Native American flute tuning question

[onewheeldave]

Native American flutes are usually tuned to a pentatonic scale with five holes, with some having a sixth hole which can be left covered with a wrap of material or, uncovered to give a six hole major scale.

Am I right in assuming that the pentatonic scale could be the same as the one used in shakuhachi- DFGAC (or equivalents shifted up/down several notes)?

(As a small aside and one which is perhaps appropriate for this festive time of year- some years ago, long before the internet existed, I was digging through obscure musical books in the local library trying to find info about shakuhachi and, lacking a pen, needed to memorise the shakuhachi scale: I came up with the following memorable mnemonic-

Don't Feed Gorillas At Christmas)

If so, I'm unclear on how such a flute could have a sixth hole which could be uncovered to give a major scale.

Can anyone clarify this and, hopefully, indicate what note could be added to DFGAC to give the major scale?

[MTGuru]

Yes, I think minor pentatonic is standard for modern NAF. The 6 hole flute adds the 6th for a hexatonic scale - in your D scale notation, D-F-G-A-B-C-D. The 6th hole doesn't produce a major scale, but gives you the extra note and additional cross-fingerings.

If you want other scales, you need to cross-finger or half-hole the relevant notes. For example, starting from the second degree gives you the major pentatonic: F-G-A-C-D. By crossing or half-holing E and Bb, you can produce a major scale centered on F: D-(E)-F-G-A-(Bb)-C-D

Disclaimer: I don't really play NAF, so I should probably shut up. But the scale stuff is pretty straightforward.

[missy]

It totally depends on who crafted the flute.

Some "modern" flutes do hold with your scales. But others go by a "knuckle" calculation in that they are crafted using the distance on the makers hands.
Depending on how you want to use the flute in playing, some traditionalist hold that it should be played "by feeling" and not in a note for note melody style. So not having it truly keyed fits into that perception.

We have one that's a perfect G. We have another that's sorta a Em. The G one I can play dulcimer along with. The sorta Em one I just do percussion back up.

[Tim2723]

Hi Missy!

[missy]

Hey Tim!!!

[Daniel_Bingamon]

The tuning using the knuckles is called "Grandfather" tuning. "Grandfather" tuning can make the instrument very unique in the tones that it plays.

In regards to standard 6-hole NAF's (NAFlutomat tuning) , most of them are designed with the 4th hole as the additional hole. If you tape up the 4th hole, it will play as a 5 hole instrument.

The hole variety has unique fingering - almost similar to GHB's but the scale is different.

We have a group on the Internet Yahoogroups: Native Flute Woodworking

There are a number of Flutemakers that do special scales as well - including the conventional diatonic scale on tinwhistles.