*GASP* you guys, schoolgirl did a very bad thing. I left my pearl flute in the trunk of my dad's car for 4 days! and i realized how HOT it must of been. i mean today..is the hottest day of the summer..and there was a BIG warning on tv telling everyone to stay home. AHHH! my flute..OMG. it's like boiled! took it out just right now...O.M.G.
Do you think something's wrong with it? is is it broken? i know that my aunt's flute "melted" so she can't play it anymore. Umm..but my flute looks okay. but..idk. Is it in bad condition?

How can i forget to take my flute out after my lesson that day. *sigh*...realized i haven't practiced for a while. WHY? i don't know...blah. i need some encouragement too!..

It most likely is okay, though you do run the risk of damage by leaving it an a hot place for that long. Check to make sure the pads and headjoint cork haven't dried or split (the cork shouldn't move under any reasonable amount of pressure....only if it does is there a problem, and the pads can be inspected visually, though there is the possibility of microscopic leaks, which you might begin to notice if you play the flute). I can't claim to be an expert, but it seems to me that the heat might also have caused some of the oil to dissapate from the mechanism, which could cause problems....But chances are the flute itself is just fine. A friend of mine back in middle school decided she didn't want to play flute, so she put it in the microwave on high for about 15 minutes, hoping to destroy it (because she knew her parents wouldn't buy her a new one, and she had to have a foolproof excuse to quit), but even after that it played, so I wouldn't expect a great deal of damage to yours....Though you do never know what might happen. If it were a wooden piccolo or headjoint it would have been in greater danger.

well im a clarinet player and no little bout da flute but i no on da clarinet, if u leave it where u did 4 DAT LONG!, it wont brake. on da flute well hmmmm not sure if ur case suks well it might mess up but chek it and play it a little 2 c if its fine.

Hi Schoolgirl, what a misfortune huh! :-(

I'd say to you to pay attention to the cork, plastic and velvet parts that from now on can fall from the flute, since the glue that held them in place may have got dry because of the heat.

good luck :-)

Zevang

Schoolgirl, I feel your pain! I live in the very hot desert, and I have been in a similar situation before. My heat is a VERY dry heat (115 degrees with single digit humidity). In my experience, my flute did NOT suffer any damage.

Play it, see if you feel any differences, and if you do, take it to your tech, explain the situation, and let him have a look see.

Good luck, and now you'll know better for next time.

A friend of mine back in middle school decided she didn't want to play flute, so she put it in the microwave on high for about 15 minutes,

That was stupid. Doesn't she know you're not supposed to put metal in the microwave? She Could have caught her house on fire. also, what exactly was she planning on telling her parents what happened to it?

Anyway, I think it might be fine. I did that once and it played flat the whole day, but it went back to normal.

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Oops, I mean it play sharp all day.

When I said "I did that once..." I meant that i left it in the car once, not that i stuck it in the microwave. (Just to save confusion).

Well, you may not believe it, but I knew a violist (a very good professional) that at a certain moment decided never to play again. So he dug a deep hole and buried the instrument. As he has passed, maybe his violin is still down there, wait for some perplexed archaeologist in the future to find it...

Ooh! haha..buried a violin? I guess that's what some ppl would do.^_^..THat's so funny. ur friend decided to put his flute in the microwave? umm..yea. that's dumb. Who ever commented on that..sry, forgot who..i AGREE! haha.
OOH! sry for not getting back sooner. BOO myspace for having me addicted. MAN, time goes by SOOOO fast when ur on that.
THANKS for all the ppl who repled. THANK YOU! that helped me see what it could of done in to my flute. OOH! did it scare me..LUCKLY i think my flute is O.K. i played it..and it plays find. i left my flute out in my NICE air-conditioned room..so my flute could cool down. heehee^_^..so, i played and it sounds fine ..i think. YEP. i'm so glad it's okay..haha, not telling my flute teacher i did that..she might have a spasim(sp?). lol. k everyone!
ttyl

HeY! that's a pic of my cousin. CUTE?^0^..i feel like biting him..heehee JK!JK!..yep

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silly pic of him. Ooh! need to pic of meeee^_^

Not really Lera, I wish I knew, but he managed to keep it secret...for ever.
Also, it happened in another country, in another continent and more than 20 years ago...

But I notice that the idea among musicians of burying their instruments is not so uncommon as I thought!

You guys probably have more tales to tell about this strange habit...

i myself was thinking about burying my instrument with me.HAHA! but now i think of it..what's the point? that's just me of course...i would like to give it to someone.^_^...i don't think my flute would appreiciate it if i left it under piles of dirt..haha.