Wanted North American Love Flute

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Buckshot

Mod
Mod
Jan 19, 2004
6,466
349
Oxford
I've always loved the melodic sound of these flutes and never got round to owning one.
trouble is I'm not very good at musical instruments and so, never having tried a flute, i don't want to pay full price for a new flute only to find it's yet another instrument that doesn't like me!

a long shot i know but does anyone have a medium size love flute in F or E they are willing to part with?
Something like this...
http://www.loveflute.co.uk/gallery.php

Many thanks
 

DocG

Full Member
Dec 20, 2013
869
123
Moray
Can't help you, but your post has introduced me to something I'd never heard of - thanks.

Good luck with the search.
 
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Keith_Beef

Native
Sep 9, 2003
1,366
268
55
Yvelines, north-west of Paris, France.
I didn't know about these before your post, so I did a little bit of reading. The way the sound is made, using two chambers, seems to be unique. The fingering, however, looks to me to be quite simple and similar to that of the Irish tin whistle, also called a feadóg.

I'm not a great musician (I played bugle and cavalry trumpet as a kid, but never learnt to read music), but after picking up a feadóg in my teens and reading the slim book that came with it, I was able to play reasonably well. After a couple of days, I was not playing from the fingering diagrams of the book, but playing other tunes from memory.

I found a few places online selling Siyatankas, and the prices looked quite high (around $150). No doubt great craftsmanship, but if you want to try out a wind instrument that is easy to play, has a nice sound, and that is lightweight, easily transportable and inexpensive, I'd recomment a £12 feadóg for starting out.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,519
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Exmoor
I have a flute like this but I'm not selling it I'm afraid . They are quite easy to play. I'd suggest you buy some cd,s of native american flute music to get your ear in to the way they sound and go from there. I was taught by a navaho chapwho told me to play the trees as my first lesson.! It's a bit hard to explain . But basically I looked at a line of trees and played a note for each tree a high note for a high tree a low note for a low tree and so on. To my surprise it sounded like a real tune and I still play nature using birds and nature to inspire. Never play the same tune twice. It's realy relaxing.
 

kawasemi

Full Member
May 27, 2009
1,687
66
Where the path takes me
Check out the CD's by R. Carlos Nakai - world renowned player of native American flutes. He has also written a book about playing, with some sheet music.

I have played these flutes for a while now. A name like ‘Loveflute’ always sets me on edge. It feels a bit 'new age' to me.

Check out these sites. Quite a range of prices.

https://www.justflutes.com/category.php?category_id=2870&comp_letter=&page=1&order=name
http://www.secondvoiceflutes.co.uk/pages/available.html?available
http://www.woodpeckerflutes.co.uk/

K
 
Last edited:

Buckshot

Mod
Mod
Jan 19, 2004
6,466
349
Oxford
Lol
yes understood about the love flute term
thanks for the links

I like the sound of the lower tones - maybe something in E.
i have seen elsewhere that flutes of that size (maybe a metre long) were not common in native American circles and as such are in a native American style. Flutes tended to be small for easy transport.
Not sure if that's true?
I have also seen plans and instructions on making your own. i have some power tools which will help but no real way of getting the two sides flat enough to join without gaps.
I'll do some more thinking...
 

kawasemi

Full Member
May 27, 2009
1,687
66
Where the path takes me
It will certainly be a fun to build one. Most of my flutes are quite large. Smallest is about 40cms.

If you like low mellow tones, have you ever heard of a Gemshorn? Bass and Tenor Gemshorns have a wonderful low sound that really ‘fills space’. They are an old European instrument made from cow’s horn.

...and the best bit is that they have the same fingering pattern as a modern recorder so dead easy to learn and get music for.

Google Gemshorn...ignore the bits about ocarinas as they have different fingering.

Or

Search YouTube - a good one is A Bova, The Mountains, For Gemshorn Bass.
 

ChrisAsh

Member
Apr 19, 2019
26
6
Cheshire
http://www.flutes-of-the-forest.co.uk (no affiliation)
The gentleman who makes these is very good, also very reasonable in price and excellent customer service I have mine in a "G" and a 5 hole (traditional pentatonic scale) love the sound and playing it sat by the fire is one of my favourite things

Sent from my G3311 using Tapatalk
 

kawasemi

Full Member
May 27, 2009
1,687
66
Where the path takes me
http://www.flutes-of-the-forest.co.uk (no affiliation)
The gentleman who makes these is very good, also very reasonable in price and excellent customer service I have mine in a "G" and a 5 hole (traditional pentatonic scale) love the sound and playing it sat by the fire is one of my favourite things

Sent from my G3311 using Tapatalk

Yep, I have one of Phil’s. Nice flutes.

K
 

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