Question about a flute

Irish Flute
1

Hi All

A friend has asked me to look at a flute she inherited from her father, who is German. I have posted images on

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48635940@N07/

(I hope this works–never tried posting a picture until now)

My questions are

  1. Does anyone recognize the maker?
  2. The flute has a nice tone in the upper register, but weak (at least when I play it) in the lower register. The blowhole is a rounded rectangle, different from the flute I normally play–which is oval.
  3. I cannot get the low C, C# to play at all–could this be ill-fitting pads?
  4. It is very flat, close to half a step low with the tuning slide pushed all the way in, which leads me to
  5. The tuning slide is stuck. Any ideas on how to get it unstuck?

Thanks

–Larry from Fresno

2

Hi Larry. This is (as you seem to have guessed) a pretty typical late C19th or even early C20th “Nach Meyer” style German flute - though the quality if the metal work suggests to me that it wasn’t from the bottom end of the market range - looks quite good quality. We can’t tell you the maker just on style grounds, though - unless it has a maker’s stamp on it, you won’t be able to answer that. If you can find any marks, do add pictures (try to take them in outdoor diffuse daylight).

It is almost certainly from what you say about the pitch at old Diapason Normale, A= c432-5Hz, and as such is of little practical use in a modern context. It cannot be “doctored” to bring it up to A=440 - there are ways of half-arsedly doing that, but they don’t work satisfactorily and would be more expensive than the flute is worth. Better to preserve it in its current good condition and maybe play it solo for pleasure.

The symptoms you describe of weak tone in the lower register are indeed indicative of leaks - and there are more potential sources of leaks than just the pads. Joint lappings, the tuning slide (even though stuck) and the head stopper cork can all leak, as can any cracks, though you don’t mention any nor do the (too dark anyway) photos show any. Weak-set or jammed springs can also fail to close a pad properly, or general gunk around tone-holes can prevent a pad seating true, even if it hasn’t gone hard and the key is returning properly, in good alignment and with adequate pressure. Systematic suck and blow tests (use the search tool for old threads on how to do this) of each joint separately and then in combinations should help you to locate the leaks. It is likely that the flute really needs a full overhaul - clean, re-pad, re-lap, clean and adjust keys etc. as well as freeing up that stuck slide.

Re: the stuck slide, try warming it up - blow up it with a hairdryer as a fairly gentle first measure - it is probably gummed up with old grease and metal corrosion products. Running some penetrating oil into it from both the barrel socket and the crack between the ferrules may help too. Remember to twist as you try to pull it apart, not just a straight pull. Of course, if the shellac holding the liner tube into the wooden head has weakened, you may just turn the wood on the metal rather than drawing the two metal tubes apart - not a desirable outcome, but not a major panic either!

I hope that helps a bit. let us know how you get on.

3

Thanks for the detailed response. There is no maker imprinted on the flute that I could find. It is a lovely sounding flute, and I will pass on your recommendation to the owner.