Flute Lessons: Caring for Your Flute

No matter how sturdy an instrument you have, it still requires regular cleaning, maintenance and caring. If a flute is your instrument of choice, then you need to make sure that it is well maintained so that it can serve you for a long time. Good flute music lessons must include how to take care of the flute.

Assembling and disassembling the flute

Assembling and disassembling the flute must be done correctly each time so that you don’t destroy the instrument. Always attach the footjoint and the headjoint to the body of the flute with gentle twists. A flute is very delicate and just putting the keys in the wrong alignment can completely destroy the instrument. Be careful whenever you take apart the flute in order to clean it or store it. Always disassemble your flute and clean it thoroughly before putting it away after playing. This article can help you learn about the different types of flutes - http://flutelessonssingapore.com/types-of-flutes-beginners-can-use-for-flute-lessons/.

Cleaning inside the instrument

As with any wind instrument, the flute needs to be cleaned after playing. Any moisture left in the instrument can reduce its lifespan by a large margin. All you need to clean your flute is a rod and a soft cloth. The rod should come along with your flute and you can use any soft cloth for the cleaning. Thread the cloth through the slot in the rod and then wrap it around the rod, so that the rod is fully covered with it. Push the rod inside the different parts of the flute and move it in and out so all sides get cleaned. Store the cleaning cloth separately so that the pads don’t absorb any moisture from it.

Polishing the flute

When playing the flute, it is natural that the outer surface would get smudged with fingerprints. Just take a soft cloth – a different one from the one used to clean the insides – and carefully wipe it clean. Hold the flute by the barrel while cleaning. Over time, it might also lose its sheen. This is normal and the attribute of a well-used flute, so don’t worry about it. Never attempt to use silver polish or other such things on your flute as they are abrasive and spoil the finish of your instrument. In some cases, especially if your flute is silver-plated, it might also get tarnished. If the latter happens, there is nothing much you can do about it yourself. You must take it for repair and get it de-tarnished.

Storage

Don’t leave your flute lying around when you are not playing it. Someone can sit on it or some accident can happen, completely destroying the instrument, bending it out of shape. Even if nothing of the sort occurs, it can absorb moisture from the air, which can then work on harming your flute. Moisture is your flute’s biggest enemy. Don’t even put it away in a closet as it is not airtight and you will still have the same problems. Always keep your flute stored away in a nice storage case that comes especially for the purpose. These cases have specific places for storing the different parts of the flute and are airtight. Make it a habit to put away your flute in its case every time.

With some simple care and maintenance, your flute should work for a long time. It also helps to send the flute for tuning and check-up regularly (perhaps once a year) to an expert, so that any problems that arise can be put to rest as soon as they make an appearance. For more information on flutes, refer to http://flutelessonssingapore.com/.