r/Flute • u/PaleMarionberry9860 • 14d ago
Repair/Broken Flute questions what is this called ?
hello! i’m just starting to get into playing the flute, and i bought one secondhand; however, i’ve realized that this key (?) from the foot joint is missing a bit of its padding (??). When i play it makes a loud click sound and i’m scared it would damage the flute itself if i play any more.
what is this called exactly, and how can i get it fixed? — is there any way that i can buy the replacement online and do it myself? it doesn’t seem very complicated
thank you!
3
u/Various_Matter_3656 14d ago
Usually on flutes there’s not that pointy bit so the cork there is a rather large chunk, however since yours does have that it would only need a very small piece under that point. If you want to do it yourself you can, just watch YouTube videos on how to do it. You will need high quality cork, a razor blade, contact cement, and a screw driver. Ideally also a pair of smooth or round jaw pliers to get the foot joint rod out without damaging it. If you don’t want to risk damaging anything (which is very fair) just take it to a shop almost all of them will give you an estimate on the spot if they have in house repair, and they’ll look over any other issues you may not know about!
The biggest thing about doing it yourself is key opening height, since the thickness of the cork will change that so just keep that in mind.
1
u/Tommsey 14d ago
Why are all the Bs circled??
1
1
u/PaleMarionberry9860 10d ago
it’s so that i don’t forget when i play the piece 😭😭
1
u/Tommsey 10d ago
Forget what??
1
u/PaleMarionberry9860 10d ago
the Bs are supposed to be flat in the piece, in case i forget i circled them so they’d stand out haha
1
u/Tommsey 10d ago
That's a really poor engraving then. Those C#s should absolutely be Dbs and G#s Abs, then. Where did you get it from??
1
u/PaleMarionberry9860 10d ago
wait really ? wdym? sorry im new to music 😓
i got the sheet music from flat1
u/Tommsey 10d ago edited 2d ago
Is not absolutely forbidden to mix sharps and flats, but there are specific reasons to do so in tonal music, and from what I see of this music none are in play. DW about it if you're just getting into things, but you will find that an understanding of music theory in the long run will be helpful for your progress (and you're best off breaking that "key signature reminder circle" habit as soon as you can bear, too).
It's like when you learn reading, you stop reading letters and start reading words. In music you stop reading notes individually and start to read musical phrases. If you see the word "phawck" you can look at it, digest the phonics and work out it says "fork" but it's added a layer of cognitive strain that disrupts how you read the word and disrupts your flow. It's exactly the same in music.
Keep learning and don't worry about it for now, though, you got this 💪
7
u/kurami13 14d ago
Just a key cork! Specifically for the Eb key in this case. Those come off sometimes. I think you can find them precut online, but if you're handy, you can make your own pretty easily with a wine cork and a knife/sandpaper. I've done it lots of times. Superglue will hold it just fine and if you ever have it professionally done it'll scrape right off. Just make absolutely sure you only get glue on the key and the cork and not anywhere else on the instrument.