I’moping to receive a new flute made by martin doyle in the next few days- ould someone advise me how much i can play it at first - i know you’re supposed to play 10 minutes at a time to start with and then increase this gradually throughout the first few weeks - what i’m not sure about is whether you can repeat this in a single day if you put the flute to one side for a few minutes or whatever to let it recover
Check with doyle, first of all.
No, the time period, whatever it is,
is for one day. But the maker
is your best source. Good luck.
Casey Burns’ care instructions say
When new, or when an antique instrument is to be played upon for the first time in recent years, it should be played only a few minutes at a time up to a cumulative amount of an hour a day.
But my best advice is just do whatever Martin Doyle says.
does it make a big difference in the flute if you don’t play it for the proper amount of time every day when you first get it? what will happen to it if you don’t do this?
You may or may not increase the chance of cracks or of the bore changing its dimensions if you don’t follow the maker’s instructions…but why take the chance?
–James
The ingress of lots of moisture quickly
risks cracking–that’s the story I’ve heard.
Slowly increasing the moisture level
inside the flute is supposed to
be safer.
One wonders why some makers
say their instruments need no
break in period.
James-don’t worry, I wouldn’t take that chance! I was just wondering how much it would affect the flute. I’m very safe with my flute 
I broke it in slowly when I got it a few years ago.
Caution should definately be used with older/used instruments, but for the life of me, I can’t understand why a newly made instrument would require a break-in period: I mean the thing should have been played for several hours (at least) during the tuning and voicing stages (just prior to shipment) and oiled as well.
Loren
I agress with Loren. Martin’s workshop has an average humidity of about 120%. He has wiindshield wipers on his eyeglasses. I wouldn’t worry a bit about playing that flute too much. I do believe in oiling the flute a lot, but I also believe in the spirit world and true love.
I have played new flutes for hours a day with ne’er a problem. I think it has to do with the environment the flute comes from. If it’s coming from Chicago and it’s been on the shelf for the winter (or in the dry atmosphere of an airplane) then it would be so dry that if it hadn’t cracked already it would be prone to gathering too much moisture and cracking when played too much. But any flute you get from Bray will be pretty humidified to start with and you’ll have no problem. Play away.
I’ll never forget the day after my flute came back from a tuneup visit to Hammy Hamilton and all its rings fell off – simply because the wood had contracted so much when returned to my 35% humidity from Hammy’s 75%. Boy, did I feel stupid when I figured that out – and in retrospect I think I was VERY lucky I didn’t get a big ol’ crack on that one.
In my experience the problems are more likely to happen when the flute is allowed to 1) get too dry (i.e., no humidity – especially when it’s a flute that was seasoned & made in a more humid climate like Ireland), or 2) is subjected to sudden changes in temperature or environment.
For example, a flute you bought at an estate sale could have been sitting in a barn for years, but it adjusted to that environment over time. So if you were to pick the thing up, bring it home and immediately spend an hour honking on it next to your fireplace, well, good luck to ya. Same deal if you remove your flute from a nice climate- and temperature- controlled environment, leave it in the car for two hours in 30-degree temps and then start in filling that cold flute up with your hot steamy breath without letting it warm up to the pub’s temp … I think you’re running a risk.
Anyway, just to be clear, I’m not saying I don’t take my flute anywhere I want, but I do keep it humidified and try to be conscious of letting it adapt if need be. It’s not plastic or metal, it’s wood. And even though it settles, wood never stops curing and seasoning. Someday someone will find a petrified Rudall and then I guess you could say the process is finished, but until then …
(FWIW, yeah, I think flutes can get better with age, too)
So I’m in total agreement with David. 
(especially as it was David’s old flute I almost wrecked 
) (And if it had been newer and less seasoned, I bet I would’ve)
This is something I’d REALLY like to see makers think about/discuss more, because I think it could help them, too. Maybe there wouldn’t be so many cracked new flutes and apocrypha about certain flutes’ propensities for cracking if more consideration was given re: how, when, and to/from what environment they’re being transported.
But meanwhile, it’s certainly gotten me thinking.
xo,
cat.
Doesn’t Terry McGee have several different humidors at his workshop to simulate different enviroments? I can recall reading that some place, possibly at his website. If I remember correctly, he stores all flutes in different humidors depending on where they are being shipped during the making process, when they are resting from reaming and stuff. That man seems to think of everything tough
Henke, I think you hit the nail on the head. He DOES think of everything! And I’m glad to hear it. Must be why I like my McGee so much!
Thanks for the info.
I agree with cat who agreed with me who agreed with Loren. It’s all about sudden changes in environment for the flute.
I also have several hygrometers throughout the house. When the relative humidity goes below 50% (and it does in Ireland when it’s cold and dry outside – down to 42%) I put some pans to boil on the kitchen stove and fill the bath tub with hot water. In the states my flutes are in a cabinet with a cup filled with water and a rag to act as a wick. Prevention is cheaper than repairs in any case and less painful emotionally.
I think a flute is far more likely to crack when left to dry out than when played too much. Has anybody experienced a flute cracking from overuse? No hearsay here. Just firsthand experience if you please.
Nope, I’ve had 2 flutes crack from neglect (both in winter, both from dryness before I knew better), but no problems since I started the old Rubbermaid tote/sponge/Humidistat/hygrometer assault. OIf course I also play a lot more now, too!
Heck, I’ve even used McDonald’s straws (they’re larger-bore) cut up and stuffed with small bits of water-soaked sponge to reasonable result when traveling.
Yeah, a cracked flute will break your heart. In my case one was an el cheapo that split right thru the embouchure and all the way down the barrel; the other a new flute with a lined head (so no effect on playability, thank Pan) but I still cringe when I see those cracks.
And once again … in each case, there was no mention whatsoever about humidification in the maker’s info. A little discussion about oiling, and that’s it. Granted that was 10 years ago … hopefully things have improved on the new flute info front since then?
Gosh, I sure love this website. 
I have kept woodwinds for a long time (well over 7 years) and I think they key to prevent cracking (along with slow env. changes) is OILING.
I saved a wood penny whistle from a fate worse than cracking by oiling the hell out of it. Now, the small micro cracks have swollen shut and the whistle sounds great, nothing like when I first got it.
Some people say oil every few mts, or every 5 hours of playing. Another source said to oil every day, and another said to oil weekly. The best thing to do is play close attention to your flute. If it does not sound “right” and if the wood does not feel as smooth as glass…my rec. is to oil it.
I use almond oil and have been for years. I have tried walnut oil, but I find almond oil to be finer and easer to work it into all the nooks. I have tried artist grade linseed oil but I do not like to use it much. When it dries the wood takes on a “hard” feeling. It adds a nice shine and makes the bore very “fast”, but I think it does not condition the wood very well. So, use almond oil, and linseed oil on occasion. That’s my 2 cents.
how do you apply the oil?
i was told to check with the maker about my specific flute, but i don’T know who the maker is 
Get a swab, like a recorder swab, and use that
to oil the bore. Can’t go wrong with almond oil.
But don’t sweat it.
Dave,
I say teach a man to fish but invite him back to the house for a barbecue and be generous with the cold beer. Its hard to beat fresh caught fish on the grill.
Agreed on all points…I played the heck out of my Olwell from the day the delivery man handed me the package. I live in the dry West central Texas, and I chew tobacco and generate more spit than most, and I’ve had no problems with shrinkage or swelling or cracking. I don’t even oil it much. I say give it hell, and swab it out well, more for stench avoidance and hygene than any cracking concern.
BT
And what about outside? Do you oil outside also?
Best wishes