Play The Trees - The Bushcraft Flute?

[Silverclaws2]

With going out into the wilds in mind does anyone take with them or even fashion a musical instrument to play whilst out there?

Play The Trees: Intro to the Native American Style Flute.

The action of taking inspiration from the landscape can be found at time stamp 13:50

 

[Pattree]

I always have a First Nation flute with me. I make them.

There are a number of approaches to playing them but the most important one is as he suggests, just to play how you feel.

(Irrelevant to the post but I disagree about the sixth hole. All mine are made with five holes and I can still play the full chromatic scale.)

 

[Silverclaws2]

I always have a First Nation flute with me. I make them.

There are a number of approaches to playing them but the most important one is as he suggests, just to play how you feel.

(Irrelevant to the post but I disagree about the sixth hole. All mine are made with five holes and I can still play the full chromatic scale.)

I wouldn't know yet through not having tried the NAF, for my instrument is the Irish whistle, the low D is particularly ' environmental '

 

[Pattree]

It is perfectly possible to play The Irish Washerwoman on a First Nation Flute

 

[Falstaff]

Harmonica, not that I can actually play it but learning, and just play how I feel. Except on a stealth camp of course.

 

[Pattree]

Yes, I feel that I must limit how much I play out of doors. We’ve had a discussion about this recently. There is no doubt that music in the wild can be intrusive but no one tells the birds that. The only comments that I’ve ever had have been complimentary.
Am I any less nature than any other animals, plants and earth?

Long ago when I was learning to play a little Eb flute, a blackbird sang along with me when I played the low notes but stopped every time I played the higher ones. I’ve often wondered what I was saying to it!

 

[Woody girl]

I have a small flute made by a Native American called Spotted Elk. It's got a bear totem. I love it as its so portable and has a sweet tone, but I realy want something bigger and deeper in tone.
The advice I was given after buying mine was to play the trees, it realy works. I've often sat down by the river and played the landscape around me and passers by have come up and listened. I've always had comments, often asked what the song was called , and when I try to explain I'm playing the trees, it doesn't have a name and is made up on the spot, they think I have an amazing talent. I don't, it's just that this method realy works, and always makes beautiful music. No matter how much of a beginner you are, you get instant amazingly beautiful results.

 

[Pattree]

From time to time I run workshops where everyone makes a plastic version of the flute in C minor in about an hour. Some people have said that the plastic flute sounds better than my wooden ones. Not better just different. By the end of the second hour they are all playing their own music.
I love to play the wind and join in with its song. You can only take that so far. When I’m blowing at one end of the flute and nature is blowing at the other I’m not going to win!

The longer flutes are great for those long lingering notes typical of flute music but I prefer the little bright pipes that can play bubbling water and happy birdsong as well as the long minor strains.

 

[Woody girl]

I'm going to have to buy another flute! Can you put up some pictures of your wood ones please Patree? I might well be tempted. Do you carve the totems as animals or not.? I fancy a wolf totem.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Double Bass for me. If the weathers bad, I sleep in the case.

 

[Pattree]

Milton Mezrow (Mezz) tells how when they played jazz for the white folks in the fifties they would load all the food they could get into a hatch in the back of the contrabass.

 

[Pattree]

I don’t sell my flutes, I just make them. I’m not good at carving so I just stick whatever works up there. I also use a leather gasket below the bird.
I make them out of all sorts of things:
Oak, bamboo, plastic, steel, aluminium and even pottery.

I’ll happily show off my instruments. I also make some other intuitive pipes (on which you play your own music)
Two have no holes at all - an overtone pipe and a tiny little thing that just about can play an octave. Strictly speaking it’s an ocarina with just one hole at the end. If you can whistle a time you could probably play one. It can manage Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (or your own music.
I’m still trying to make a “Bushcraft” version of this one but so far I have to start out with a lathe to make a pilot bore for the auger.
I could make the plastic flute in camp but that’s hardly bushcraft either.