breaking in new Lesouef flute

[stiofan]

I just received a lovely keyless blackwood flute by Solen Lesouef. It's sure a beauty.

The care instructions she included didn't have any particular guidelines on a breaking in process. I sent Solen an email yesterday, but she's traveling in Ireland right now so may not be getting to her email very often. For those of you who've gotten new flutes from Solen, I'm wondering if you might've received any info on whether or not she recommends playing in a new flute –- the typical 10-15 minutes a couple times a day, building up to 30 minutes to an hour of playing. I'm inclined to err on the side of caution, but at the same time always defer to the maker's recommendations. If it makes a difference, in her care instructions, it says that it's already been oiled with a hard-drying oil, then to oil it once every 10 days for a couple of months, but that still leaves me wondering about slowly and gradually playing in the flute.

I may just wait to hear back from Solen, but of course I'm anxious to start playing this gorgeous new flute.

Cheers
Stephen

[pixyy]

Hi Stephen,
I am the happy owner of a Lesouef keyless flute in Mopane (July 2020) and keyed blackwood (July 2022). These were my first brand new flutes in a long time, so I had almost forgot about the amount of oiling new flutes need...
Solen shared her document for flute care when I got the mopane flute. This document does not state any recommended limits to initial playing time, just that the flute sound will evolve and improve over time with playing.
I will forward the document to your email adress
Let me know if you have any questions.
Enjoy your new flute - I think they're great!
Best
Rune

[stiofan]

Hi Stephen,
I am the happy owner of a Lesouef keyless flute in Mopane (July 2020) and keyed blackwood (July 2022). These were my first brand new flutes in a long time, so I had almost forgot about the amount of oiling new flutes need...
Solen shared her document for flute care when I got the mopane flute. This document does not state any recommended limits to initial playing time, just that the flute sound will evolve and improve over time with playing.
I will forward the document to your email adress
Let me know if you have any questions.
Enjoy your new flute - I think they're great!
Best
Rune

Mange tak!
Stephen

[Tonehole]

Hi Stephen -

I can't remember the 'new' instructions to my Lesoeuf keyed flutes - it was long ago

When I came back a year later, I asked if I should be playing for more than 30 minutes. Solen looked aghast and said that her flutes were designed to be played way more often than the softly softly out of the case approach I was doing lol.

Since then I just play it regularly. The rings may require removing and tampening with cloth (cut back) as they do trap moisture/wax/oils over the years. The instructions were great but I've since lost mine. You'll be fine without needing to worry - all of her wood stock is kept air dried for years so the flute is dimensionally stable like the best woods from modern makers.

[stiofan]

Hi Stephen -

I can't remember the 'new' instructions to my Lesoeuf keyed flutes - it was long ago

When I came back a year later, I asked if I should be playing for more than 30 minutes. Solen looked aghast and said that her flutes were designed to be played way more often than the softly softly out of the case approach I was doing lol.

Since then I just play it regularly. The rings may require removing and tampening with cloth (cut back) as they do trap moisture/wax/oils over the years. The instructions were great but I've since lost mine. You'll be fine without needing to worry - all of her wood stock is kept air dried for years so the flute is dimensionally stable like the best woods from modern makers.

Thanks for sharing that bit regarding Solen's remarks to you about playing it often. Perhaps that implies duration of practice sessions too. At least I expect that's what I'll hear from her as well. As we all know, the breaking-in/playing in topic is one of those with ample differing opinions (like what kind of oil to use), but again, I always follow the maker's recommendations. All the same, it's good to hear some perspectives from Lesouef owners like yourself.

I played it for 20 minutes today (will probably increase to 30 minutes tomorrow), and am really enjoying it so far. It's my first flute with a partially-lined head, which is an interesting in-between from the fully-lined O'Brien I was playing recently and the unlined (all-wood) Casey Burns I also have. It definitely plays easily 'out of the box,' so to speak, though at the same time I can tell that there's a getting-acquainted process ahead of me, to get the most out of this fine instrument.

[tstermitz]

Presumably and hopefully the wood used for flutes made by all the good makers is well-aged and stable. It is true that some wood is more variable than others; I've had a mopane flute (Lesouef) that binded (bound?) up on the joints or loosened up on the rings. I did tighten the rings with the t-shirt cloth method. It is true that I live in a climate that gets very dry during parts of the year.

I have heard of one situation where a used blackwood flute (Olwell) was played with such love and intensity upon receipt that the joints swelled together causing a crack due to trying to force the joints open. I think the lesson would be to be a bit cautious at first, and to store in a box with 50% humidity on a steady basis.

90% of my antique flutes have had cracks. Once they were fixed they have never cracked again.

[stiofan]

Heard back from Solen this morning, who simply said it's better to not play a new flute 'too long' at first, so to keep the tenons from swelling, though she also went on to say that if it's oiled properly and swabbed out after playing, it's fine. Still, I think I'll take it easy for a couple of weeks just to play it safe. Sure is a nice instrument, exquisite crafts(wo)manship.