I have noticed it takes a while for my flute to ‘get going’ and it playes best once its warm and wet (euuu). However, this is also the time ive been despritly blowing into it for an hour. - Thus im wondering which requires the ‘warm up time’ player, or flute.
foreplay thread, eh…
oh lawd no!
though no you mention it; my parents are round this week so if i can get it moist before they arrive i know ill perform well for them and they may help buy me another one.
oh gods, i think i need to go and lie down in a dark room.
bye…
as a general rule both 
generally
Both - Denny’s right, as usual, though equally embouchure fatigue can set in and you can loose it again even when the flute is nicely warmed up but you have swabbed out any excess condensation…
Chris, I was thinking of trying to sort out getting Mark P’s flute back to him this week… will you be tied up with your folks or would it be timely? … I might even come to Leeds…
I can certanly spair some time, if your in on wednesday ill be at the (pritty darn legendary) Chimic Session, parents will be in tow but they should be more then happy to and talk instruments. I am leaving for london on friday night mind.
all:
I suppose a case in the procucition of the flute is that its the bottom three holes which give me the most trouble when i ‘switch it on’ and there are four cracks in the foot (its held together by eastic bands and love) - then again, i am led to believe its those notes which are the most difficult to play for a biginner anyway.
Both of course! Now, I am not sure which warms up earlier… the player or the instrument, but both need a little adjusting time. Where one lays blame, well, that is the question, is it not?
Arbo
There may well be another crack further up towards the middle of the flute too - or the centre joint might be loose and leaking - if it has one…
Player and flute do need to warm up alright but a flute shouldn’t really take that long to warm up assuming everything is working decently - ten minutes would be more than enough. A leaking wooden flute can sometimes start to play better when the wood swells enough with water from the player’s breath to seal the cracks - or some of them. Then you might get the idea that it just takes the flute a long time to warm up…
Electrical insulating tape in the right places can make for a different flute - as well as making sure the elastic bands are really keeping those keys closed.
Garry
Ah, the topic I’ve been pondering. Yesterday I started playing and I was getting the distinct impression that the flute was cold. I took it apart and ran it under warm tap water ( Delrin 
) killing two birds with one stone; bringing up the temp and getting it wet. It always worked well for my Sax mouthpieces so I figured I’d give it a shot. It seemed to make a considerable difference.
It takes me about fifteen minutes to get to my best playing level. When I’m warmed up, and pick up a cold flute, it plays well within 2-3 minutes. After an hour or so, the whole thing goes south. I’m sure this varies with the player.
Must be a traveler’s flute, with a penchant for the warmer climates! 
Arbo