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I still have not really developed the embouchure and diaphragm control to play this flute well but several people asked what it sounded like, so here's how it sounds after 1 day of practice. It's gonna take me months to develop the control I need to really _play_ this flute.
PS: I will also in the future move the mic so you can't hear me trying to take in enough air to play the next phrase. ^_^;
PS PS: I swear I'll make a different guitar loop next time too!
PS: I will also in the future move the mic so you can't hear me trying to take in enough air to play the next phrase. ^_^;
PS PS: I swear I'll make a different guitar loop next time too!
Category Music / All
Species Vulpine (Other)
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 1.95 MB
PVC pipe ones are really easy to make. You can google search directions for them. Costs a couple of bucks. You can use a guitar tuner or free downloadable tuner to tune as you go. Work from the lowest note up. Tune with no holes drilled, then the 1st, 2nd, and so on. It doesn't have to be dead perfect, just as close as you can get. Takes a couple of tries but you get the hang of it by the 2nd or 3rd one.
I'm not fond of the sound of PVC, it's okay but it doesn't have the warmth of bamboo. So here's the trick:
Once you can make a PVC flute you like, take a rubber band and cut it into a strip. Stretch it down the length of the PVC pipe. Mark at the middle points where the mouthpiece goes, the fingering holes, and the end of the flute. (We'll need this in a bit)
Get a piece of bamboo that you like (It's a couple bucks at most hardware stores or find it growing along roadside.) Make sure it hasn't got splits and isn't too green. Cut a length that feels like you'll be able to finger it, keeping in mind the holes will be relative distances from what they are on the PVC flute.
Break any of the cell walls that you need to get the length you want (Go slightly longer than you want)Just a long steel rood will do, just be careful not to be too rough.
Then make a hole where you want the mouthpiece. It should be near the membrane although you can put a piece of cork in if there's no membrane or you accidentally break it.
To make a hole you can either use a pointed dremmel router bit (the bladed sort) (You can use a regular drill bit but it's easy to crack the bamboo so you must be really delicate) or with a Wood burning kit (About $35) or a hot iron (A piece of steel, some sturdy gloves and a charcoal grill or blow torch or something. You can shape the mouthpiece with a rat tail file or a sharp knife or MORE FIRE! Whatever works for you. It is your own voice you are crafting. I like the hot brands. I'm not sure what that says about me. ^_^;
Shape your mouthpiece so it's easy to make good clean sounds in 2 or 3 octaves and a couple harmonics. We're not tuning at this point, just refining the mouthpiece. It is the most important part of the whole instrument. Take your time here and treat it with love. It is the first kiss. The giver of life by breath.
Use your tuner and find what note you're nearest and shorten the length to raise the pitch. You can only tune UP. If you're near a weird root note for the key you're tuning your open-hole notes to, you can go up as much as you want. There's a tradeoff between length and width. A wider bore (relative to length) will require more air and have a more percussive sound. More narrow can gave you a kind of more winsome, keening sound (like a ney) Both have their charms. You may need to make a few and find what you love most. So keep that in mind when you pick your bamboo.
After you have basic tuning to a root note, you get the RubberBand from earlier and stretch it the the length of the flute. Line up the mouthpiece mark and the foot mark with their corresponding points on the new flute, then mark the points where the new holes need to fall and transcribe your marks. (I admit I do this with one end of the rubber band held in each hand and a marker in my teeth. ^_^ )
Then just cut the holes from low to high. The size of the holes scales with the key the instrument is in relative to the key you transcribed from. I always start a little small and work up. You can make a note higher pitched by either making the hole bigger (up to a point) or shifting it up and to the clockwise from your lips just a little. Then just make the hole as big as you need to make the note feel easy to play and you can bend it sharp or flat easily.
That's all there is to it! Sounds like a lot but honestly, if you can use a saw, put holes in things, and use a marker while holding a rubberband, you can do it. It's super cheap and really zen in its own way. ^_^
I'm not fond of the sound of PVC, it's okay but it doesn't have the warmth of bamboo. So here's the trick:
Once you can make a PVC flute you like, take a rubber band and cut it into a strip. Stretch it down the length of the PVC pipe. Mark at the middle points where the mouthpiece goes, the fingering holes, and the end of the flute. (We'll need this in a bit)
Get a piece of bamboo that you like (It's a couple bucks at most hardware stores or find it growing along roadside.) Make sure it hasn't got splits and isn't too green. Cut a length that feels like you'll be able to finger it, keeping in mind the holes will be relative distances from what they are on the PVC flute.
Break any of the cell walls that you need to get the length you want (Go slightly longer than you want)Just a long steel rood will do, just be careful not to be too rough.
Then make a hole where you want the mouthpiece. It should be near the membrane although you can put a piece of cork in if there's no membrane or you accidentally break it.
To make a hole you can either use a pointed dremmel router bit (the bladed sort) (You can use a regular drill bit but it's easy to crack the bamboo so you must be really delicate) or with a Wood burning kit (About $35) or a hot iron (A piece of steel, some sturdy gloves and a charcoal grill or blow torch or something. You can shape the mouthpiece with a rat tail file or a sharp knife or MORE FIRE! Whatever works for you. It is your own voice you are crafting. I like the hot brands. I'm not sure what that says about me. ^_^;
Shape your mouthpiece so it's easy to make good clean sounds in 2 or 3 octaves and a couple harmonics. We're not tuning at this point, just refining the mouthpiece. It is the most important part of the whole instrument. Take your time here and treat it with love. It is the first kiss. The giver of life by breath.
Use your tuner and find what note you're nearest and shorten the length to raise the pitch. You can only tune UP. If you're near a weird root note for the key you're tuning your open-hole notes to, you can go up as much as you want. There's a tradeoff between length and width. A wider bore (relative to length) will require more air and have a more percussive sound. More narrow can gave you a kind of more winsome, keening sound (like a ney) Both have their charms. You may need to make a few and find what you love most. So keep that in mind when you pick your bamboo.
After you have basic tuning to a root note, you get the RubberBand from earlier and stretch it the the length of the flute. Line up the mouthpiece mark and the foot mark with their corresponding points on the new flute, then mark the points where the new holes need to fall and transcribe your marks. (I admit I do this with one end of the rubber band held in each hand and a marker in my teeth. ^_^ )
Then just cut the holes from low to high. The size of the holes scales with the key the instrument is in relative to the key you transcribed from. I always start a little small and work up. You can make a note higher pitched by either making the hole bigger (up to a point) or shifting it up and to the clockwise from your lips just a little. Then just make the hole as big as you need to make the note feel easy to play and you can bend it sharp or flat easily.
That's all there is to it! Sounds like a lot but honestly, if you can use a saw, put holes in things, and use a marker while holding a rubberband, you can do it. It's super cheap and really zen in its own way. ^_^
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