Wet vs. Dry flute

Bretton · Post by **Bretton** » Fri Apr 09, 2004 6:11 pm

I've noticed that when I get home from work and first pick up my flute it plays really nicely and I can hit the high notes pretty consistently. However, after I've been playing for 30 minutes or so it gets fuzzy/airy sounding and the high notes get harder to hit.

Could this be due to moisture building up inside the flute? I don't have a swab yet, but do you think swabbing out the bore might fix this?

It could also be my lips getting tired, I guess, but they don't feel tired.

?

-Brett

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Fri Apr 09, 2004 7:13 pm

It sounds to me like you have a small crack that opens up the longer you play it...

Nah, just kidding.

I'd be willing to bet you're right on target about the moisture build up. A swab would help, but so would a chopstick and a strip of old t-shirt (yep, I'm cheap

).

I assume you've tried the old cover all the holes and blow like mad in the embouchure trick, right? I also find after doing that, then shifting the flute the other way (like I was going to play left handed) if I give it a sharp puff of air on the far side of the embouchure hole it really helps.

I've also been known to take off the head and barrel and give it a good shake - especially if I'm feeling evil and there is a victim near by.

Eric (who has obviously spent too many hours scraping and priming my garage)

beowulf573 · Post by **beowulf573** » Fri Apr 09, 2004 7:14 pm

It could be moisture, try closing the finger holes, closing your mouth over the embouchure and give it a quick blow.

This is useful when someone pisses you off, you can do this while holding the end of your flute over his/her beer.

Eddie

rama · Post by **rama** » Fri Apr 09, 2004 7:19 pm

1.... take a break

2...if there are keys on your flute, make sure they are still sealing after you start playing. sometimes one or two can break their seal.

3...to clear moisture out of the bore, cover all the toneholes, put your lips smack dab directly on the flute so that your mouth covers the embouchure hole so that it is air tight, and blow a couple of quick hard bursts while tilting the end of the flute downwards. if you do it right then there should NOT be any sound made other than air rushing down thre bore; and additionally you could then give it a good shake to shake loose any droplets.

4... wiggle your lips around to break any residual tension: yawn, pucker your lips, smile. etc... then start playing again with a fresh set of chops!!

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Sat Apr 10, 2004 3:31 am

Flute flags can help, too.

mat · Post by **mat** » Sat Apr 10, 2004 4:03 am

Jayhawk wrote:I've also been known to take off the head and barrel and give it a good shake - especially if I'm feeling evil and there is a victim near by.

...works a treat but just be sure that if you have a tuning slide you are holding both bits! Having fired a section of a 180year old flute at great velocity into a wall I can safely say this is a mistake you only make once. (not a scratch by the way, good British Workmanship!

)

I would certainly get a swab of some description if you dont want to be menaced by cracks. Any old bit of rag and a stick will be fine. I have never felt the need to buy a purpose made 'spitsoaker'.

Mat

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Sat Apr 10, 2004 9:59 am

The flute flag has the advantage that you
can swab the entire flute without taking it
apart, and do it in seconds. Good to have
around when you're performing, I reckon. Best

rama · Post by **rama** » Sat Apr 10, 2004 10:32 am

i rarely mop out the flute these days, i suppose i should. but when i was into doing it i used a small fishing weight (small, round, smooth) and attached a long peice of thread/string to it (long enough to go down the entire length of the bore so the weight would dangle out the end of the flute) and attached at the other end of the thread was rag/clothe/hankerchief. i would slide the weight thru the bore and grab it as it came out the end and pull the attached clothe thru the bore. worked like a charm. sounds more complicated than it really is.

mat · Post by **mat** » Sat Apr 10, 2004 11:58 am

I got lazy a few years back swabbing & oiling my Rose flute (Fred, not Ruddal&') and ended up with the grain rising in the bore, giving a very rough texture and not doing wonders for the tone

.

It took some considerable (but careful) elbow grease with wire wool and VERY fine sandpaper to restore it to it's former glory.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:40 am

A cheap Chinese takeaway chopstick, a bit of string connecting the stick with a piece of bandana, and Bob's yer uncle.

That way you can also swab the head (aye, aye, cap'n!).

I have the same rig for oiling and seems to work well there, too ....

P.S. I explored both the cool flute swab and cleaning-rod thingies, but went back to the chopstick after both proved too big for the bight end of the Hammy's foot.

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:44 am

mat wrote:Having fired a section of a 180year old flute at great velocity into a wall I can safely say this is a mistake you only make once.

Yes, you should have aimed at the bodhran player.

Seriously, be careful when shaking flutes. I've done this kind of stuff at least twice, with metal flutes. Once the foot joint went flying, and once i was shaking just the head, and it was slippery and...

g

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 11:59 am

mat wrote:
Jayhawk wrote:I've also been known to take off the head and barrel and give it a good shake - especially if I'm feeling evil and there is a victim near by.

...works a treat but just be sure that if you have a tuning slide you are holding both bits! Having fired a section of a 180year old flute at great velocity into a wall I can safely say this is a mistake you only make once. (not a scratch by the way, good British Workmanship! )

OK. So the flute survived, but what about the wall?

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 2:20 pm