Instrument Care

Caring for your wood piccolo

As the temperature drops in the Midwest and we settle squarely into the colder months of the year, I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss a very important subject: the care required for wooden instruments, specifically piccolos. Wood is much more susceptible to temperature and humidity changes than metal, and sudden changes or poor maintenance can lead to serious issues like cracking and warping of the instrument. With just a few precautions, you can keep your wood piccolo looking and playing like new for years to come. Most wood piccolos are made of grenadilla wood, which as I mentioned is susceptible to cracking as temperatures rise and fall, especially in the Midwest, where most of us are stationed. Therefore, wood instruments are strongly discouraged for outside playing, especially in a marching band setting. Just as with string instruments and wood clarinets and oboes, the bodies of piccolos can actually crack due to temperature fluctuations, which causes the wood to swell and shrink, compromising the integrity of the body. The simplest way to avoid this is–say it with me–avoiding temperature and humidity extremes. Be sure to always swab out your piccolo after you have played it as well, to

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Oct 27, 2020 No Comments

Cleaning your flute-COVID edition

The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation have teamed up to give you some helpful tips for cleaning and sanitizing musical instruments. Of course, we have comprehensive cleaning guides for every instrument on our website that you can find here, but during the time of COVID-19, we all have extra cleaning and precautions on our mind. Below are some helpful tips to give you peace of mind and make sure your or your student’s instrument stays clean and safe to play.  The flute headjoint can be easily sanitized with an isopropyl alcohol-soaked pad. Simply wipe the lip plate, headjoint exterior, and inside edge of the lip plate opening, making sure that the pad is not too wet. Never submerge the headjoint in water–there is a cork in the top of the headjoint that will get damaged if introduced to too much moisture. After wiping with alcohol, wipe off excess moisture with a polishing cloth. Cleaning the body of a flute is a delicate balancing act of making sure that too much moisture does not get introduced to the instrument, particularly because the key pads are very sensitive to moisture and will be

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Jul 14, 2020 No Comments

Tackling tarnish

I pulled this blog post from the archives because I think it’s a great reminder on some easy things we can do to help slow the progression of pesky tarnish on our beautiful instruments. I get a lot of questions asking about how to prevent buildup and tarnish, especially in those hard-to-reach areas, as well as questions about how I keep the shop instruments so shiny. Read on for answers to those questions and more. “My flute just isn’t as shiny as it used to be!!” We all know how frustrating it is to see our meticulously-maintained instruments starting to develop discoloration, especially in those pesky hard to reach places. This week, I wanted to talk a little bit about things that can be done to help put the brakes on this issue.Unfortunately, the development of tarnish, which is a chemical reaction that occurs on silver or even silver-plated items, is an inevitable reality for flute players. Exposure to the air, materials in a case, and contact with the skin all cause gradual discoloration of the metal. Small things such as the glue used to hold a case together can even cause this to occur. The good news is there

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Jun 24, 2020 No Comments

Summer instrument repair

“School’s out for summer!” That phrase seems so nebulous these days, doesn’t it? What has school looked like for the past 3 months? What is “out,” exactly? And what is summer, and beyond, going to look like for us? There are still so many uncertainties that we face, but we here at the Indy Flute Shop and Paige’s Music want to make sure that your instruments are well taken care of over the summer as you practice and prepare for whatever next school year may bring. For many of you, summer is the perfect time to get your instrument serviced, so here is some information on how to go about getting that done. One option to get your instrument repaired this summer is to simply visit our showroom in Indianapolis and drop your instrument off. We are also still offering curbside service. You will leave your instrument with our knowledgeable repair staff, they will contact you after a brief quarantine period with a free, no-obligation repair estimate if  you do not have a rental or service policy with us, and most repairs are completed within a week. Loaners are free if you are renting from us, or you may rent

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May 28, 2020 2 Comments

Flute Assembly Tips

Greetings from the Indy Flute Shop! I truly hope all of you are staying safe, healthy, and (mostly) sane as this highly unusual time trudges on. Personally, I’m holding on to the fact that this too shall pass—and it will! Life will return to normal. We will be able to visit friends and family, participate in activities, and make music together again. In the meantime, I wanted to share some more “back to basics” tips for keeping your flute in good working order, especially during this time. Sometimes when flutes come in for repair, the issue is due to improper assembly and disassembly. The tenon, or the area where the instrument pieces go together, is a thin piece of metal and can be bent or broken with repeated misuse. In the video below, one of our woodwind technicians, Steve “Sarge” Grimes, shares some flute assembly tips on how taking a flute apart improperly can damage the tenon joint over time. If you missed the post a few weeks ago, make sure you are properly caring for your instrument after playing with these basic tips on caring for your flute.

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Apr 21, 2020 No Comments

Back To Basics: Flute Care

Greetings from my home to yours, friends. You all have surely heard by now that our state is under a stay-at-home order, meaning that the Indy Flute Shop and Paige’s Music have been closed since Wednesday March 25th. Our voicemails will not be monitored, but I will be monitoring the IFS social media pages and email for any questions or concerns that may come up during this time. As of now, we are planning to re-open in two weeks, but of course, this is an ever-evolving situation, so be sure to continue checking in here and on social media for updates. Hopefully you or your students have your flute at home with you during this shutdown, so I thought this would be a good time to get “back to basics” with regards to taking care of your instrument. This week, I’m posting a flute care video from the archives, filmed a couple of years ago. In it, you can find tips on daily cleaning and care of your flute. It is important to follow these guidelines after every time you play your instrument to prevent unnecessary wear and tear–especially since we will be unable to perform repairs for the next

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Mar 31, 2020 No Comments

Updates and resources

Let’s address the elephant in the room–these are some crazy times we’re going through right now. The situation is changing hourly, but the effects are already deeply felt by everyone in the music community, all over the country. Being a part of the music business feels like such a small world, and I know so many of you are suffering from cancelled performances, lost revenue, and other hardships. I see you. I feel you. I’ve struggled to decide what to write on my weekly update here, so I’m going to do my best just to provide you with some helpful information. First of all, we are still open for the time being. Again, so many new developments are happening at a very fast pace, so we are monitoring the situation and making smart decisions, which right now includes lots of hand washing, cleaning instruments, and keeping a safe distance from customers. If you do desire to play test instruments at this point, we will ask you to wash your hands beforehand. All flutes will be wiped with alcohol swabs beforehand and swabbed out thoroughly afterwards. Instrument exchanges, purchases, and upgrades can still be made in store for the time being.

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Mar 17, 2020 No Comments

FAQ: How to clean your cleaning supplies

I got a comment recently on a past blog post that inspired me to create this post on how to take care of your instrument cleaning supplies! With a little TLC, your cleaning supplies can last for several years. So when your cleaning cloths get a little dirty, save your hard-earned dollars and give them a scrub! Interior cleaning swabs Swab cloths to clean the inside of the flute are generally made of cotton or silk, or a hybrid of the two. When it starts looking (or smelling…) like it needs a cleaning, feel free to hand-wash it or toss it in the washing machine. My best recommendation is to wash with warm water with NO liquid fabric softener. Liquid softeners leave a residue on cloth that can build up over time and can transfer to the metal and pads inside of the flute, so it’s best not to use it. Hang dry or tumble dry low, with like materials. If your cloth has a “raw” edge I would not recommend putting it in the dryer. Exterior polishing cloths Like interior swabs, polishing cloths can be washed in a similar manner, in warm water with no liquid softener, or as

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Sep 3, 2019 No Comments

FAQ: How do I get my instrument repaired?

Have you or your student recently started back to school, only to find that your playing is a bit…rusty? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you. Lots of students take the summers easy when it comes to playing your flute, and you may find that when you pick it back up again, that it is in need of some repair and maintenance. We have you covered! Sending an instrument into Paige’s Music for repair is a very easy process. Here’s what you need to do: How Do I Get My Instrument Repaired? – FAQ | Paige’s Music News about band and orchestra rentals, sales and service in Indiana 1. Call us at 1-800-382-1099 to let us know that your instrument needs service. We’ll arrange for a loaner to be sent to your school so your student isn’t without an instrument for class. TIP: You’ll need to keep your accessories and cleaning items with you so that you’ll have them to use with the loaner until your instrument is returned to you. 2. Our District Manager will bring the loaner with him on his next visit to your school. He will also pick up your instrument and bring it back to the

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Aug 13, 2019 No Comments

Successful beginnings (repost)

Around the beginning of every school year, it gets crazy busy here at the Indy Flute Shop. Since I am a Paige’s Music employee, I also help beginning customers start their students on brand new instruments, which always comes with lots of questions! In between phone calls and lines of customers, though, I always find myself thinking about all those new flute students and how important it is to get them started properly. There’s so much to think about, and it can be difficult to decide what to focus on. For band directors who start multiple students on different instruments, this is even more challenging. Below are some suggestions from Carolyn Keyes, educator and clinician for creating good habits in your beginning flute students, along with some of my own input. Holding the Flute Holding the flute properly is one of the most critical habits to instill in beginners. Techniques such as embouchure and headjoint placement are all for naught if the instrument is not being held correctly. For example, is impossible to produce a good tone if the flute is slipping every few seconds. It is also impossible to play fast passages if the hands are tensed or if

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Aug 6, 2019 No Comments

Care Tips for Summer

We’ve had mild weather so far this season, but those hot, humid days are right around the corner. Many of you are out of school for the summer, and perhaps taking advantage of some opportunities to perform or practice outside. Many community bands in the area host outdoor concert series, which is great, but it does come with some extra necessities as far as taking care of your instrument. Here are a few tips to ensure that your instrument doesn’t suffer in the heat. 1. Always make sure to store your instrument away from heat and direct sunlight. In the summertime, this means avoiding leaving it in your car for long periods of time. Car interiors can get very hot, and while short times exposed to heat might not make a big difference, over time it can actually start to melt the glue that holds the flute pads in place. They may come unseated or fall out completely. As you probably know, having new pads installed in a flute is quite expensive, so avoiding temperature extremes will definitely save you money in the long run. 2. Keep a polishing cloth handy. When the temperature rises, we sweat, and when we

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Jun 11, 2019 No Comments

How To Care For Your Flute

For many Indianapolis area schools, as well as around the state, students are beginning the exciting journey of learning a new instrument in a summer band program. If you are happening across this blog for the first time, welcome! We here at Paige’s Music and the Indy Flute Shop want to make this new experience for your family a fun and hassle-free one. This week, we’re going to go over some important tips for caring for your new flute player’s instrument. Ensuring that you or your child has a properly functioning and good quality instrument is one of the best ways to help them succeed (a little practicing never hurt anyone either). An instrument that is of poor quality or in need of repair is a surefire route to frustration. We have a page of helpful tips and detailed videos related to proper assembly of the instrument, care and maintenance, and how to produce a good sound. You can find these videos here: http://www.paigesmusic.com/paiges/run?id=6&_tid=30&lvid=485 Take some time to watch these, particularly the first two videos on assembly and care of the instrument, with your student and make sure they understand them. Your student’s director and/or private teacher will assist in

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Jun 4, 2019 No Comments
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