Moisture that defies gravity

[KateG]

I don't know if it's me, my flute or the environment, but when I've been playing for a while I find that the low F# and E holes, particularly the latter, become wet with condensation to the point that it's sometimes hard to get a seal. I have to very careful when I pause in playing to keep the flute with the holes on top, and generally have to blow it out and wipe the tone holes a few times before everything stablizes and the geyser subsides. The moisture also occasionally plugs the gaps when I open the B flat or G# keys, rendering them useful.

I don't think it's the flute, because it happens no matter which instrument I'm playing. I don't drink while I play, and I don't remember similar bilge pump problems when I played recorder in my youth.

Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?

[skh]

Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?

Yes. Keep tissue ready.

[Whistlin'Dixie]

My flute does it more when the flute/air is cold and my breath is hot.

I just wipe the tone holes off / take off the headjoint and blow it out, etc...
I mostly play keyless flutes.

In summer where I live, there's no problem.

M

[clark]

Our "Whistlin' Dixie" chick is right. It is condensation. I have no problems with this in Hawaii where the air I breathe, my breath, and the flute are all about the same temperature. If, however, I play in airconditioning or in a cold place on the mainland - drip, drip, drip is the result. My solution? Flute Flag (http://home.nethere.net/roger45/fluteflaga.htm) Wonderful things. Get the one made for conical flutes.

Clark

[TheSpoonMan]

I was performing with my mom's family at a summer church camp we go to. We kept our instruments in the nursery, which was the only air-conditioned building in the place. Heat wave hit Indiana while we were there. I took my flute outside to the tent we were performing at... wow. Soaked. So that's my story.

[fluti31415]

Here are a couple of suggestions. The water in your flute will sometimes follow a track that's been set by small differences of resistance in the bore. Some players claim that this track can be semi-permanently "set," either for good or for bad. So the idea is to get the water to "learn" to follow the track that you want, not the one that's in the flute already.

Have you oiled your flute lately? Try that, and when you do, be sure to oil the inside of the offending tone holes very well with a Q-Tip. Some woodwind players use a Q-Tip to apply silicon spray in the tone holes, but be very careful not to get it in the bore. I'd be too scared to try it. Others use a little piece of wire to draw a tiny line down the back side of the instrument with oil. Be careful not to scratch the bore. I don't know if this works, but it can't hurt, so it's worth a try.

When you play,

• * Warm up very very slowly. The posts about air conditioning make a good point. When your breath hits a cold flute, it condenses quicker.
  * Be sure that you never put the flute down with the tone holes are down.
  * Every time you start playing, concentrate on keeping the tone holes up. As the water works its way down the flute, see if you can sort if guide it to make a new track down the back side of the instrument. A lot of time, once you get that track established, all of the water will follow it. Try to do this every time you play. I've heard that if you do, the water will start to follow the new path automatically, but I personally wonder if it's just the development of a new habit that makes this happen, instead of a change in the flute itself....?
  * To clear the tone holes of water, blow sharply and directly into the tone holes. If the problem comes back, blow into the tone hole again, then swab out your flute completely.

Good luck -- this can be really irritating, I know!

[Cathy Wilde]

All of the above and also ... whenever you're not playing (i.e., taking a break between tunes or whatever), stand the flute on end on your knee to get it to drain a bit. Or, if you're wearing good pants or skirt (or standing up), hold the flute vertically to one side and shake it gently every now and then.

Otherwise ... it's wipe, swipe, swab, and be glad your oil's working!

P.S. For clearing keys, just turn the flute on its side and blow some air under the offending key. A good "ffft!" usually does the job; just watch where you're aiming!

[KateG]

Thanks for all your suggestions folks! Some of them I'd already figured out, some were new -- but it's nice to know that I'm not alone. I'll let you know when I've figured out the perfect flute pump

[Bart Wijnen]

P.S. For clearing keys, just turn the flute on its side and blow some air under the offending key. A good "ffft!" usually does the job; just watch where you're aiming!

Yes, and I also use cigarette paper to clear them, very helpful when one of my students decided to eat some candy before playing, you get the tssk, tskk, tskk noise.

Is there still some cigarette paper available in the US?

[Bart Wijnen]

Our "Whistlin' Dixie" chick is right. It is condensation. I have no problems with this in Hawaii where the air I breathe, my breath, and the flute are all about the same temperature. If, however, I play in airconditioning or in a cold place on the mainland - drip, drip, drip is the result. My solution? Flute Flag (http://home.nethere.net/roger45/fluteflaga.htm) Wonderful things. Get the one made for conical flutes.

Clark

Hi Clark,

Are you sure this url is correct? It doesn't open a site overhere.

[Denny]

Is there still some cigarette paper available in the US?

yes...get ungummed if available

Are you sure this url is correct? It doesn't open a site overhere.

worked for me...
http://home.nethere.net/roger45/fluteflaga.htm

[Cathy Wilde]

P.S. For clearing keys, just turn the flute on its side and blow some air under the offending key. A good "ffft!" usually does the job; just watch where you're aiming!

Yes, and I also use cigarette paper to clear them, very helpful when one of my students decided to eat some candy before playing, you get the tssk, tskk, tskk noise.

Is there still some cigarette paper available in the US?

For the roll-your-own-tobacco-cigarette crowd ONLY, of course!

I use cigarette papers too, at least when I want to clean the pads a bit. In the old days we also used clean US dollar bills in a pinch ...

But I'm too lazy to bother wrestling with bits of paper while playing, and I don't use the keys enough that stickiness would be a bother. So it's only for general maintenance now.

I went looking for some cigarette papers a while back -- not too hard, though; I stopped at my local Wal-Mart, which only sells the gummed variety. (Needless to say the papers are not available in US coffee shops! ) But I just use the ungummed edges and waste a paper or two.

[Denny]

I stopped at my local Wal-Mart, which only sells the gummed variety.

Dang cowboys are gettin' sissified...

Is anyone else surprised that Steve hasn't stopped by nattering on about clouds?

[Cathy Wilde]

I stopped at my local Wal-Mart, which only sells the gummed variety.

Dang cowboys are gettin' sissified...

Is anyone else surprised that Steve hasn't stopped by nattering on about clouds?

!!!!!!

Oh, go on. You KNOW you want to post a photo of giant condensation rings around Mount Whatever or Wherever.

[Denny]

I stopped at my local Wal-Mart, which only sells the gummed variety.

Dang cowboys are gettin' sissified...

Is anyone else surprised that Steve hasn't stopped by nattering on about clouds?

!!!!!!

Oh, go on. You KNOW you want to post a photo of giant condensation rings around Mount Whatever or Wherever.

it's all the same thing innit? Matter of scale is all...

Ain't nothin' like sittin' 'round the campfire on a clear night, passin' the wiskey, and havein' one of 'em say, "Hey, ya'll wanna try some of this new bud I got?"...now is there?