Newbie seeks help

[OldMan]

Hello

I have just bought a student level Flute from Thomann and a few teach yourself books.

All the keys spring back when released except the 1st finger LH key which stays depressed unless manually opened by an underside lever.

Is this a fault or is it supposed to act like this. The mechanism has a spring, but it does not do anything.

Sorry for the vague explanation but I am a complete novice to any type of woodwind instrument.

TIA

Paul

[pied_piper]

The 1st finger LH key should return to the "up" position when the finger is lifted. There are several possibilities that can cause it to malfunction.

1 - The spring may have come unhooked from the key cradle
2 - The spring may be too weak and need adjusting
3 - The key's steel rod could need to be oiled
4 - The key's steel rod could be rusty
5 - The key, steel rod, post, or body could be slightly bent and/or misaligned
6 - A combination of several of the above issues

The first three are easy for a technician to fix. As a novice to the flute, your best bet would be to get a flute technician to check it. Usually, there is no charge for an estimate. If it is a spring problem or just need oiling, s/he might just fix it on the spot and there might not be any charge. The other issues take a bit more work to fix, but are not really serious problems unless something is badly bent.

[OldMan]

Thanks for the help, the rod does seem a bit stiff compared with the other mechanisms.
Sorry to be stupid, but what sort of lubricating oil should I use.

Thanks again

Paul

[pied_piper]

You should use a lubricating oil that is specially formulated for woodwind keys. You can get key oil at any music store. Something like this is appropriate:

http://www.musicarts.com/Hetman-18-Need ... 442066.mac

Oils from Selmer or Yamaha are also appropriate. Just be sure to apply it very sparingly and keep it off of any "soft" parts like the pads, corks, or felts because oil will ruin pads and oil can loosen the glue holding felts or corks in place. Keep a tissue handy to blot any excess or runs. Oilers with needle applicators, like in the link above, are especially handy for controlling how much and where it is applied.

Put a very small drop at each end of the sluggish key shaft then work the key up and down to work the oil in. If that does not solve your problem, the key may have accumulated a deposit of dried oil and dirt. If that's the case, the key would have to be removed for a thorough cleaning of the steel rod and inside the key tubing. That's probably more than you should tackle as a novice and it should be taken to a flute technician for service.

Also, I would tend to take a sluggish key as a sign of a flute that has been neglected and not well maintained. You may find that there are other problems like leaky pads or keys out of adjustment. Those would be most detrimental to your learning process because you might find that some notes won't sound properly and you won't know if it's you or your flute. I would suggest that you have another experienced flutist play test your flute or get a technician to check it over. Just like cars, flutes need regular maintenance to keep them at their best playing condition. Anything less will hinder your learning progress or even make it impossible to succeed. Ever tried to ride a bike with a flat tire or no brakes?