Can you "blow out" a flute?

fluti31415 · Post by **fluti31415** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 5:26 pm

OK, here's what I mean by this. After a number of years (fewer if you don't take care of it, and more if you do), an oboe will very often get "blown out." For some reason or other, the sound of the instrument becomes brighter; the instrument loses its richness of tone. Sometimes the pitch raises, if not overall, then certainly in parts of the scale. A lot of times, you can see that the bore is textured, instead of smooth, like it is on a new instrument.

Does this happen on flutes, too? Does the wood make a difference? Oboes are usually made of grenadila, but sometimes (rarely) of cocobola or rosewood.

brianormond · Post by **brianormond** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:03 pm

-Not a flutemaker here, but a flute could have the bore dressed/rebored as Casey Burns does in tuneups. Mine is due a tuneup, but I can't bear not having it around and haven't sent it to him yet. -Dunno about the pitch increase you mention or whether type of wood makes a difference. Any more experienced fluters care to comment?

Terry McGee · Post by **Terry McGee** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:18 pm

Certainly can. The "edge" of old flutes becomes rounded, presumably just under the constant stream of damp warm air directed at it. This polishing makes a flute sound warmer at first, but as the wear increases, the second octave starts to sound dull and is harder to "find". With further wear, the whole flute becomes harder to play. Pop on a new head, and the owner is stunned.

Some have argued that the original players liked their flutes warm and fuzzy like that, but Nicholson for one was in favour of an ivory plug at the embouchure hole so that the hole was cut in ivory rather than wood, the harder material capable of withstanding wear much better.

Terry

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:45 pm

Shoot, I've googled but can't find it, but there was an interesting article about a guy who was "restoring" blown out oboe and clarinets (I think clarinets) with some oil immersion treatment - supposedly brought them right back to life.

I wish I could find it.

Eric

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 9:02 pm

Isn't this somewhat the same reason for adding a silver lip plate to the head, so that the embouchure's edge is made of metal and will therefore last longer?

djm

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 9:53 pm

1/2 the forum is probably wondering how Delrin holds up.

lixnaw · Post by **lixnaw** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 11:07 pm

sure most 19th century flutes must have been rebored, head renewed,.... then

what wood might be most durable?

Tom O'Farrell · Post by **Tom O'Farrell** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:42 am

Accumulated junk on the blowing edge can have a very bad effect as well and hard to diagnose. The flute simply goes softer, loses it's edge. I wash mine with a toothbrush quite frequently.

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:51 am

Tom O'Farrell wrote:Accumulated junk on the blowing edge can have a very bad effect as well and hard to diagnose. The flute simply goes softer, loses it's edge. I wash mine with a toothbrush quite frequently.

Interesting idea, the toothbrush. I recently put my Bleazey in for a service after owning it for 12 months. Amongst all the work Phil carried out was 'tidying up' the edge of the embouchure hole, which he said had accumulated gunge and thus had lost its sharp edge ('rounded off'). Phil said he'd given it a gentle brushing over with extremely fine-grade sandpaper to remove the gunk and restore the sharp edge. Marked improvement in tone, and the second octave is much 'easier' to hit too.

tin tin · Post by **tin tin** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:55 am

In my Boehm days, a teacher of mine talked about even metal flutes being 'blown out.' So it might not be soley a wood-related phenomenon.

lixnaw · Post by **lixnaw** » Fri Jun 24, 2005 3:33 pm

Tintin wrote:In my Boehm days, a teacher of mine talked about even metal flutes being 'blown out.' So it might not be soley a wood-related phenomenon.

Tintin, you're having us on,...right?

Tom O'Farrell · Post by **Tom O'Farrell** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 5:40 am

Actually he's not. The pads get saturated and why this has the effect it has I don't know, but it does deaden a metal flute. I leave mine face up (pads exposed) in the sunlight sometimes. Or put it in the oven at low temps for a few hours. Opposite of wood flute care but it helps.

fluti31415 · Post by **fluti31415** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:25 am

Egads -- I'm sorry that I just started a thread and then abandoned it! Thanks so much for this insight to flutes.

This was quite interseting to me! It sounds like blowing out a flute is different than blowing out an oboe, but possible,and something to look out for, nevertheless.

Thanks again -- this board is really amazing.

tin tin · Post by **tin tin** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 2:02 pm

Tintin wrote:
In my Boehm days, a teacher of mine talked about even metal flutes being 'blown out.' So it might not be soley a wood-related phenomenon.
Lixnaw wrote:
Tintin, you're having us on,...right?

I know it sounds strange, but no joke...and it's not due to pads wearing out, either. I actually had two teachers (both top-notch pro players) contend that metal flutes could be blown out. On the flip-side, I tried a superb flute by Louis Lot, and it clearly was not blown out, despite being a good 100 years old. I'm personally not sure what to think of the whole phenomenon.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:38 pm

djm wrote:Isn't this somewhat the same reason for adding a silver lip plate to the head, so that the embouchure's edge is made of metal and will therefore last longer?

djm

Depends on the plate. Mine are only inset where the face makes contact with the wood, and the far edge is unplated.

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Can you "blow out" a flute?

Can you blow out a flute?

Can you "blow out" a flute?