Product Reviews: Brannen Brothers Silver Key Extension

I’m a mature flutist with rheumatoid arthritis, so I was curious about the Brannen key extensions. Unfortunately, Brannen seems to only sell them to Brannen flute owners or flute dealerships. I found that Just Flutes sells them individually and they even offered to try one on a similar model flute in their shop for me to see if it would fit before sending it out! I’m happy to say it fits my flute great and has made my hand positioning much more comfortable. I hope to play many more years! And I have already returned to Just Flutes for another major purchase that also went just great.

For those considering switching to an offline G, this little plugin extension is an absolute godsend. I love my Burkart Professional paired with a Fauslisi headjoint with 14k lipplate. This pairing for me is pretty much end-game.

But: as I am now middle aged I find the tension in my neck when I play extended periods of time growingly difficult to cope with. I even considered selling it for an offline flute. ..

And along came the key-extension which I didn't even know about. I ordered one straight away after consulting Justflutes which one to buy.

So it arrived and fitted snugly in the G-key immediately. And it really does transform the flute in to an offset!

Pros:
- Lightweight
- Adjustable rubber ring via screw on bottom for fitting
- Well made
- Easily pivoted to your preferred finger position
- Removable if you do sometimes need an open G-Key
- Will fit on many vintage flutes which have offset options like my silver Louis Lot

Cons:
- You lose the open hole when fitted
- Optically maybe not as pretty as the original keywork (but who actually cares...)
- Will obviously not fit on a closed hole. (Maybe an Idea to create one Brannen?)
- If you have various flutes on stage, you might have different sizes, so in that case buy one for each. Otherwise it is an easy switch.

I believe that this nifty little extension key is an answer to those who may want to buy an inline flute, which find less popularity these days. So many beautifully made inline flutes out there..

For those with gold keywork: Give it to a goldsmith, gold plating cost little...