How did you find out about the Murray flute?
Please tell us about your flute(s) – when it was made and by whom (or if unknown, where you found it)
I play a white gold Brannen-Cooper Murray system flute with a gold Lafin headjoint. Custom-made by Bic Brannen 2008.
Other Murray instruments in my collection include the FInale Lasewski scale Murray flute, Jack Moore 467, a Keefe piccolo, Opperman piccolo, Seaman piccolo, Yamaha piccolo with a converted foot joint, an Emerson alto and an Armstrong student prototype. (See Gallery for images.)
When did you switch to Murray flute and why?
At the end of my freshman year of university, I read the chapter on “The System of Fingering” in The Flute and Flute Playing by Theobald Boehm with particular attention to what he had to say about open versus closed G#. It made sense to me to carry his ideas one step further, as Alex had in his system of fingerings. I switched to the Murray system flute at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, MI, between my freshman and sophomore years of university.
How long did it take you to switch?
Eight weeks. I signed up to play a piece in a student recital each of the eight weeks of camp. Alex had a flute which he let me borrow that was just open G# and reversed thumb, which I played for the first half of the summer, then switched to full Murray for the last four weeks.
Do you play other fingering systems or other instruments in addition to your Murray instruments?
I do not play any other fingering systems.
Did you ever study with Alex Murray, and if so, how would you describe your experience?
I studied with Alex for four summers at Interlochen after my sophomore year of high school until my sophomore year of university. I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I studied with Alex and earned a BA in flute performance. I would describe studying with Alex as transformative. We kept in touch for the rest of his life. I feel fortunate to have visited him in London just a few months before he passed away. He opened my eyes to a whole new world of musical scholarship, musical phrasing, anthropology, Alexander Technique, Joseph Campbell, Al Huang, and life as a professional musician.
Did the murray flute change the way you play in any way?
Not really, it made some things easier immediately, for instance high E before split E was available for the common flute. I love using the right pinky to play F#.
What is your profession?
I play professionally in and around New York City. Please read my memorial to Alex on this website and visit my personal website, zuberflute.com.
