How do you manage your spit?

[norcalbob]

I'm sure only a newby would post a question like this, but...oh well. I don't know if I am a particularly "wet" player, or spit is just more of a problem in wooden flutes versus silver Boehm flutes.

I'm playing a Copley keyless blackwood, and it doesn't take me very long after I begin playing to notice that my tone isn't as clear, and being a newby, I have just been assuming it was my embouchure. This would begin to happen after maybe 15 minutes of playing. Then I noticed that when I would drop the flute down by my side, that spit would start running out the finger holes. So I've started swabbing it out more often, and surprise surprise, my tone was clear and rich again.

So my question is, how often do you find that you need to swab out your flute to maintain clear tone? Sometimes I'll just blow really hard into the embouchure hole, and that seems to spread the spit out a bit, or I'll give it a vigorous swing or two and let centrifugal force do the work, but nothing seems to work as well as swabbing it out. This is a pain if I need to swab every 15 minutes or so. Curiously, I've never had this problem with my silver flute.

Is there a "flute etiquette" when you are playing with others for managing your spit? Trumpet and trombone players, for example, often have a splattered pool of spit at their feet, which I always thought was a bit gross, but what else can they do? If I'm going to give it a good cleansing blast, I'll certainly need to aim it away from other people at the least.

So, how do you manage your spit?

[Gabriel]

It's normal. It's one of the reasons why the flute is the most disgusting instrument in irish traditional music.

I blow the flute out from time to time and try to let the spit run on my (at the ideal case) black trousers, trying to prevent people from noticing it by telling them about a flying cow outside or so. Works most times.

[Rob Sharer]

That ain't spit! It's the purest condensed water. Bottle it and sell it, I'd say. Cheers,

Rob

[mutepointe]

Yes, it's breath condensation. We gotta work on the "spin" to this folks. I like whipping my whistle and letting the centrifigual force take care of things. That doesn't go over big in church.

[michael c]

That ain't spit! It's the purest condensed water. Bottle it and sell it, I'd say. Cheers,

Rob

I'm sure it is as pure as the driven snow in your case but I've seen it leaving the end of a well known flute player's instrument and hitting the floor without breaking. Like Tate and Lyle Ballygowan.

I'd like to claim to be a fairly dry player myself although I'd rather sit to my left than to my right in a session. Most other people would probably rather sit in a different session to avoid splotted crotchets.

[sbfluter]

I had a dentist exclaim once that I produce a lot of spit. I'm not buying it that it's ALL breath condensation. For someone like me, at least some of it is spit. What's worst is hitting a high B and having it come out as pbblttt instead.

Yesterday I got a low whistle for my birthday. After playing it for 5 minutes, water was coming out the first hole and splattering out the windway.

It takes my flute about half an hour or so before water dribbles out the finger holes. Maybe it would be sooner if I turned the flute over so the holes were on the bottom. Eventually water is oozing out at the joint and running out the bottom leaving a little pool on my knee. On days when I spend most of the day practicing on and off, I just leave it assembled and standing up so it can drain.

The other night I took my flute apart and shook it out at my feet. The fiddler next to me was grossed out. I guess that was a faux paux I won't do again. I can see now the value of bringing some spare flutes or whistles.

[chas]

I had a condensation problem when I was playing the whistle, and I have a condensation problem playing the flute. Not only that, it's gotten worse, not better, since I've developed a more focussed embouchure. I find it's much worse in the winter, when my flute is starting out at 60-65 degrees F as opposed to the summer when it starts out at 80 or so.

I find I have to either blow out or swab the embouchure hole every minute or so when the flute is still cold.

Regarding the wooden vs. silver flute, there are two things at work. On the one hand, you might think that since wood absorbs a little bit of water and "there couldn't be but so much" in your breath, the wood flute would be less apt to have a condensation problem. OTOH, silver is the best heat conductor at room temperature, so even your hands on the flute will warm the head up, and your breath heats it up very quickly. This is a much greater factor than any moisture absorption in the wood.

[Cork]

I'm sure only a newby would post a question like this, but...oh well. I don't know if I am a particularly "wet" player, or spit is just more of a problem in wooden flutes versus silver Boehm flutes.

I'm playing a Copley keyless blackwood, and it doesn't take me very long after I begin playing to notice that my tone isn't as clear, and being a newby, I have just been assuming it was my embouchure. This would begin to happen after maybe 15 minutes of playing. Then I noticed that when I would drop the flute down by my side, that spit would start running out the finger holes. So I've started swabbing it out more often, and surprise surprise, my tone was clear and rich again.

So my question is, how often do you find that you need to swab out your flute to maintain clear tone? Sometimes I'll just blow really hard into the embouchure hole, and that seems to spread the spit out a bit, or I'll give it a vigorous swing or two and let centrifugal force do the work, but nothing seems to work as well as swabbing it out. This is a pain if I need to swab every 15 minutes or so. Curiously, I've never had this problem with my silver flute.

Is there a "flute etiquette" when you are playing with others for managing your spit? Trumpet and trombone players, for example, often have a splattered pool of spit at their feet, which I always thought was a bit gross, but what else can they do? If I'm going to give it a good cleansing blast, I'll certainly need to aim it away from other people at the least.

So, how do you manage your spit? :o

Let's face it, flutes leak!

What I do on a day to day basis is to spread out a couple of sheets of newspaper (yes, there really is a reason to buy newspapers these days) on the floor, my knowing about where I'll be standing as I play, and therefore about where the spit will land on the floor.

Yes, silver Boehm flutes do tend to drain better than wood flutes, but not by much, and this is a good reason to keep your wood flute nice and oily, especially on the inside.

Tipping the flute foot end down while closing all of the holes and then giving it a quick, strong blow works as well as any swab, just be sure to do it often enough. BTW, if playing in public, and if you've been playing your flute in the "up" position, parallel to the floor, which tends to collect the most spit, then try keeping it in that position, horizontal, while closing the holes and giving a blow, as above, in a direction away from, but visible to, your audience, as this spray (like a fireman's hose) helps to convey the notion that you are there to get down to business.

Few other musicians can pull off a stunt like that!

;-)

[norcalbob]

Well, o'k then, seems like I'm a normal fluter, so I'll just keep playing and spraying...

[jemtheflute]

Yes, it's breath condensation. We gotta work on the "spin" to this folks. I like whipping my whistle and letting the centrifigual force take care of things. That doesn't go over big in church.

Taking a leaf out of Rob's book, just get it consecrated, then it'd be holy water (and you could watch all the congregation hit by it sizzle and go black and crispy - like I did at my wedding [my ex was/is a Catholic] when the [friendly and humourous, and of course Irish!] priest gave me an extra good dowsing with his water whisk! Needless to say, it didn't do any damn good!)
More seriously, Norcalbob, as the others have been saying, first, it ain't spit, or at least not mostly, but condensation. It tends to be more of a problem than in a Boehm flute due to narrower bore (so more blockage caused) and tonehole location, especially some of the keyed ones. I periodically cover all finger holes, cover the whole embouchure hole with my mouth, chose my aim and blow very hard. This often causes leakage from or bubbles in toneholes, so blowing through the affected ones may also be necessary and a wipe-off. And then, yes, I do swab out usually at least 2-3 times in the course of a 3 hour session - depending a bit on environmental conditions - obviously if it is cold, you get worse condensation.

As for etiqutte, nah! They do say of orchestra players, though, that the flute is the canniest - all the others drip or dribble on or between their own legs, the flautist gives his/her neighbour's lap a shower. Kind of applies in crowded sessions too!

[Cork]

I remember once speaking about drainage issues with a sax player, and he said that the large, curved bell at the bottom of the sax acted as a bucket.

[dow]

Coming from the IT world, I can say with authority that it's not a problem, it's a feature.

[phlute626]

I've played silver Boehm flute for 25 years and Irish for only 1. Boehm flutes tend to drool out the thumb hole (LH). Never had that problem with keyless! I have noticed more moisture issues with both polymer and wood keyless and tend to blow it out also. Thought it was just me! Thanks for the clarification about bore and material. It makes sense now.

[Denny]

I remember once speaking about drainage issues with a sax player, and he said that the large, curved bell at the bottom of the sax acted as a bucket.

good to pour it out while packing up. (can grow some nasty fungus...)

Coming from the IT world, I can say with authority that it's not a problem, it's a feature.

that's the way of it! The person on your right will learn to cope.

[bogtrumpet]

This might explain that when I put my drink down on the floor when playing, it lasts longer when I put it on my right (I play right hand)