We own a very beautiful black flute of unknown origin. It has been restored nicely but is very dificult to play but can be played and plays to pitch. My wife may die trying, thus we would like to find someone who knows about improving this type of instrument. Other have also tried and all agree it is difficult to imposible–particularly at speed (Irish speed). It is too beautiful not to be played. Any help would be appreciated. D Wright
Post a picture of it and post the link here. Can’t say much until we see it.
Yes post a picture.
Was it restored by a professional restorer? How long have your wife (and the people that tried the instrument) played the side-blown flute?
couple o’ questions 
Do either of you have any proficiency at playing flute?
If you close all of the holes and suck at the embouchure does it leak?
Is the entire range hard to sound or only part?
Is the bore and embouchure hole clean?
Are you in Wisconsin?
It could be a anonymous German flute, like the one in my Avatar. If so - good luck..
I actually received compliments for being able to play recongnizable tunes on it, and more than one accomplished flute player found it “like trying to inflate a blown tyre”
Sam Murray suggested i’d hang it on the wall or use it for self defence.
I haven’t figured out posting a picture just yet but the flute looks like any old black flute used to play Irish music. The restorer was professional (and expensive) but not a flute player. The keys are real silver it would seem. My wife has played all her life and she is older than dirt. Thanks for the interrest, D Wright
My wife has played all her life. We have checked for leaks but will try again. The mid ranges are easier but still a struggle. All is clean and sparkly. Just restored. Keys appear to be real silver. And yes, we do live in the beautiful state and why is that of interest—bad flute players?
We suspect it is German as it would appear most were made there. She too can play some tunes–and she is German—but maybe that is the problem. Possibly the older Germans had more air power! D Wright
You might get it into the hands of someone who makes/knows flutes.
You might call Dave Copley (search online). Pictures here would help as we could
probably tell you what it is. That a flute looks good is sadly no indication
that it is playable. The kind of restoration needed may have been beyond
the person who restored it, and may cost more than a new flute.
That really does sound like a leakage problem. Even a really poor embouchure cut (the other most likely cause of poor tone) should not require so much force to sound throughout the range. Check each joint individually as well as assembled in pairs etc. cumulatively - and don’t forget to check both the tuning slide and the stopper-cork. Those things said and, let’s assume, OK or fixed, whether it is a German flute or not, if it has an elliptical embouchure cut it will need better focus than a modern Bohm flute and, to get it to sing, a more down-blowing than across-blowing technique - it won’t “blow” the same as a modern Bohm flute. But it shouldn’t take oodles of air and forceful huffing.
Do post some pictures!
Well i know of old german flutes that are good players, and others that appear identical that are duds. I really don’t know why, if the bad ones were bad from the beginning or if they for some reason turned bad as the years went by.?. Point is, i am not saying German = bad, just that there seems to be a plethora of them out there and that they seem dicey (now) When they’re good, they’re good and when they are bad they are next to unplayable.
if it isn’t a leak then I’d guess poor embouchure hole
If you lived in Australia, say next door the Terry, you might not want to ship it to England to have someone look at it. -or- Mostly just proximity to a known flute tech or at least someone with a bit of experience with the old things…
Oh, and we’re assuming that the stopper is somewhere near where it belongs…
Slightly off topic
This comes up over and over. Is it possible for someone who is familiar with the process post it as a sticky both here and on the Whistle Forum?
Thanks and best wishes.
Steve
oddly enough there is one in the “Forum Support” forum
You may have a crack in the bore. It may not be visible from the outside, or may have been only filled on the outside. Such was the case with my flute and it was years before a professional caught it. Once repaired the flute played beautifully.
It sounds like that may be the crux of the issue right there. You need to have it looked at by a timber flute specialist.
Thanks for all the comments. We checked it for leaks using the methods suggested and there are none. We also tried playing it first with just the mouth piece and then adding additional sections. With just the mouth piece the tone was strong and consistant, and easy to produce. As we added sections it got progressively harder to play. All joints are tight. Interestingly, while I believe the flute is old, it really shows little signs have having years of playing—maybe it never worked well which is what I suspect.
I am most suspicious of the embouchure but that sounds like it is a long shot. I did notice others on this posting have listed professional flute repair specialist. I looks like we may have to move in that direction. I will not be able to post pictures for a couple of days, but will at first oppostunity. Thanks to everyone again and if other possibilities come to mind, do add a note.
How exactly did you check for leaks?
The way I would check would be to take each joint , cover the finger holes, block the bottom end with the fleshy part at the base of the thumb, then suck on the top end. If it’s air tight it will form a vacuum and stick to your lip for a few seconds.
repeat this process with each joint individually.
I think we’ll get a better idea once you can get some pictures up, but I’ve never seen a German flute with silver keys.
Probably just a bad flute - they vastly outnumber the good ones
We checked it exactly like that. No leaks. I don’t know that it is really German. That was just a guess. I have been very busy of late but I will get a set of photos up but it may not be for a week or so----I have to go to Colorado. Again thanks, D Wright