Condensation spoils a flute’s tone,
and I find it building up very
quickly when i’m playing.
I’m not drooling into the
flute or anything.
Are you’all having this?
What do you do? Of course I clear
the flute after a tune, but
it often happens during one.
Is this one of the reasons
why I see people play with
the flute sloping down?
Let me guess: You’re playing the flute somewhere cold?
Loren’s right on.
If you warm the flute up before playing, and keep it warm, it will reduce condensation, but not totally eliminate it.
Transverse flute players tilt their heads due to the weight of the offset flute. I usually start with mine, intentionally horizontal, and over time find myself leaning.
Bill
[ This Message was edited by: SuiZen on 2003-01-22 04:16 ]
Thanks to both of you! Yes, I’m probably
playing the flute cold.
Yeah, it’s a vile and wayward instrument. Drippin’ like it’s got a social disease, and, on a bad day, changing its intonation like a newly pubescent male. I love the way people cover their pints.
Some people don’t do this, but periodically I cover all the tone holes, cover the ebouchure with my mouth (so much for blackwood allergy management) tilt down, and blow. Sometimes a surprising amount of condensation runs out. It’s really gross. 
I try to be as discreet as I can, but every now and then somebody sees the more dramatic effects and seems mildly taken aback. All I can do is offer a wicked smile.
N, trying to invent the flute diaper
Yes, I do that, too. Please hurry up
with that diaper!
One thing I have found that helps:
Periodically finger low D, hold the end of the flute tilted far down, and blow sharply and with force through the flute.
This will force most of the condensate in the bore to run out, and will restore the tone and response of the flute until the next time the condensate builds up.
You’d think the polymer flutes I play would be the worst for this problem, but actually the old German 8-key has a mirror-smooth finish in the bore, and collects condensate like crazy.
Best,
–James
http://www.flutesite.com
[ This Message was edited by: peeplj on 2003-01-22 15:26 ]
James, my old German flute does this as well, even though it absorbs moisture more readily than a blackwood (I think it’s rosewood). My guess was/is that these flutes simply have a smaller bore, and maybe the flute somehow cools faster. In any case, that flute definitely leaks the most.
Gordon
I pull the headjoint/slide apart and cover the embochure, then blow it clear, I find that I dont get much condensation past that, so I save the rest for between sets.