THE GLISSANDO HEADJOINT®

The Glissando Headjoint® gives flutists an entirely new mode of expression, bringing the instrument closer to the sound of the human voice.  It is a telescoping headjoint, with a high performance contemporary cut headjoint sliding inside a carrier tube!  Two "wings" extend from the lip plate and comfortably embrace the flutist’s cheeks.  Moving the flute to the right slides the headjoint from its "home position" (all the way in) and extends the length of the flute.  A downward glissando can be made from every note!  With the Glissando Headjoint® in its "home position," the flute is a traditional Boehm flute and all repertoire can be played as if a traditional headjoint was in use.  The Glissando Headjoint® can be positioned to tune the flute like any other headjoint.

New musical dimensions for the flutist

The Glissando Headjoint® is a radical re-imagining of the flute!  The flutist can now be fully expressive in styles that call for a flexible, liquid approach to pitch. Blues, Rock, Jazz, World Music, New Age and creative music of all types are dramatically enhanced with the Glissando Headjoint®.  The creative possibilities in old and new music are virtually limitless.

Inspired by the "whammy bar" on the electric guitar and the myriad of musical possibilities such a headjoint could bring, Robert Dick invented the Glissando Headjoint®.  Three flutemakers contributed to the evolution of the design; Eva Kingma, Kaspar Baechi and Bickford Brannen.  Now, the Glissando Headjoint® is introduced under Robert Dick’s own name!

The range that a given note may be glissed is between a major third to a major second, depending on the length of the air column.  Short air columns, such as first finger C natural, will gliss the farthest, down to Ab.  The longest air column, low B, can be glissed a whole step, down to clear and strong low A.  By starting with the slide pulled out all or part of its way, dramatic upward glissandi result from sliding the headjoint back to its "home position."

With a Glissando Headjoint®, the flute becomes two instruments in one.  It can be transformed in an instant from a traditional instrument into a totally new flute, in which every note can be made to flow seamlessly into its neighbors.  With complete freedom of dynamics and color, the flutist's full expressive range can be achieved with the headjoint in home position or with the slide extended for all or part of its travel.