How to Care for Your Native American Flute

An ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure with the Native American flute. Many Native American flutes have met their demise in car doors and the like. It is highly recommended that you acquire a hard flute case for you instrument(s). Take care to protect your Native American flute from impacts. However, if your flute should get broken, even into many pieces, collect all the pieces and send them back to the maker. You may be surprised at what a skilled flute maker can repair.

Native American flutes get very wet and care must be taken to dry your flute after you have played it. When you have finished playing the flute, always remove the totem from the flute. Use a clean dry cloth to dry the air channel. Gently shake the flute with the mouth piece pointed toward the ground to help drain any excess water from the slow air chamber. Additionally, swabs can be purchased from woodwind stores that are specially design for removing water from woodwind instruments. Allow the Native American flute time to dry before you place the totem back on the instrument. The exact time needed will depend on the humidity in your area, but 2 to 3 hours is usually sufficient. Not following these instructions can lead to the Native American flute developing a crack in the slow air chamber.

Your Native American flute may have a polymeric finish. To care for this finish, simply wipe your flute down with a clean soft moist cloth. Then dry the flute with a soft dry cloth. Do not apply any oils to the outside or inside of the flute, as oils could cause the finish to delaminate from the flute.

As with all wooden instruments, do not leave your Native American flutes in direct sunlight. The UV light from the sun will discolor wood and can cause wood to crack. Additionally, do not subject your Native American flute to extreme temperature changes. If you must take the flute into very cool or very hot environments, allow the flute to gradually change in temperature.