One of the biggest enemies of our bamboo and wood flutes is fungi. When stored for a long time, fungi can grow inside or accumulate dust, which affects the sound of the flute.
Here are some tips that can be applied to the care of your quena or pan flute:
1. After using our wind instruments and before storing them, we must remove any saliva that may have remained. Using a cotton cloth, disinfect the mouthpiece of the tube with 75% medical alcohol.
2. Then sprinkle the inside and outside with almond oil (it can also be coconut oil, olive oil, linseed oil). To apply the oil to the inside of the tube, use a brush of the type used to clean test tubes which has the proper diameter to enter the flute.
You can make an oiling tool inside the flutes yourself using a wooden stick or reed with pieces of string tied at the end.
3. If you have stored your flute for a long time, before using it be sure to clean the dust that may be inside. To do this, clean it with a clean test tube brush and then apply almond oil.
4. In case of finding your flute with fungus, clean with a cloth soaked in sodium hypochlorite. Let dry. Then apply almond oil.
5. Always use your flute lightly oiled for more beautiful sounds.
6. Never oil a quena made of bone. The bone tends to stain and lose its beauty.
7. Avoid leaving your flute in direct sunlight for long periods of time. Extreme heat can dry out or crack your flute.
8. Avoid hitting your flute. A small crack may not be seen and it will change the sound of the flute.
9. Extreme temperatures temporarily alter the pitch of flutes made of bamboo. Bamboo flutes are tuned to be played at a certain temperature (Saloon temperture).
10. If you are a beginner in quena, or do not have enough force to blow, ask to the makerfluter a thinner quena than the standard one.
