I have just got my flute out, and I think something is wrong with it and it won't play bottom or middle F or F#, and bottom and middle Gs are also a bit iffy. D (3rd octave) also sounds really airy. I am not a beginner and I can play these notes, but I can't see what is wrong. I have to get it fixed quickly, I have a Christmas solo on Wednesday to perform. Any hints/tips/inklings on what could be wrong? I have a Yamaha 574 body if this helps. Thanks

Have you dropped your flute or anything to make this happen? Because that s the only time I have know similar things to occur. From my very limited experience, its likely to be that one of the screws has come lose/tight or similar meaning that the pads aren't covering the hole properly, but I emphasise I know nothing about the mechanics of the flute.

Trying fingering the notes, watching very carefully to see if all you pads are closing properly for these notes, and also try prssing down slightly harder on the pads (forcing the holes to close if this is the problem) to see if this helps.

One word of warning though, if this is the problem, don't try sorting it yourself. Its a really bad idea.

Thanks! I haven't dropped it or anything like that, but it does sound like the pad isn't covering the hole properly. As I am no expert I think I am going to see whether I can take it in to be seen tomorrow.

I worked out it was a screw slightly loose so my dad gently tightened it and it works now. Thanks for your help though.

Well done. your Dad, and good luck for Wednesday.



Amber
x

Glad it's working again, I wouldn't let my dad anywhere near my flute!
Good luck!

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Well done. your Dad, and good luck for Wednesday.

Thanks Amber, it is quite informal, but the luck is appreciated

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I wouldn't let my dad anywhere near my flute!

I didn't want to, I had to prevent him from "fiddling" with it furthur!

QUOTE (nicki_flute @ Dec 20 2004, 10:03 PM)

QUOTE I wouldn't let my dad anywhere near my flute! I didn't want to, I had to prevent him from "fiddling" with it furthur!

If theres anything wrong with it, the only person who has permission to lay a finger on it is my sisters boyfriend... partly because he has experience with fixing fiddly things being an optometrist!

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optometrist

Can you write what one of those is in English please?

QUOTE (nicki_flute @ Dec 20 2004, 10:17 PM)

QUOTE optometrist Can you write what one of those is in English please?

He makes glasses.

Yesterday morning I went to a talk on flute repairs at our local music centre. It was fascinating. I have done minor repairs on my pupils' flutes before, but what I found interesting was that to get to certain screws on the flute you actually have remove other keys! However, after yesterday I feel a bit more confident about doing this now!

Removing keys from your flute sounds rather risky to me unless you know exactly what you're doing. Better to leave it to a qualified repairer. Must be a fascinating job, though.

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Removing keys from your flute sounds rather risky to me unless you know exactly what you're doing.

Yes, I'd have to be very sure about it before I did it to a pupil's flute! But an example - have you ever had the problem when the E flat key pushes down the C and C# keys too, because the screw at the end of the C roller key is coming loose? On most flutes it's really hard to get at that screw to put it back, you have to poke a screwdriver diagonally under the E flat key to reach it, if you're lucky. I've tried this a few times in the past. But now I know the correct way to do it is to loosen the screw at the opposite end of the rod on the footjoint, pull it out just enough for the E flat key to fall off, tighten the C roller screw, then put the E flat key on again. Oh, and don't forget to reconnect any springs that become misplaced. This is a lot easier to do than it sounds!

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Better to leave it to a qualified repairer.

The purpose of this session I went to is that the "qualified repairer" (local to us, but one of the best in the country) spends so much time sorting out very minor problems that he wanted to teach some of us teachers how to do it for ourselves. Saves us a lot of time and money, and gives him more time to do the serious work.

QUOTE (Juze @ Dec 21 2004, 06:37 PM)

Oh, and don't forget to reconnect any springs that become misplaced. This is a lot easier to do than it sounds!

IMO, one of the best tools for replacing springs is a small crochet hook. I used to use one of the sort you can get for cotton (used for crocheting lace), but I expect a wool one would do.

We were shown a "modified crotchet hook" - it has a little V-shaped notch cut in the top end for pushing the springs, as opposed to pulling them which is what the hook bit would do, so you could use it to move a spring in either direction. Actually this was a really clever tool, it had a screwdriver on the other end too!

QUOTE (Juze @ Dec 22 2004, 09:15 AM)

We were shown a "modified crotchet hook" - it has a little V-shaped notch cut in the top end for pushing the springs, as opposed to pulling them which is what the hook bit would do, so you could use it to move a spring in either direction. Actually this was a really clever tool, it had a screwdriver on the other end too!

Do you know who makes it? Our household could do with one.

I would really like to learn about instrument repair/restoration etc~ but where on earth am I likely to find a course or similar down here!

<is starting become truely disenamoured with Cornwall>

And at least repairing then wouldn't require me to play in front of anyone, and would interest the bit of me that likes being constructive etc. My parents will love this... another completely implausible career plan!

you have my sympathy... it's bad enough up here in Gloucestershire. if you don't have a car it's hard to get anywhere. and there is a music store in the next big town but for specialised books it's a bit rubbish! I now live in a town (albeit a small one) so at least there are a few more buses each day, but it can be a pig getting places, and I usually end up relying on mail-order. I imagine in Cornwall it's this times a lot, and it's irritating enough up here!

seriously... what you would probably need to do would be to find an instrument repair person who was really good and get taken on as a trainee/apprentice. but I don't know how easy that would be to do...

I am quite lucky, I have a really good flute repairer only about 30 minutes from where I live, he is a really nice man and has really good prices as well. My flute teacher says he is the only person she trusts repairing her £8000 flute!

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Do you know who makes it? Our household could do with one.

I don't know, but I will try to find out. I did ask actually, and he suggested we could make our own by filing a notch in the end of an ordinary crotchet hook. That wouldn't include the screwdriver bit of course.

I have just done a search on "flute spring hook" and found this. I think it's the same as the one I saw.

the spring hook thing sounds useful, but everyone says don't try and use a screwdriver on your own flute... they are more delicate than you think and you don't want to do more damage!

QUOTE (Juze @ Dec 27 2004, 07:57 PM)

I have just done a search on "flute spring hook" and found this. I think it's the same as the one I saw.

Thanks. I had a long layoff with broadband access problems, and still haven't caught up on all threads.