Very interesting post, Tom.
One question: I know that this mellowing happens over time even for newer
flutes. I bet that part of this is a result of the outside of the
finger-holes being worn down by your fingers over use, but do the inside of
the finger-holes (where they meet the bore) get worn down over time by the
abbrasion of the air?
The utaguchi gets worn down by blowing on it, but obviously the strength of
the air 1 cm away from your mouth is greatly less than that of the air
leaving the flute through the holes.
If I know that the inside of the finger-holes will get worn down on their
own in a couple years, I'd be much less likely to sand them down myself.
It's just an incentive to play more. If this will never happen, though,
then I might want to consider it.
Thanks,
Zak "Just brought two brand-spanking-new-flutes" Braverman
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jan 12 2000 - 13:24:02 PST