1. Temporary assembly and fitting The body and keys fitted with the pads are initially assembled so that they will move smoothly. Next, the body, headjoint and footjoint are fitted together. key assembly fitting 2. Seasoning The assembly is left for a certain length of time in a room with constant temperature and humidity levels to season the pads and toneholes. 3. Adjustments Angles, gaps, etc. are fine-tuned to make sure the key posts, pads, and other parts do not rattle or leak. 4. Inspection The flute undergoes a thorough function test. This covers its sound and reverberation, intonation, and playing feel. 5. Polishing The keys and body of flutes that pass the stringent inspection are polished before shipping. Why is the flute surface light blue? The flute surface appears light blue in the photo because it is covered with protective tape to prevent it from getting dirty or scratched before shipping. The process of cutting the flute blow-hole requires the most experience and skill out of all of the steps involved in manufacturing a flute. The Embouchure hole is finished using highly advanced techniques, such as edge undercutting and steps to provide subtle shape nuances. Six different cuts are presented below. A cut This is a new design in which the front of the lip plate is formed to have a large curve. A large, square hole is formed to have little resistance to air flow. Extremely powerful reverberation and vigorous high notes can be obtained with this cut. B cut The lip plate shape and undercut angle are the same in this design as in the A cut. However, the blow-hole is formed to be rounded and somewhat smaller. The resulting cut provides a suitable amount of resistance and smooth, uniform reverberation. The B cut is easier for players to control tone colors than the A cut. E cut The chimney of the E cut is taller and the undercut is somewhat less than in the C cut. The resulting cut provides a suitable amount of resistance and quick response. The low range is rich and full of volume, while the high range has clarity. H cut With this cut, the undercut is minimized to provide an extremely high level of resistance. The player must produce a sufficient amount of air pressure when blowing through the hole. The result is tonal freedom and the ability to obtain rich reverberation. C cut The C cut has a large undercut for smooth air flow. Resistance is somewhat low. The C cut is easy for players to control, and provides pleasant, warm reverberation. S cut The S cut has less of an undercut than the C cut does, while the chimney is somewhat tall. The result is a suitable amount of resistance and full reverberation. The low range sounds very good, and reverberation is rich. What's a chimney? The chimney connects a flute's lip plate with the headjoint. It is a very important part which determines the embouchurehole height and size. I've seen some flutes with engravings on them. Are such flutes widely available? The engravings are made by special order and are only available on handmade models. Traditionally, flutes have often been valued as works of art in addition to their value as musical instruments. For this reason, Yamaha handmade flutes are available with beautiful engravings as an option.   What's an E mechanism? It is difficult to produce an E in the third octave on a flute. For this reason, an E mechanism is used to make this note easier to play. How do ring keys differ from covered keys? With ring keys, a hole is formed in the center of the cup. The player presses directly on this hole to open and close the tone hole. While it takes some training to be able to accurately and consistently press on ring keys, you can directly feel the air vibrations through your fingers. This means you can produce finely nuanced sounds. In contrast, with covered keys the player's fingers press on closed cups, so obtaining a good seal is easier than with ring keys. What's an B footjoint? This footjoint adds a half-step to the lower range than the C foot. It adds an extra tone hole and slightly increases the length of the flute, so the flute has powerful tonal projection. B footjoints are widely used by players in North American orchestras in particular. Go to Flute Factory Tour Top Page