January 2022
Oh, the first month of this year has not been easy for my Altusflute and me. But first something basic: when such a beautiful instrument is bought in a well-stocked shop, there is usually a nice "give-away" as a present. In my case it was a "Pouch Head and Body Swab". Sounds great, doesn't it? It's a round adapter that can be put on the swiping rod, over which you pull a microfibre cover. This wipes out the condensation inside the head piece much more thoroughly and without leaving any residue.
With a normal swiper rod and a gauze, it is very easy to engrave a circle into the inside of the crown while drying. This is clearly visible on my daughter's flute, and I am more or less solely to blame for that. In 90% of all cases I dried and polished the good bit. I don't know why the child never wanted to do it herself!
The price also includes an inspection and regulation of the flute after about 6 to 8 months of use. So I took the flute to the shop at the beginning of the month for overhaul. I left her there with a heavy heart, it wasn't that easy for me. In the meantime I have become quite fond of her.
The changeover to my daughter's Yamaha flute at home was surprisingly difficult for me. I preferred to invest my time in playing and practising the piano.
A week later I wanted and was supposed to pick her up again. I was half shocked when they couldn't find the flute at first. The staff thought it hadn't been checked yet. But after an intensive search, my flute showed up again.
The report said that there was nothing serious to complain about. This one screw on the H/B key, which likes to loosen, should not be fixed, but should be screwed in every now and then.
I continue with my exercise programme. I practise the change to the upper octave and the embouchure. But alas! Day by day it got worse and worse. Some days I only got shrill notes out and sometimes none at all. I was pretty dejected and started to doubt myself a lot. At the end of the month I finally had a flute lesson. My teacher had to test the flute for me because I wasn't sure if it was me or the flute that was causing the squeaking. She said the B, the A and the G were difficult to play. I had actually noticed that about the G as well.
So I brought the flute back to the service again. Thank God, the shop assistant from the wind department couldn't get anything out of the instrument. I was a little relieved. Because I was already worried, what do I do if she blows into it and there are no problems at all? That would make me look pretty stupid.
Now another week for me without the flute. Before I have to practise on the Yamaha, I'd rather not practise at all. But I've been in a bit of a bad mood all week.
Very sweet: the sales assistant from the shop calls to tell me: Your "flute" is cured again. I think she really likes flutes. Another screw would have come loose. You can hardly see it, I have to turn the flute back and forth to find it again. But this particular one has now been fixed by the flute maker.
What a joy, my flute works again. I can get through all the notes I have learned so far without any problems. If they don't sound good, it's always up to me, and after my experience with the loose screw, that's a good feeling again. I have found my inner centre again.
There is a beautiful thought by Daniel Barenboim, the pianist. He says: "Music means balance. Because music is everything at the same time: head, heart, stomach, thinking, feeling and sensuality."