Description
Azumi flutes are a combination of handmade headjoints, produced by the world renowned Altus, with a high quality flute body and mechanism (produced by Azumi). The headjoint design is one of the most important elements in influencing the characteristic of any flute´s tone. The significance of the headjoint inspired the founder of Azumi flutes – Shuichi Tanaka to produce a handmade headjoint combined with a flute body that is affordable, yet of a high production quality which led to combining the Azumi flute body with a handmade Altus headjoint. With this vision the Azumi flute series was born – to satisfy the different demands of the intermediate and the more advanced musician. The ethos behind Azumi flutes is to offer players a flute with which they can develop their playing to advanced levels at an affordable price.
The Azumi AZ-Z2E is supplied with an Altus Z-Cut headjoint which is designed to offer ease of articulation with projection and precise focus of tone. Usually reserved for professional models, all Azumi Flutes feature pointed key arms for an elegant and refined look, improved key strength, and even pad wear. The headjoint is .925 silver, while the body tube and keywork are all silver plated nickel silver. The AZ-Z2E has closed hole keywork with offset G key and split E mechanism – this 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. The split E mechanism is only available with offset G keys.
The Altus/Bennett scale is used on all Azumi flutes. The “scale” of an instrument 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. 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 flute maker Shuichi Tanaka along with Bennett admired Albert Cooper’s scale work and made some modifications of their own, creating the Altus/Bennett scale. 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 colour to the sound and is more flexible.
- Altus handmade Z-Cut .925 silver headjoint
- Silver plated body and mechanism
- Pointed French style key arms
- Closed hole, offset G
- Split E mechanism
- Supplied in hard case with outer cover
- Pitch A = 442Hz
The story of Azumi flutes began in the autumn of 2002 in Azumino, Japan, home of Altus since inception. The Azumi logo pays homage to the beauty of Azumino, depicting majestic mountains reflected in calming waters. The close connection between Azumi and Altus began to unfold from this partnership of Altus and Azumi. The very shape of these mountain peaks suggests the twin letter A’s that announce the arrival of these brands. The harmony between Altus and Azumi ensures a shared elegance that is bound to inspire, through a legacy of exquisite balance between technological advancement and traditional handmade craftsmanship.
Azumi flutes are available in two different series:
The Z series for easy articulation, powerful and precise focus of tone
The S series for beautiful open tone with increased positive resistance
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