Greetings. Years ago, I found a link here about an end-blown wooden flute that was very intriguing. The website itself didn’t have much information, but the pictures of the flute were pretty clear. The flute was a wooden flute from a century or two ago, and the headjoint was quite distinctive. The embouchure hole and surrounding area replicated a normal flute blowing area. Picture somebody cutting off the 3 inches around the blowing area, turning it 90 degrees, and reattaching the thing. This, of course, allowed one to sit and play more neutrally while playing. The flute looked to be a well-made historical flute. I don’t have the link anymore. Does anybody have the link or a picture to said flute?
I can’t play side-blown flute due to health, and am wanting to make a version of this in PVC for myself. My first thought is to make the embouchure area out of something like Sculpey and cut out a matching contour on the flute body. I would then attach the two together with epoxy and fashion the embouchure hole afterwards. I initially had grand ideas about creating a separate headjoint but I don’t have a lathe to make a socket and tenon. And all of the commercial pipe fittings are large and clunky - they might be made to work but would stand out visually and feel disproportionate.
a) Before I sink too much time into this, I need to know if such a concept would work. I assume that tone would essentially be the same as a typical Irish flute, and that the bore and hole sizes needed would be similar.
b)has anybody else tried something like this? I have made a PVC flute before, but have never done any model making or similar. This is a bit out of my comfort zone. Do you have any suggestions for a simpler approach, or any suggestions at all?
Thanks for reading, and thanks for any advice you may offer.
-Aaron
Are you thinking of the picture on Solen Lesouef’s website? It isn’t exactly a standard fingering scheme, but is similar to what you describe.
http://www.atelierdelutherie.info/IMG/jpg/giorgi_patent_wallis_002.jpg
And, of course, you also have a variety of notch-blown flutes, which are held vertically like a low whistle, but those do not resemble your description quite as much.
Thank you. I am indeed thinking of Giorgi flutes. This page rings a bell. http://www.oldflutes.com/articles/giorgi.htm
Still have to figure out how to make such a thing, and in a usable format.
I did some experiments along those lines in pvc a few years ago. Search here on my username and “Giorgi flute” and you should find something about them.
Thanks, Jem. I found a couple of things in that search that may help. And a couple of things that may hinder, like the tinkering needed for correct tonehole size and placement.
Sounds like a Shakuhachi or a Quena.
Difficult to play, but lots of expressive possibilities.
Indeed. Notch flutes are considerably easier to construct if you want to experiment with the end-blown approach. They have the same embouchure control/flexibility as a transverse flute, making them superior to whistles in that regard, but they do have their own somewhat different timbre, whereas a Giorgi type set-up ought to sound much the same as a transverse flute.
Really interesting topic. As it happens I was also quite interested in the subject, a few years ago, and I managed to get hold of a Giorgi head joint, which I tried on both parallel (boehm ish) and conical bore flutes. To cut a long story short, I found it quite a disappointing sound all round. Fluffy, hooty without any body to the sound. Because of the positioning of hands support to the embouchure, it’s also quite an unstable experience. The whistle and flute have very different and equally valid sounds, but the end blown flute - I find - to be an unsatisfactory middle ground between the two.
I’d speculate that because of the lack of resonating chamber behind the embouchure (like on a ‘normal’ flute), you just can’t get the same sound, control, response. At the same time, you can’t have the clear bell like sound of a whistle; all in all (for me anyway) a bit of a non-instrument. Playing vertical does have many advantages, so if you can’t play regular flute, my advice would be to get a nice low whistle.
awildman, did you find this old thread OK?
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/seeking-expert-opinions-on-end-blown-irish-flute-design-idea/57410/1
I think it pretty much covers all points arising…
I guess that some of Calum’s points are addressed therein. 
I don’t think that his criticisms really apply well to kaval and ney (direct end-blown) and shakuhachi and kena (notch flutes). I can’t play them, but those who can get great sounds from them, between whistle and transverse flute, yes, but distinctively themselves.
Absolutely agree with Jem.
I love the sounds of these instruments. Different animal to OP though.
There should be lots of choice for you anyway awildman! Good luck!
Yes. I found it. Thank you.
Wouldn’t blowing down the windway ala Giorgi cause more of a tone deviation than a resonance chamber? Pushing air through the tube rather than vibrating the air column at 90 degrees sort of thing?
Doubt it/don’t think so. Remember, no matter how much we feel we direct our airstream downwards, most of it passes outwards over the tube/lip-plate and the amount entering the tube is minimal. The labium of a fipple/duct flute likewise cuts the airstream at its very bottom and little air passes into the tube. I see no reason to assume anything much else would happen in a Giorgi type embouchure structure. Besides, the part of the airstream which passes into a transverse flute tube basically follows the tube wall back around and must mostly come full circle to the bottom of the lower lip and back into the airstream causing turbulence… only a little of it will fan out and dissipate into the up-tube space and down the tube.
I’d agree with Jem again; I don’t see why the angle would change the sound. It’s just my experience as a player , so would be good to hear from makers about this though.
The important difference between a Giorgi and a regular flute set up is the cavity ‘behind’ the embouchure (or lack of in a Giorgi head); I can’t say for sure, but I’m quite certain this has a lot to do with the sound (or lack of) in a giorgi head set up. Has anyone else played one? I’d be interested to hear other players feedback about it.
I forgot to post last time, but if you could fashion something like this from wood (or PVC), you would probably be closer to the ‘traditional’ wooden flute sound, than a Giorgi style head. As far as I know, the skirt isn’t obligatory.
It took me almost five minutes to scroll all the way down to the skirt… 
Best wishes.
Steve
What about a simple 90 degree elbow instead of the M.C. Escher style in the paisley pic? This would make the flute body dangle to the right(or left), of course, but I don’t know that a centered position is essential. Maybe an extended thumb rest or a thumbrest for both hands?
Maybe I can even make the head joint short enough to avoid dripping on my leg.
I played one of those at the National Flute Association Convention a few weeks ago! It was great. But very expensive. The maker is a cool guy, always “talking smack” as we say.
I too have physical problems which prevent me from playing vertical flute (after over 30 years of doing so).
I have a great-playing Kena-kena (or Quenacho) and I carefully replicated the “cut” on a piece of PVC pipe, then drilled fingerholes like a Low D Whistle. The result played great but the 2nd octave was flat. Don’t know why. (The octaves on the Kena-kena are perfect.)
I tried an aluminum version of that which played pretty well. I should have bought it maybe.
For those who haven’t heard Kenas, their tone (in the hands of a great player) is fantastic and in my opinion on par with the best Boehm Flute tone.
If they didn’t cost so darn much I would get a Boehm angled headjoint and make a PVC body for the thing.