Hey...Ive had an older flute for almost a year now (8 Key Concert flute) , and i played it like crazy. We'll say between 1 1/2 to 2 hours every day. And the tones i was getting out of it were great! However its the only concert flute ive played for long periods of time and i dont have much to compair it too. I dried it and made sure it was fully dry after playing it, and if i was playing for a long time, id dry it up a little. And id like to say i kept decent care of it, how ever, i never oiled it.
I was in a musicial for a while, and went about a good week with out solid worth while practice. I noticed after a few days i was haveing a hard time getting sound out of it. Uper octive was fine, but E D and C weren't there. I first thought it was just me haveign a "bad day" but it has seemed to have lasted for a while now. Is it possibal it could have been broken by somebody during the show? (I kept it backstage in the green room) Theres no obv. signs of a crack, or a bad key...or the ebrouchure hole being messed up. Any ideas? Thanks alot!
Usual problem is key not closing - perhaps it got bumped? If F is OK but E isn't, I'd check the F keys carefully. A suck and blow test on the right hand section should reveal the problem.
If hwoever you feel it's gradually getting worse as you go down the flute, the problem could be a tiny leak in the left hand. Again a suck and blow test should help find it.
You should be able to pull a vacuum on either piece, and it should be hard to blow the keys off their seats.
OUCH!!! I feel for your flute... Terry's suggestion is likely the main problem in this case...
'CASE!?!' ~ are you carrying it around in a sack? A decent case, if you really love it, is a must, and not just any old box, something providing inside cushioning and a humidifier of some sort...
If C# and C are pewter plugs, try blowing directly into the tone holes. On mine, I find that invisible crud sometimes accumulates and keeps the key from closing. Check it out and see if it helps. Usually only affects the lowest notes.
well I use cork greese on it everytime. I'm pretty sure it is a key problem.
And yes i have a hard flute case, but i was playing the flute in one of the scenes and i had to leave it on the table between scenes due to a quick change. Thanks for the help!
Flute Broken?
Flute Broken?
Hey...Ive had an older flute for almost a year now (8 Key Concert flute) , and i played it like crazy. We'll say between 1 1/2 to 2 hours every day. And the tones i was getting out of it were great! However its the only concert flute ive played for long periods of time and i dont have much to compair it too. I dried it and made sure it was fully dry after playing it, and if i was playing for a long time, id dry it up a little. And id like to say i kept decent care of it, how ever, i never oiled it.
I was in a musicial for a while, and went about a good week with out solid worth while practice. I noticed after a few days i was haveing a hard time getting sound out of it. Uper octive was fine, but E D and C weren't there. I first thought it was just me haveign a "bad day" but it has seemed to have lasted for a while now. Is it possibal it could have been broken by somebody during the show? (I kept it backstage in the green room) Theres no obv. signs of a crack, or a bad key...or the ebrouchure hole being messed up. Any ideas? Thanks alot!
# Posted on May 9th 2008 by tinwhistler10
Re: Flute Broken?
Usual problem is key not closing - perhaps it got bumped? If F is OK but E isn't, I'd check the F keys carefully. A suck and blow test on the right hand section should reveal the problem.
If hwoever you feel it's gradually getting worse as you go down the flute, the problem could be a tiny leak in the left hand. Again a suck and blow test should help find it.
You should be able to pull a vacuum on either piece, and it should be hard to blow the keys off their seats.
Terry
# Posted on May 9th 2008 by Terry McGee
Re: Flute Broken?
They can leak around the stopper in the headjoint too.
# Posted on May 9th 2008 by Crackpot
Re: Flute Broken?
"~ how ever, i never oiled it." ~ tinwhistler10
OUCH!!! I feel for your flute... Terry's suggestion is likely the main problem in this case...
'CASE!?!' ~ are you carrying it around in a sack? A decent case, if you really love it, is a must, and not just any old box, something providing inside cushioning and a humidifier of some sort...
# Posted on May 9th 2008 by ceolachan
Re: Flute Broken?
If C# and C are pewter plugs, try blowing directly into the tone holes. On mine, I find that invisible crud sometimes accumulates and keeps the key from closing. Check it out and see if it helps. Usually only affects the lowest notes.
# Posted on May 9th 2008 by Ailin
Re: Flute Broken?
well I use cork greese on it everytime. I'm pretty sure it is a key problem.
And yes i have a hard flute case, but i was playing the flute in one of the scenes and i had to leave it on the table between scenes due to a quick change. Thanks for the help!
# Posted on May 10th 2008 by tinwhistler10