Flute Care
Caring for your flute is essential for a good musical experience. When playing the flute regularly the surface and the inner side of the sound chamber will require some attention. Especially the mouthpiece, which is exposed to the moisture of your
mouth the most, needs regular care.
For that purpose, you can use the tung oil, in the container which came with your flute. Use it whenever you feel any kind of roughness at the mouthpiece. After oiling your mouthpiece by simply applying some oil with your fingers and let it dry over night.
Additionally, every six months, you should oil the bore with refined sunflower oil, the track, and the bottom of the block with tung oil. For an in-depth instructional video on flute care, check out our YouTube channel, @amaflutes.
With proper maintenance, you can ensure the best possible sound and performance from your flute.
Playing Instructions
Your flute is tuned to a pentatonic scale which makes playing intuitive and easy. For an overview of all the notes and possibilities playable with your flute, we provide fingering charts. To find them please check out the following links:
fingering chart 1
fingering chart 2
For more inspiration we highly recommend you the ‘how to play’ video by Kalani Music at the bottom of the page.
After playing your flute, it’s important to pay attention to the moisture that can accumulate in the track and air chamber. Moistureclogg, a phenomenon caused by playing for more than 10-15 minutes, can make your tone weak and require more air to play nicely. To avoid this, simply cover the hole in front of the block and blow strongly into your mouthpiece. Doing this will help to expel all the moisture from the track and ensure that your tone remains strong and you don’t need more air to play. If the moisture persists, take off the block and dry the track with a cloth.
Troubleshooting
If the sound of your flute sounds airy, or it does not make sounds at all, make sure that the front edge of your block matches with the edge of the track, as shown on the picture.
Flute Storage
For optimal care of your flute, store it vertically when not playing. This allows the moisture from your breath to evenly distribute through gravity and exit the instrument. To preserve the best condition, keep your flute in a cool, dry area away from direct sunlight, heat and humidity.
Leaving your flute in a hot vehicle on a warm day is not advised as temperatures could exceed 60° Celsius (150° Fahrenheit), which could cause the glue to separate and cause air leakage.