Let's See What You've Made

Writers: Eimi, Francesca
Date Posted: 7th February 2019

Characters: Arrilon, Lewin
Description: Master Lewin evaluates Arrilon's flute.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 9, day 4 of Turn 9

Arrilon stopped just around the corner from Master Lewin's office and
took a final look at the transverse flute in his hands. It was
certainly the best example of an instrument he had ever made, with
delicate geometric decorations on the surface. He thought it had a
decent sound as well, although it wasn't quite as good as some he had
heard. He wondered if he should have brought the recorder he had
carved as a jr. apprentice; but no, this meeting was about his current
skill, not how much he'd grown. Forcing himself to clear his thoughts
he moved forward again, turning the corner and knocking on the
Master's door.

"Come in," the instrument maker called, turning on his stool to lay
down the oil rag and flute he had been polishing.

"Master Lewin," Arrilon said with a nod as he entered the room. He held
the instrument up slightly so his reason for coming was immediately
obvious. "Is now a good time to talk about the flute I carved?"

"Yes, of course, Arrilon, come in," he said with a wave at a stool
near by. "Let's see what you've made."

The apprentice took a seat and handed over the flute, feeling a bit
apprehensive but also excited to receive feedback. Resisting the
impulse to give a full account of his experience carving it, or what
he found most challenging, he gave the Master a chance to look
it over.

The Master turned it over in his hands, feeling the weight of it and
testing it's strength. "How did you choose your wood?" he asked,
lifting it to his eye to look at the hole that had been bored into it.

"Well, I wanted a fairly dense wood, but also one that wasn't too hard.
And, of course, one without imperfections," the apprentice replied. He
hoped that was enough of an answer.

"That's how you selected the piece, but how about the type of wood?"
Lewin asked, looking at the apprentice from over his half-rimmed
glasses.

Arrilon thought back to his decision-making process. "I was looking for
a fairly bright tone, rather than a warm one, but didn't want it to sound
harsh. I wanted an instrument that would be useful when teaching,
because the notes are crisp and clean." He glanced for a moment at
the flute the Master had been oiling when he entered, but restrained
himself from asking about it. Maybe there would be time to do so later.

"I see," Lewin said as he covered the holes with his fingers to check
the feel and the spacing. He hadn't been worried about the wood the
apprentice had chosen, but was more interested in knowing if Arrilon
knew what quality he was looking for. His answer satisfied the Master.
"Mind if I play it?"

"Please do." He was sure the Master would find some flaw or another,
but it was still exciting to have his instrument being played by an expert.

Lewin ran through a few quick scales and nodded thoughtfully as he
pulled the flute from his mouth and ran a finger over the holes.
"When did you finish this?"

"A sevenday ago, but I did do a little work on the third and fourth
holes two days ago," Arrilon admitted. It was no use lying. "They
didn't seem quite right."

"Well, I can tell you, they still aren't quite right. It's not quite
in tune. Close, but not quite." He turned the flute over his hands
to continue his critical inspection. "Did you notice that?"

The apprentice nodded. "It's better than it was, but I was worried
about going too far, so I decided to stop. I didn't go too far, right?
Is it still something I can fix?"

"You didn't go far enough. Yes, it can still be fixed." The Master
ran a finger over the surface of the flute. "What finish did you
choose?"

Relieved at the Master's assessment, his next reply had a bit more
energy. "I gave it two coats vegetable oil and then a layer of wax,
for added protection."

"And why do you need the wax?" Lewin asked, setting the flute down on
his knees now he had inspected it thoroughly.

"Well, the oil doesn't give the wood much protection. The wax allows
for a thicker coating, which helps protect it from the water in the
atmosphere, which is even more important with the tropical weather
here. Wax also makes it easier to fix small dents." And he found the
appearance of a wood instrument finished with wax more appealing than
one with just oil, but the Master didn't seem interested in aesthetics.

"Good. But you need to take care of what cloth you use to buff it
out. See these tiny scrapes in the light?" the master said, turning
the flute in his hand to help make the more visible. "It tells me you
either used a cloth that was too rough or one that was not completely
clean and some bit of dirt scratched the wax. It's easy to fix, but
make sure to pay attention."

Arrilon repressed a sigh, annoyed at himself for having made such an
amateur mistake, and nodded. "I'll make sure to fix that and the two
holes over the next sevenday."

Lewin nodded and held out the flute for him to take. "All in all, a well-made
instrument. You showed you have a good understanding of the
techniques and no major issues that can't be fixed. You did a good job of it."

"Thank you for the feedback Master Lewin," Arrilon said sincerely,
taking the flute and standing. While the Master could be brusque, he
was always fair in his assessment.

Last updated on the February 26th 2019

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