To keep your instrument in good condition, you need to take care of it correctly. We have put together this brief guide of hints and tips to help you.
Assembly
- When connecting the foot joint and head joint, do not hold the flute body or the foot joint with your hand around the keys or rods. This can bend the rods.
- Hold the flute body up at the head joint end where the name is engraved. Hold the foot joint at the bottom and gently twist the foot on.
- To disassemble, do these steps backwards.
- The diagram above shows how the joints should fit together to create the playing position.
Every Usage
- Ensure no food, sweets or sugary drinks are consumed just before or during play. This can leave a residue within the instrument and is usually the cause of ‘sticky’ pads.
- Wipe the instrument down after play with a silver cloth. Sweat can cause issues to plating if this is not cleaned sufficiently.
- It is recommended that you purchase a pad saver for your flute. These are inserted into the body of the instrument when not in use to absorb moisture from the internal body and pad areas, therefore preventing unnecessary wear/corrosion. Leave this in for 20 minutes and then remove and store separately from the flute
- Check the instrument over. If something looks out of place, ask the teacher to have a look at it or contact our repairs technician for advice.
Common Flute Problems
- Bent Keys - Flute keys can get bent very easily. As they are made from such a soft metal, extra care is needed when assembling and taking the flute apart.
- Sticky Pads - Another common problem is a key getting stuck. This tends to be because the pads are dirty and need a clean up. Put a piece of cigarette paper under the key, close the key and gently pull the paper out from under the key. This should remove any residue that is on the keys. If in doubt, take this to the teacher to look at or get in touch with our technician for advice.
Silver Cloth This cloth has cleaning agents to make sure that your flute looks shiny and new after every use. Wipe down your flute before and after playing. 
Flute Pad Saver A de-moisturiser for your flute. Once you have finished playing, place the pad saver in your flute to soak up the excess moisture. This will protect your pads. There is also a starter care kit available for the flute.
