I have a nice piece of bamboo and am considering making it into a low whistle. I am also considering trying to make a flute. Which would be better? One of my mentors told me that the whistles he tried sounded nice but tended to clog after a few minutes. I am planning to make a low whistle so it might not be quite as much of an issue. On the flip side I have never tried a flute and I don’t know how hard it is to make one, or where I would find plans. I suspect that the mouth hole is easier than a fipple but that could be pure naivite
Advice? If I wreck this bamboo I am out $10 Canadian
A bamboo flute would be MUCH easier and less prone to disaster. You might want to consider getting some PVC with a similar inside diameter and experiment making a couple of flutes out of that before you comit yourself to the bamboo. Make your mistakes on the cheap, easily replaceable stuff. Here’s a good starting point:
Your suspicion is right on. I’ve made quite a few bamboo flutes and a few bamboo whistles. As Paul said, flutes are a lot easier.
A nice clean hole is all you really need for a flute embouchure hole.
The fipple area on the whistles is a bit trickier, and more importantly, very easily cracked (assuming that you do make it by carving a channel inside the bamboo from the tip to the window).
It can crack either when making the window or when fitting the actual fipple, usually from the side of the window to the top of the whistle. Sometimes it cracks on both sides of the window so that everything directly above the window is broken off. In that case, you might be able to fit an outer sleeve thing around that area instead of carving a channel inside the bamboo, but that might make your airway too large, depending on how thick your bamboo is.
Paul’s suggestion of starting with PVC is a good one. Bear in mind, though, that PVC doesn’t behave anything like bamboo when you’re working with it, so if you get used to PVC and then try to do something with your bamboo, you might be more likely to crack it.
Some general tips on not wrecking your bamboo:
Bamboo is very strong lenthwise, but has very little strength sideways. Don’t do any kind of twisting motion that puts pressure on it sideways in both directions, if you know what I mean. Also, don’t use round tools to make holes in it, like awls and such. I’ve never managed to use a drill on it either.
I get best results (least cracking) when I use an Xacto knife to start the holes, gently twisting the tip of the blade in so as to remove material, not to force it apart, then enlarging the holes with a file and/or the knife. Once the hole is started and goes all the way through, use the knife to pare away bamboo, don’t keep trying to twist it to enlarge the hole.
Thanks to everyone for your helpful suggestions. I have another question: Is the mouthpiece just a straight hole or is it oval and do I need to make the edge opposite to my lip sharpened like a fipple?
If your’re making a flute, the embouchure hole can be just a straight round hole. That will work.
However, if you make it an oval, that gives you a slightly longer blowing edge, so it’s a bit easier to play.
The blowing edge should at the very least be a clean right angle. That will work. However, if you undercut it and give it a sharper edge, so the inside slopes away from you, that’s a bit better. It gives your flute a stronger tone, more volume, etc.
check this guy out, he is a great man with great instruments, for a low price. he makes everything out of bamboo, even saxes and he has a deal where he will give you a bunch of bamboo and teach you how to make flutes, but that one is a little high priced. http://www.eriktheflutemaker.com he will even have it carved beautifully for you.
We have made wonderful flutes with bamboo. They are prone to cracking, but we have found that a small crack can be repaired invisibly with silicone caulk.
