Tag: tip of the week

Flute Tip of the Week: Protect your flute from your cats

August 31, 2011 at 8:00 amCategory:Flute Tip of the Week | Uncategorized

For those of you with cats, you probably already know that they do not always mix. Here are a few things you can do to safeguard your flute from your beloved pets.

1. Cats have a tendency to want to knock things off shelves, desks, or tables so if you must leave your flute out in between practice sessions, make sure you put it somewhere that the cat cannot lie on it, try to play with it, or knock it onto the floor.

2. Open cases are also tempting to kitties to use as impromptu kitty beds. I know, it doesn’t look all that comfortable, but they don’t seem to care. You don’t want them leaving their fur in your flute case where it can get into your flute’s mechanism, so keep your case closed.

3. Don’t use your flute as a toy to tempt your cat with. If you provoke your cat into batting at your flute with his paw, you may end up with some new scratches on your flute, or worse, a claw could hook and tear a pad.

4. Even in its case, your flute can be vulnerable. The best thing to do is to always keep your flute somewhere that is inaccessible to your cats, whether that is on the highest shelf possible (still risky int my opinion), in a drawer, or behind a securely closed and latched door.

If your cat is drawn to your flute or your music paraphernalia, it is probably because he has observed how important it is to you. That seems to make cats want to be on your stuff, whether it is in an effort to be closer to you, to get your attention, or just to be in the way, who knows? Taking some common sense steps to keep your flute safe will keep things harmonious between you and your cat.

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Flute Tip of the Week: Language is important

July 6, 2011 at 3:47 pmCategory:Flute Tip of the Week

Whether we are talking with teachers or students, fellow musicians, conductors, etc. we are constantly talking about playing. The language that we use is extremely important to how we think and feel about playing. I’m not talking about terminology here; what I’m talking about is much more subjective.

The words we use when talking about our playing can have a huge impact in how we think about what we are doing. We all know the effect that using judgmental language, especially negative words, can have on a player’s attitude. This is actually pretty simple to address by just avoiding negative words “no”, “not”, “bad”, “wrong”, etc. Other words have a more subtle, sinister, effect, and while they do not sound like negative words, they can have negative effects. For me one of those words is “control”.

I have spent years working on breath “control”, “controlling the air stream”, etc. and, while I have had some success, in general this practice ties me up in knots. To “control” something really means to inhibit it in some way, keep a tight rein on, or hold it in check. These ideas are all antithetical to what we need to do to make any sound at all on the flute. The air has to get out before we can make any sound, so why am I trying to restrict it? I now substitute the word “manage” for the word “control” and immediately the air flows more freely and I am able to accomplish the things I wanted to do when I was trying to “control” the air. Neat, huh?

Different words affect different people differently, and maybe this example doesn’t do anything for you, but unless you are the most positive, balanced person on the planet, it is likely that there are words that affect you negatively as well. Take a look at your practice journal, listen to your conversations about playing, and pay attention when a word causes you to tense up or groan a little, anything that is less than positive. A teacher at a masterclass I attended made a similar point with this little test. She asked us to notice what happened to our bodies when she said different words, like ‘ice cream’, ‘sunshine’, then she said the word ‘flute’. Immediately everyone in the class gasped and some even groaned a little. (What reaction did you just have?) We all had an ah-ha moment when we were made aware of the tension that one little word could cause in us. And this word represented something we loved! Many of us had come to associate the word ‘flute’ with tension and strain. For me, working on ‘control’ magnifies that tension, so I don’t try to do it. Rather than trying to hold things in, I work on managing them as they are happening.

Of course, some things are just wrong, terrible even, and it’s OK to acknowledge that. Just make sure your approach to fixing what’s wrong is as benign and productively oriented as possible.

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Flute Tip of the Week – Flute Swabs

June 21, 2011 at 1:14 pmCategory:Flute Tip of the Week

Are you swabbing out your flute before you put it away? Hopefully so, it is critical that you keep your flute clean inside and out. But what are you using to swab out your flute?

I advocate using a simple, 100% cotton handkerchief or bandanna. They are absorbant and nonabrasive, readily available and inexpensive. Cotton works great for wiping off the tenons so the joints go together smoothly, too. They are also washable so when they get grubby, just throw them in with the regular laundry (using fabric softeners may not be a great idea, though).
Very practical!

Silk is nice, but it can be fragile and tends to flatten out after a couple of uses. A 10″ or 12″ handkerchief will stay full enough to clean the whole tube for several uses. You could just use a strip of cotton or a square piece of cotton, but I think the edges should be finished so stray threads don’t get caught in the mechanism.

As for the fuzzy things that are so popular, I do not recommend them. They are supposed to “wick the moisture away from the pads”. Great! But what do you do after you have done that? You stick it right back into the flute! Where is the moisture supposed to go? I live in Florida and any moisture that is allowed to sit around leads to one thing, mildew. While I haven’t heard of too many cases of “flute mildew”, I do know that once you get the moisture off the pads, you should keep it away from them. If you feel you have to use the fuzzy things to swab out your instrument, fine, but do not store them in your flute or inside your case. Besides, you will still need a soft cloth to wipe off the joints and the fingerprints, so why not just get a cotton cloth or two and leave the fuzzy things alone. I also suggest that your flute cleaning cloth not be stored inside the case with your freshly swabbed out flute.

This is all part of good flute maintenance, which results in better flute performance. It’s easy, it’s practical and it’s cheap. Besides, you can create a collection of cool “flute” bandannas that will make you the most stylish and hip flutist around!

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Flute Tip of the Week – Stand Lights

June 14, 2011 at 12:27 pmCategory:Flute Tip of the Week

There are lots of stand lights on the market meant to serve a variety of uses, but if you don’t use one very often, investing in a pricey accessory may not be what you want to do. Or maybe you need something RIGHT NOW and don’t have time to shop for or order a fancy, uni-tasker like a stand light. In that case, you might want to try using a clip-on book light. They can be found in most bookstores (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.) and in many variety stores, often for very little money. Because they are battery-operated, they are also very portable, as opposed to many stand lights that have to be plugged in. If nothing else, they will do in a pinch and get you through that dim light gig.

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Flute Tip of the Week – Use Your Flute Handles

April 27, 2011 at 9:15 pmCategory:Flute Tip of the Week

Putting your flute together properly is one the first things you should learn as a beginning flute student, but it is surprising how many of us are not nearly as conscientious about putting together and taking apart our instruments as we should be. We need to use our “Flute Handles”!

Believe it or not this is one the first things I learned as a master’s degree student. My teacher at NIU, Peter Middleton, had all his new students attend a series of flute ‘basics’ classes, a sort of orientation to keep the flute studio on the same page. Imagine playing flute all those years, and being told to start with your flute in the case, take out the pieces, just so, put them together, just so, etc. It was a very humbling experience, but one I have been grateful for and enthusiastically pass on to all my students. In addition, my flute has needed remarkably few repairs through the years and holds adjustments wonderfully. Following is a description of the 3 Flute Handles and how to use them.

Flute Handle #1 Head Joint. The Flute Handle is the area below the lip plate and just above the tenon. You never twist on the lip plate! I have heard some scary stories about one or two that snapped off, not a pleasant experience and very expensive to fix. There is plenty of room to grasp the head joint below the lip plate.

Flute Handle #2 Main Body. Your Flute Handle here is at the top, above the keys and rods. Gently insert the Head into the Body. if there is some resistance, don’t twist the pieces back and forth to force them together, try to only go in one direction. The key here is to never twist on the keys! I even try to not hold onto my flute anywhere but at the top of the body when I am not playing. If the joints fit properly and you keep them clean, you should never have to force the parts together.

Flute Handle #3 Foot Joint. This is on the very end of the foot joint, between the rod and the end of your flute. Holding the body near its top and the foot joint at its end, between the rod and the end of the foot, slide the foot joint onto the body. Again, don’t twist back and forth, try to slide them together with a slight twist in a single direction.

Reverse these instructions to take apart. Remember, the main thing to remember are to never twist with your hands on the lip plate or key mechanisms! There is plenty of room on your flute to grasp it without ever touching those areas. So use your Flute Handles, your flute will thank you!

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