I had this flute in for a cleaning last month. The owner last had it serviced when she was in high school in Indianapolis, so it's been 30 years since it was worked on. But the last person to work on it was David Straubinger, former flautist with the Indianapolis Symphony, developer and maker of the now-famous Straubinger Pads for handmade flutes, and to this day a highly respected flute technician. When the owner called me and said the flute hadn't been touched by a technician in 30 years, I told her to expect the worst when she brought it in. When I opened the case, though, I was surprised to that the pads were not only in excellent condition, but almost all of them were still level and sealing. The instrument really played like it had just been recently worked on, despite the fact that the owner had played up to four hours a day through her teenage years, and then put it away in a closet for a couple decades after that. There was nothing fancy about the pads or the way they were installed, but it was obvious that the work was done with a great deal of care and attention to detail. In any craft, the work speaks for the worker, and the story it tells can be either a good or bad reflection. You can learn a lot about a person just by seeing and studying their output - their work ethic, skill level, and sense of personal pride, to name just a few. This flute spoke volumes about how Mr. Straubinger developed such a strong reputation for excellent work, and presumably why he continues to enjoy that reputation today. His work tells an impressive tale, and it's made me think more about the story my work will tell 30 years on. I can hope it's a good one, but beyond that I need to work to ensure it's a good one. It's essential that any serious craftsman have vigilant adherence to the quality standards they set for themselves, and be unwilling to waver from them.
Thinking about this has reminded me of a motto I repeat at least once a day, one I learned from another, more seasoned tech: "Just do a good job." No excuses, just straightforward work done to the highest standards I can achieve.
