Flute seems to get very wet inside

[Catherine m Williams]

I have been learning by myself for just a few weeks but find if I play for more than 10 minutes of so the sound gets very quiet and whistlely. Drying it with the cleaning stick seems to help but why is it constantly getting so wet?
Is there is something wrong with how I am blowing?

I am going it get it services as I bought it second hand and the lower c does not seem to work as I think it is leaking air.

Generally though it does not sound as good as when I bought it which is frustrating as I am learning more notes and fluency.

Any advice much appreciated.

[pied_piper]

It's completely normal to get moisture inside a flute while playing. You are blowing warm (98.6 degree) moist air into a cold (~70-75 degree) flute. It's like breathing on a window pane - condensation forms. Keeping your swab handy will do a good job of mopping-up the moisture.

If any of the pad coverings are torn, water can get into the felt of the pad and cause it to swell and when that happens, the pad may not completely cover the flute tone hole. After you get it serviced, the problem notes should become easier.

It takes a while to develop a good, consistent tone on the flute. Just keep working on trying to produce a nice, full sound. Practice playing long tones. Start on an easy note (like C on the staff). Play it for 5-10 seconds while adjusting the flute and your lips to achieve the best sound. Then go to B and repeat. Then A, then G, etc. Do this over the entire range of notes that you can play and you should start to hear your sound improve.