How to Assemble a Flute

Assembling your flute properly keeps it in tune and prevents damage. It is also the first step to learning to play your instrument. As you learn to play the flute, take some time to practice assembling it properly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Hold the body of the flute in your hand without touching any of the keys.
2. Pick up the headpiece, or the portion at the top of the flute that you blow through.
3. Insert the headpiece into the body of the flute so that the lip hole points straight up from the keys on the body. Leave about 1/3 inch between the bottom of the head piece and the top of the flute body so you can turn your flute.
4. Slide the foot piece into place without putting pressure on any of the moving parts of the flute. Make sure the rod on the foot joint is in place by lining it up with the last key on the flute body.
5. Adjust the location of the foot joint to promote better tone. You can also manipulate the tone by changing where you line up the lip hole. Talk to an instructor before making any of these changes yourself.

Tips & Warnings

• Flutes are most frequently damaged when their keys are broken during assembly. Avoid this common error by touching the keys as little as possible.