Method for the One-Keyed Flute. Janice Dockendorff Boland

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well in tune and is pitched according to your needs.

      Three important decisions you will need to make are (1) the pitch of the flute, (2) the style of the flute, and (3) the type of wood used in its construction.

Pitch

      Determine what pitch you would like the flute to be. The common standard today for most baroque music is A-415. Choose a pitch that allows you to play with colleagues and friends. Does your harpsichordist normally tune the instrument to A-415? Is there another flutist with whom you wish to perform? What pitch is his or her flute? The tone of the flute is markedly different at different pitches. A higher-pitched flute is more brilliant and penetrating; a lower-pitched flute is softer and more mellow.

Style

      You may wish to match the instrument to the music you will play or to the circumstances in which you will play. Will you do orchestral playing? Or will you find yourself more often in intimate chamber music settings? While some replicas can be used for a variety of music, others are more specialized or suited to a smaller range of styles. A flute designed for the music of Hotteterre won't be suitable for late eighteenth-century Mozart. Ask your flute maker for advice. Some popular reproductions today are modeled after instruments by Hotteterre (French maker, after Graz original c.1700), Denner (Nuremberg maker, after original played by Hünteler, early eighteenth century), Bressan (London maker, pre-1730), Rottenburgh (Brussels maker, after original in the Kuijken collection, c. 1770), and August Grenser (Dresden maker, second half of the eighteenth century).

Woods

      You may be asked what type of wood you prefer. Today's replicas are commonly made of boxwood, ebony, cocus wood, rosewood, or grenadilla. Grenadilla is the most dense and rosewood the least dense. The type of wood used in flute construction affects its tone quality, although modern makers tell me that the shape of the bore and cut of the tone and embouchure holes have a much more profound effect on the tone than the choice of wood. Try several and see which you prefer. A popular “beginning model” by Aulos of Japan is made of plastic. Because of international laws governing the sale of ivory, few replicas are made of ivory or have ivory trim.

Used Flutes

      Don't shy away from purchasing a used instrument. According to Quantz (1752, p. 51), “Generally a good and accurately tuned flute that has been frequently played is always preferable to a new one.”

ON CARE

       Now if you have such a flute…spare no effort to maintain it so that it cannot be spoiled.

      Tromlitz (1791, p. 40)

      The one-keyed flute has its own unique set of requirements for proper care. Many fine flutes from the eighteenth century have survived, evidence that with proper care, a flute can last for centuries. I am indebted to flute-makers Roderick Cameron and Ardal Powell for much of the following information on flute care.

Checklist

      

Never store the flute in extreme heat or cold. Never allow your flute to lie exposed to the rays of the sun. Never leave the flute near a heating vent or fireplace. Never leave your flute in the trunk of your car in very cold or very hot weather. These cautionary measures will help guard against cracking.

      

Never bring the flute into a warm room from the cold outdoors and play it immediately or it may crack. Don't blow warm air through the flute to warm it up. Allow it to gradually warm to room temperature.

      

Never store the flute in low humidity environments. A wooden flute will dry out quickly in low humidity and may crack. Winter conditions in the Midwest and on the East coast of the United States produce low humidity factors, as do conditions in a heated home or studio. As a measure of prevention, carry a commercial humidifier (look in tobacco shops for a tiny humidifier the size of a tube of lipstick called a Humistat) in the case during the dry winter months; check it frequently and keep it damp. Store a wooden or ivory flute (in its box) in a plastic bag or plastic box (like a Tupperware container) during periods of low humidity and also when the flute is not in use for an extended period of time.

      

Never assemble the flute if the joints feel too tight. If the tenons are wrapped with thread, adjust the wrappings for a proper fit.

      

Never put the flute away wet in a horizontal position. Lindsay (1828–30) says that doing so will cause the water to accumulate on one side of the tube, expand that place, and throw the instrument out of tune for the moment; the flute will eventually rot from such treatment.

      

Play a new flute or a newly acquired antique flute only ten minutes on the first day and gradually increase the playing time over a ten-day period. This allows the moisture on the player's breath to permeate the wood evenly, which helps to avoid cracking or warping the bore.

      

Lightly grease the tenons before each assembly. Use cork grease, petroleum jelly, or even Chapstick. Here is a recipe for homemade tenon grease: melt one part petroleum jelly (Vaseline) with one part beeswax, mix, and pour into a jar to cool.

      

Swab the flute after each use to remove all moisture. A silk cloth is especially good for absorbing moisture; cotton is also good. Silk cloths on a long string, made for oboists, are available at music stores.

      

If the flute is not swabbed or taken apart, place it upright on a peg so that the water may easily drain off.

      

Wipe the outside surface with a soft, lint-free cloth.

      

Be sure the tenons and sockets are dry before putting the flute away.

      

If the pad on the key is sticky, apply a little talcum powder to the key pad.

      

Keep the flute in a plastic bag when flying in the pressurized cabin of an aircraft. When the air pressure drops, the moisture is quickly sucked from a wooden flute.

      

Oil a wooden flute regularly (about once a month) inside and out. A new flute will need to be oiled even more often until it is “played in.”

Oiling the Flute

      What type of oil should be used? The answer to this question depends in part on the flute you own. If you are playing an antique flute, it will be helpful to know that Quantz (1752) recommended almond oil. Tromlitz (1791) preferred rapeseed oil (also known today as canola oil), saying almond oil was too light and disappeared too quickly.

      If

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