Re: why does oiling a flute improve its responsiveness?
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 5:48 am
This is an update based on a recent oiling of one of my flutes (a keyless blackwood Olwell Nicholson model). I listened carefully to the sound after it was oiled and can now state that the improvement in sound is not all due to a 'newly washed car runs better' phenomenon as it has these objective characteristics:
(1) the overtone structure is richer -- the tone is more complex, has more edge, etc.
(2) possibly related to this, I was able to obtain one more partial of the harmonic series based on D than I normally can.
(3) the sound is louder for the same expenditure of breath.
(4) the notes speak more easily (e.g. across the break, octave jumps, bottom D, etc.)
I played the flute the morning before oiling it, then oiled it the morning of the following day, and on the morning of the third day swabbed out any excess oil (almond oil) and played it.
(1) the overtone structure is richer -- the tone is more complex, has more edge, etc.
(2) possibly related to this, I was able to obtain one more partial of the harmonic series based on D than I normally can.
(3) the sound is louder for the same expenditure of breath.
(4) the notes speak more easily (e.g. across the break, octave jumps, bottom D, etc.)
I played the flute the morning before oiling it, then oiled it the morning of the following day, and on the morning of the third day swabbed out any excess oil (almond oil) and played it.