
primary education. The U.S. government even produces tonettes for
military personnel during World War II.
Trophy's flutophone joins the competition in 1943. The company
claims their flute has since been the introductory instrument for
some 50
million children. The flutophone's
sales really take off several decades after its introduction. Talk
to someone who grew up in the 40s, 50s or 60s, and they probably
remember their tonette or song flute. Talk to someone who grew up
in the decades since, and they're more likely to recall their
flutophone.
Today, the tonette has fallen to the wayside and is no longer
produced. Meanwhile, Suzuki introduced their precorder , which to all
appearances looks like an updated, modernized tonette. New
competitors have emerged, too, such as low-end plastic recorders
and ocarinas. In this article we'll leave these last two to others
and keep the focus on traditional pre-band flutes. Let's take a
detailed look at tonettes, song flutes, flutophones, and
precorders.
Top to Bottom: 2 Song Flutes, white Flutophone,
Gemshorn,
photo courtesy of Andreas)
Red and Black Tonettes
Tonettes
The tonette was invented in the late 1930s by Ziegner Swanson. A
variety of companies have manufactured them since including The
Tonette Company, Chicago Musical Instrument Co., Swanson, Gibson,
and Dimestore Dreams/Binary Arts Corp. On each instrument, a
stamped imprint just below the mouthpiece identifies it as a
tonette by the words "Tonette", "Swanson", or "Gibson".
These
photos at Ebay show how a variety of
tonettes look. Over the decades they've been made in every color
of the rainbow, yet for some reason, black predominates. They
measure 7.5 to 8.5 inches long and a bit over an inch at their
widest point. Most have a tapered end, though some feature a bell
reminiscent of a clarinet. It's important to note that all
tonettes have closed ends. (Even those with the flared bell, which
is purely decorative and serves no function.) Inspect the end of
your plastic flute -- if it has an open end, it is not a
tonette.
The closed end means that tonettes are vessel
flutes, instruments that rely
on resonance within a closed air chamber for their voice. In fact,
they're inline
ocarinas, or vessel flutes
that extend straight out from the mouth with a row of fingering
holes. This design is largely responsible for their unique timbre.
Though they look like cylindrical bore flutes, tonettes sound more
like the plastic ocarinas they are.
Many tonettes consist of a single piece of molded plastic and are
not tunable. Others come with a removable mouthpiece. This permits
tuning and easier cleaning, too. A few even sport a removable bell
or tail.
As with the other three instruments in this article, you
progressively lift your fingers to play
the
scale. Finger holes are raised so
they're easier for youngsters to fully cover than those of
recorders with their flat, unadorned holes. They're close together
for small hands. The goal is to make playing as easy and intuitive
as possible.
The tonal range of the all instruments in this article is C5
through D6. That starts an octave higher than middle C on the
piano (C4) and includes only 9 whole notes. With tonettes you can
easily extend that range two notes higher. You'll notice the
instrument includes molded position rests for your left hand pinky
finger and your right hand thumb. Simply take a pen knife and
carefully hollow out these two finger rests to transform them into
holes. Now you've extended your range to C5 through F6.
Modification does not affect the instrument's sound beyond adding
a couple extra notes. So why weren't they sold this way? My guess
is that the designer believed the instrument was easier to learn
without the two extra holes. The tonette's extended range compares
favorably to the competitors I'll describe below.
Tonette sound quality varies. Tonettes were manufactured over many
decades by different companies using different molds. The
best-sounding ones consist of a hard, dense plastic. They have a
shiny, smooth, reflective surface and project a clear, lively
voice. Many poor ones are made from a lightweight, textured
plastic with a black matte finish. These date from the
instrument's later years. They're often too breathy or airy, more
toy than musical instrument. Some have intonation issues.
My quality tonettes play whole tones accurately. They play all
sharps and flats between C5 and F6 except for low C# and high D#
(you must half-hole to play these). Chromatic fingering can vary
across instruments due to slight differences in intonation. Like
all ocarinas, tonettes require higher breath pressure to hit the
highest notes in tune.
Let's listen to sound samples. Here's a short swing
riff on a World War II army-issue
tonette. This
soulful
rendition of "Amazing Grace"
demonstrates the power of the instrument in the right hands. (Note
the shiny high-quality tonette in the video.) These students
performing Scarborough
Fair and The
Shire Theme show how typical players
can enjoy themselves while making decent music.
You can hear tonettes in professionally produced music in the
Gross Concerto by P.D.Q. Bach and Pressed
Rat and Warthog by the rock group
Cream. Don't you just love those little flutes singing in the
background?
Song Flutes
The song
flute was invented in the late 1930s
by Elver J. Fitchhorn. With its similar size, black plastic body,
molded fipple, and raised fingerholes, it looks so like the
tonette that people often confuse the two.
Yet there are differences. First, this flute is still actively
produced and marketed by Conn-Selmer. (Conn and Selmer merged in
2003). As you can see from Ebay
photos, it carries the stamped
identifier "Song Flute" and/or the makers mark of Fitchhorn,
Selmer, Conn-Selmer, or Conn.
Second, the instrument lacks the two dummy finger holes found on
the tonette. You can't modify its pitch range. Like the flutophone
and precorder, its range is limited to C5 through D6.
Third, the song flute features a long, gently flared tail. That's
how you can distinguish it from a tonette. Fourth, that tail is
open-ended.
Song Flute
(photo
courtesy Amazon )
Is it an ocarina? I'd say it's not a true vessel flute due to its
open end. Others point
out that the open end is so small
that the instrument still produces sound as a Helmholtz
resonator. They claim the acoustical
physics are more those of a chamber flute than a cylindrical bore
flute.
Modern song flutes are black plastic and non-tunable. Conn-Selmer
advertises the instrument as always in tune due to its one piece
construction. Those I've tried are in tune with themselves on the
whole notes but somewhat lacking on the sharps and flats. Like the
tonette, you can play most but not all chromatic notes. You have
to half-hole to get low C#, which is difficult unless you're
practiced.
How does it sound? Look closely and you'll see that not all song
flutes look exactly the same. Older ones with a smooth, shiny,
hard surface sound best. Newer ones with a slightly textured
surface or matte finish often sound inferior. Exactly as with
tonettes, manufacturers altered the plastic at some point. My
experience has been that the older material sounds better.
Here's a
professional musician showing what a
song flute can do. His performance proves that even simple
instruments can express musical beauty. Here's a Youtube
clip that demonstrates the
instrument's educational uses.
If you'd like to try a song flute yourself, Amazon presently offers
them at the rock-bottom price of
$4.99 USD. If quality sound is your goal, I recommend you seek a
shiny-smooth older model on Ebay.
Flutophones
The flutophone
is an attractive
two-color plastic instrument with an ornamental bell. Since its
introduction in 1943, it has sold to the tune of 35
million.
Flutophone
(photos
courtesy Amazon )
You can view various flutophones in these
Ebay
photos. The catchy dual-color scheme
is either a white body with red decoration or a black body with
white trim. This appeals more to the eye than black tonettes or
song flutes. The separate mouthpiece allows you to tune and clean
the instrument.
Like some tonettes, the flutophone features a decorative bell at
its base. The bell doesn't appear to project sound. Inside it is a
small hole. Given that these products are designed with young
children in mind, I'd speculate that the little hole is there more
to drain moisture than determine timbre. (Although if you cover it
the sound suffers.)
Makers marks for the flutophone include Trophy, Grover-Trophy, 1st
Note, Thompson, and Music Treasures Co. You might also encounter
this instrument bearing the name the alto
horn.
Fingering is nearly identical for the four flutes we're
discussing, as this fingering
chart shows. Some differences show
up among the sharps and flats. Here's a fingering
chart
specifically for the flutophone that
includes its full chromatics. Just like the other flutes in this
article, halftones require cross-fingering. The flutophone
features a double-hole to help you play low C#, which neither the
tonette or nor song flute provide. However it lacks the additional
low D# hole of the precorder, so you must cross-finger that note.
And the sound? The one I toyed with years ago did not play in tune
with itself as the lower notes were off-key. I see that several reviewers
at Amazon mention this same concern. Yet many, many more reviewers
rave
about their flutophones.
Listen and decide for yourself. Here's a fun snippet of a speed
flutist really going to
town on his flutophone. This
dexterious performance similarly
demonstrates its utility in quick-fingered tunes. This
original composition gives you a
better idea of the flutophone's timbre and intonation.
Here's one
of
several videos that show how regular
folks with everyday skills can employ the flutophone to create
inventive, original music. That's the great benefit to humble folk
instruments, isn't it? Access to creative tools at minimal cost.
Fun for everyone!
Here's how students
sound when they play the instrument.
And here's a robot
playing the flutophone at Carnegie
Mellon University. You can buy a flutophone for under
$10
USD.
Precorders
The newest competitor among pre-band flutes is the Suzuki Precorder. The precorder
looks like a modernized tonette. Its open end perhaps makes it
more like a song flute acoustically.
Precorder
(photo courtesy Amazon )
Like the flutophone, the precorder has a removable mouthpiece for
tuning and cleaning. The translucent red and blue versions allow
you to see if moisture has built up inside, so you can easily open
up the instrument to dry it.
The precorder has double-holes on both low notes to make it easier
to finger low C# and D#. And it's fully chromatic. Its fingering
chart is more clear than most because it includes both diatonic
notes and chromatics but does not confuse beginners by
interspersing them. The precorder and the flutophone beat the
tonette and the song flute when it comes to playing all sharps and
flats.
Suzuki's well-thought-out precorder package comes complete with a
cloth storage bag, neck strap, fingering chart, and stickers.
Quite a deal for only
$8.68
USD. It's my personal pick for young
children from among the current pre-band flutes. You can learn
more about it at Suzuki's
product
webpage.
Unlike tonettes or song flutes or flutophones, which have evolved
over the decades, all precorders are the same. Only Suzuki makes
them and to my knowledge no variations exist. This is a big
benefit to those who require product consistency, for example, in
classroom teaching. It also means all precorders sound the same.
Is that good?
The good news is that the instrument is tunable and includes all
chromatics in its C5 to D6 range. It's easy to hit notes and stay
in tune with proper intonation. The one challenging note is high
D, which you must blow accurately to attain. Overall I'd
characterize the precorder's sound as mediocre but well suited to
its purpose. It compares favorably to the late-issue song flutes
and tonettes I've played. Playing in a location with natural
resonance greatly enhances its appeal. Here's a short sound
clip and another
with added reverb.
The precorder targets children and its limitations make perfect
sense if you review Suzuki's line of instruments. For just a few
dollars more, you can opt for either their one-piece
or three-piece
beginner recorders. As the entry-level product, the precorder does
a fine job fulfilling its role as musical toy-instrument for kids.
Conclusion
These four plastic flutes make fun kids' toys and great
first musical instruments. They're incredibly cheap, largely
indestructible, kid-safe, portable, and about as easy to play as
any instrument you can name. Their 80-year legacy proves their
value.
For
kids,
I'd recommend Suzuki's precorder. For under $10 USD you get a
complete package including a cloth carrying-bag and a
well-designed pre-band instrument.
For musicians, I recommend tonettes and song flutes made from the
original glossy-smooth plastic. These project a uniquely appealing
voice, especially when played in a hall or stairwell with natural
resonance. They're no longer manufactured so you'll have to buy
them from a website that deals in used items, such as eBay.
One thing for sure. Pre-band flutes all score high in nostalgia.
Seeing one always brings a smile to those who recall them from
their schooldays.
Summary Chart
|
Tonette:
|
Song Flute:
|
Flutophone:
|
Precorder:
|
Closed End:
|
yes
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
Range:
|
C5-F6 *
|
C5-D6
|
C5-D6
|
C5-D6
|
Chromatics:
|
most
|
most
|
yes
|
yes
|
Low C# hole:
|
no
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
Low D# hole:
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
yes
|
Tunable:
|
varies **
|
no ***
|
yes
|
yes
|
Colors:
|
various with
black common
|
black
|
attractive
two-tone
|
red, blue,
or gray
|
In Production:
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
Manufacturer:
|
none
|
Conn-Selmer
|
Grover-Trophy
|
Suzuki
|
* Assuming
modification ** Some tonettes are one-piece
and non-tunable, others are two-piece and tunable.
*** Modern song flutes are black, one-piece, and not tunable,
but I can't aver no historical variations exist
Nostalgia !
Images courtesy of Amazon
jan@flutenet.com.
All text and graphics, Copyright © Howard Fosdick, The Flute Network and others, 2019. All rights reserved.
*******************************************************************************