Anyone make their own flutes?

[Stanleythecat]

Hi All

Has anyone made their own flute/musical instruments? Would love to take the whistle to the next level (!) and play more than one note! ideally a fipple flute but thinking the north american indian branch flutes might be a good place to start.

Your advice and experience would be very welcome.

thanks

Leo

 

[PREPER]

Making a Twig Whistle!

http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/fun/whistle2.htm

OR

http://www.schizoaffective.org/whistle/whistle2.htm

PREPER............

 

[Stanleythecat]

Thanks Preper

I was kind of thinking recorder/tin whistle (but greenwood/stick) have made many whistles in my time but the single note means they lose people's affections quite quickly.

Not after anything note perfect, just the ability to use simple hand tools to make one, in a natural setting really.

looking at the NA flutes they split the wood and then hollow out and put the two halves back together again. Might just have to have a play and see what happens.

Leo

 

[Eric_Methven]

A good starting place is over on Paleo Planet, musical instument section, tutorials, flute build along. Here's the link: Tutorial page. If you are not yet a member, consider signing up, there's loads of bushcraft stuff there too.

Eric

 

[FGYT]

you can do a slide whistle I can only get comedy sound effects out of it but my dad used to get tunes havent made one for years tho

aTB

Duncan

 

[Peat]

Someone posted a really good tutorial site before. http://jpdery.com/penny.html

 

[hardr004]

Hope this website helps

http://www.ehow.com/video_4397231_information-native-american-wooden-flutes.html

 

[armie]

Making a Twig Whistle!

http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/fun/whistle2.htm

Yes! That's how my father used to make them - he used Sorbus shoots, if I remember correctly.

 

[Stanleythecat]

Someone posted a really good tutorial site before. http://jpdery.com/penny.html

Hope this website helps

http://www.ehow.com/video_4397231_information-native-american-wooden-flutes.html

Thanks guys

Kind of done a lot of looking around too (Chiff and Fipple, Paleo Planet (which I have to agree is a superb forum), hundreds of google images) and sadly coming to the conclusion that maybe a 'tin whistle' style flute is just not doable in wood, well not perhaps without a lathe and some more technical gear at least. Branch flutes tend to come in the NAF style and athough not overly technical (well not wanting to get it note perfect!) I still fancy the whistle/recorder style instrument. Can be done in bamboo! just thought maybe it could be done in one of our native woods too. (other than elder as there is only one in our wood!) We do have plenty of birch, hazel, ash, oak, and beech, with less sycamore and a smattering of scotts pine!

I've seen the expression a quick whittle to produce a whistle can produce on all ages faces but the enduring memory of a flute would surely be better still!

Thanks for your advice so far.

Leo

 

[phill_ue]

Can't you use dead plant stems that are robust-ish such as teasel, burdock or something similar? I have made whistles from Teasel as the intersecting nodes mean you don't have to block one end, but you could break through the nodes internally to get a good long tube.

 

[harryhawk]

A mate of mine makes these Native American wooden flutes. Made to what ever pitch/tune you want. I've heard him play a couple.....Very haunting
http://woodpeckerflutes.co.uk/
Trev's a nice chap

 

[littlebiglane]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52770

 

[Stanleythecat]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52770

Thanks Littlebiglane, some very comprehensive answers there. Your Elder whistle looks like just what I wanted to have a go at.

Did you manage to get a working instrument in the end?

My problem now is understanding how the fipple works on a wooden flute made from a single cylinder of wood. From the link (http://jpdery.com/penny.html) on your link the guy uses a metal tube (tent pole I think he says! excellent!!) which can easily be dented to form a useful lip that falls below the internal diameter of the cylinder and the air flowing through the windway can cut accross it. This can't be done with a wooden one...

If yours works then I'm thinking too much and just need to get on with it! Just thought if I grasped the principles then I might understand if it doesn't work, why it doesn't!

Thanks again

Leo

 

[Minotaur]

Wonder how hard something like a Fife would be to make? They have been around since medival times.

Think you would need to know the basics of playing what you wanted to make, and have a good ear for notes. Bet there are tricks to turning as well.

Worth a nose at wiki has a flute history that is interesting.

I wonder why yew not used more?

 

[wedgie]

Wonder how hard something like a Fife would be to make? They have been around since medival times.

Think you would need to know the basics of playing what you wanted to make, and have a good ear for notes. Bet there are tricks to turning as well.

Worth a nose at wiki has a flute history that is interesting.

I wonder why yew not used more?

i believe it is toxic

 

[Stanleythecat]

i believe it is toxic

Yew wood is toxic but apparently only if ingested, so theoretically you would need to eat the saw dust to get poisoned. Although I won't be making my spoons or whistles from it! Beautiful wood.

 

[Minotaur]

Yew wood is toxic but apparently only if ingested, so theoretically you would need to eat the saw dust to get poisoned. Although I won't be making my spoons or whistles from it! Beautiful wood.

Really thought it was the berries?