“Every flutist should be in a position, therefore, himself to undertake small repairs….” -Theobald Boehm, from The Flute and Flute Playing
…because, nearly every flutist has had the horrible experience of having their flute playing well in one moment and not in the next, and not had a clue what to do about it!
In the over 40 years in the business of keeping flutes playing, Anne Pollack has distilled some of the crucial information and concepts of emergency repair and maintenance into a class that enables the actively playing flutist (and flute teacher as well) to do minor repairs and adjustments on their instruments and their students’ instruments.
Anne’s background in training Repair Technicians at Powell Flutes (as head of the repair department) has allowed her to adapt her teaching into an accessible and workable approach, regardless of whether a student has any prior experience with repair.
While addressing the most common problems that arise with flutes, the information provided teaches the student to adjust their own instrument using the correct tools and techniques. In nearly all cases, the student will get the flute back into playing order… usually within minutes.
INTENSIVE
The five-hour class is semi-private (set up for 2 students at a time) and usually split into two sessions. There is a hands-on approach, so that the student will understand the principals explained according to their own instrument(s). An Industry Standard set of tools and materials are provided, as well as a specially designed handbook.
YOUR TOOL KIT WILL INCLUDE:
- Bent Needle Nose Pliers
- Wire Cutters
- Swiss Scissors
- Pivot Swivel Screwdriver
- Pad Feeler Gauge
- Double end Spring Hook
- Pin Vise for Gluing Implements
- Swiss Watchmakers Tweezers
- Sand Paper, Liquid Shellac, Cork Shims
- Lubrication, Cleaning and Adjustment Materials
- Headcork pushing dowel
SOME OF THE TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE:
- Solutions to the most common emergency flute problems.
- What you can do, and when you can do it in an emergency situation.
- Head corks…How to remove enlarge and refit. To address problems with projection, vibrancy, pitch and cracking notes.
- Disassembly and reassembly of flute.
- Cleanup of mechanism to address stuck, binding or sluggish keys and weak springs.
- Adjustment and fine tuning of keys.
- To address keys that are not functioning in synchrony (example: when 1-on-1 Bb does not function due to misadjustment of the left-hand Bb key).
- Spring tensions and corrections of action…to address unbalanced action and other related issues.
- Correcting “play” in key…Removing double-action, a/k/a lost motion.
PRICE:
The price of the class is $750 which includes Tools, supplies, Repair Handbook and follow-up answers to class related questions. For more information, or to schedule a class please contact us.
This class can be enlarged to satisfy an academic setting, providing an overview of repair and an extensive Q & A for all participants.