Assembly

1. Grip the head-joint in your left hand and grip the socket on the flute body with your right hand, then gently twist the body onto the head-joint.

2. Once the head-joint is fully inserted rotate it so that the embouchure hole is aligned with the keys - then pull the head-joint out 2 mm.

3. Now grip the socket of the body with your left hand.

4. Grip the very end of the foot-joint with your right hand to avoid touching the keys. Gently twist the foot-joint onto the tenon on the flute body in a clockwise direction only! (If you find this difficult then grip the foot-joint with the upper part of your palm pressing down gently on top of the key hinges while keeping the two lowest keys held closed with the middle of your palm). 

5. Align the foot-joint so that your little finger can operate the keys, remember to twist the foot-joint in a clockwise direction only.

Taking care of the instrument

Clean the tenons and sockets with a cloth before assembling the instrument, (this will prevent deposits building up on the tenons which eventually prevent an airtight seal). 

When you have finished playing take the instrument apart and flick the head-joint to remove any water droplets, then leave the flute to "air" in its case with the top open, or on a stand, for 5-10 minutes. This will help to prolong the life of the pads.

If the instrument has to be packed away often without being left to air then a "pad saver" will help - it will soak up the moisture left in the instrument.

Cleaning the instrument

If dust or fluff does gather on the instrument then gently brush it away with a shaving brush.

Occasionally polish the instrument (using a silver cleaning cloth) particularly the embouchure plate, the keys, and the place where you put your right thumb (this will prolong the life of the silver plating).

If you feel competent enough then once a month use a precision screw driver to gently check the screws at either end of the flute are tight. Do not adjust any tiny screws found at the back or to the side of the individual keys.

If the pads become sticky do the following: -use pad cleaning papers to clean the pads - dab on a little meths onto the paper with a cotton bud, place the paper under the key pad, hold the key lightly closed and pull the paper through; now the pad is clean place a sheet of powder paper under the pad, hold the key lightly closed and pull the paper through.

Flute stands

Some players find the hassle of assembling and disassembling a flute can prevent them practicing. If the flute is placed on a stand after playing it can be left assembled and it will drain properly (although it is vulnerable to being knocked over).

Child players (with siblings) might be better off placing the instrument under their bed resting on the G# key (with the holes pointing upwards), the instrument won’t drain effectively but it might be played more often and won’t get knocked over.

In performances it is best for the player to keep hold of their flute, this way it won’t cool down (and play flat).

Flute cases and case covers

Flutes are easily damaged and a well fitting instrument case is essential. The keys will be bent if the instrument can move in the case while being carried. Nothing else should be kept in the case unless there is a specific compartment for it.

It is essential to have a tenon cleaning cloth - if the case has a space under the body of the flute then store the cloth there - do not store the cloth on top of the instrument! If there is no space then it is best to buy a case cover in order to store the cloth with the instrument.

Servicing and repair

The instrument should be serviced once a year to ensure it is operating correctly. The pads, corks, and felts on the instrument (and also the adhesives which keeps these items in place) deteriorate over time. On older or poorer quality instruments the mechanism itself starts to wear and keys can become loose or jammed.

Usually such deterioration is gradual and the player subconsciously compensates by blowing harder and pressing harder on the keys. Without servicing the deterioration continues: the quality of tone diminishes; the instrument becomes less responsive; the tuning becomes unreliable. Eventually something major goes wrong and the instrument becomes unplayable and in need of considerable repair.

Players often blame themselves for the poor sound they produce when really it is the condition of the instrument that is causing problems.

Test your flute with the following exercises, in all cases you should be able to play the notes without squeezing the keys hard or blowing hard: C to Bb using thumb key; B to A; A to G; G to F#; G to F; Low D to Low C.