How many flutes could you make from this?

[Kirk B]

My daughter is on a trip to Japan with a group from college and yesterday they visited this bamboo forest. How many Bansuri do you see in this lot?

[Terry McGee]

Some decades ago, a meeting of the Australian Branch of the International Association of Sound Archives took me to the St Lucia campus of the University of Brisbane. I had some time on my hands one afternoon, and, after sitting around listening to lots of presentations, a desperate need for fresh air and exercise, so shambled out on a walk. And came across a grove of tropical-looking vegetation with an inviting track meandering off into it. What the heck, I thought and plunged into the undergrowth. I was completely stunned to find it a place like your image - massive outcrops of bamboo stretching up to the top of the trees surrounding the area. That was my first real understanding of what bamboo does.

And an immediate appreciation of what benefits accrue to the populations who co-habit with bamboo. Sure, potatoes are a great staple, but they are not going to make scaffolding, plumbing, musical instruments, etc.

Now, there is the immediate possibility of making flutes from bamboo, but of course it means finding the appropriate diameters and ideally desirable tapers. Some have managed to do that. But there is now another possibility. New material-science technologies render the bamboo down to fibres, then mixes them into a composite with resins such as epoxy. There's even a special word for it, but I can't remember it! Aha, got it, "Scrimber". So you can have the density and smoothness of the resin, combined with the strength of the fibre. And of course, you can configure it in any shape you might be attracted to. Eg, flutes. Watch this space!

[Kirk B]

Very interesting Terry. I hadn't heard of this process of mixing the bamboo fibers with resin. It sounds like there could be some real possibilities there. I do know that bamboo can be a nightmare in your garden though. It's very invasive and hard to keep from spreading.

[Geoffrey Ellis]

Some of the best bamboo for flute making (for some types of flutes) does not present a danger to the garden. Bambusa Multiplex Silverstripe is a clumping bamboo (as opposed to a "running" bamboo--the type that will invade your yard if steps are not taken). Anyone who owns one of Patrick Olwell's bamboo flutes has seen the Silverstripe variety. It grows down in Florida. It will grow other places, but it won't grow large enough to make flutes from it. I use it, but I have to source it from a grower in Florida.

Black bamboo, on the other hand, which is a variety I'm planting in my own yard for making Chinese xiao, is a running variety and must be managed carefully. The easiest way is to plant in large containers. If one plants in the ground, it is recommended that one use bamboo barrier (a heavy poly material that gets sunk into the ground around it, fencing in the traveling rhizomes that allow it to spread). This species will thrive in the Northwest where I live, whereas the Silverstripe will just be a spindly ornamental plant that won't be useful for flutes (which is a shame).

Your photo of that giant timber bamboo is really cool--I'd love to have a bamboo grove like that at hand! Madake (the choice of shakuhachi makers) is timber bamboo that will get huge like that if left to grow. In my own research, I've only found a small handful of varieties of bamboo that would be suitable (or reliable) for flute making. I'm sure there are more than I realize, since there are so many varieties of bamboo out there, but getting bamboo that grows to suitable dimensions, with a certain wall thickness, resistance to cracking, etc. is tricky. It narrows the field quite a bit. I think that Barna Gabos makes flutes from Temple Bamboo, which looks quite nice. I found some of it locally, but like the Silverstripe it doesn't seem to grow optimally (for flutes) in our climate.

I'm less excited about the idea of Scrimber--a resin composite--at least for flute making. Nothing against the concept--I'm sure it has far-reaching uses--but I wouldn't fancy it for a flute. This is a totally personal aesthetic. I use resin-stabilized woods, so I know I'm being a bit inconsistent with this. But if I'm going to use bamboo for flute making, I'd like to just use the bamboo itself and not a composite material made from bamboo fiber. I think a lot of makers who have experimented with bamboo will get where I'm coming from--there is something about bamboo that seems to speak to some "all-natural" vibe within us. I'm normally willing to use all manner of materials for flute making, but when I started using bamboo I got a bit "hippy" about the whole thing. Nothing but natural finishes, minimal use of adhesives, etc.. But who knows--I might change my views if I tried the Scrimber for flute making. I know that at one point there was a shakuhachi maker who created a flute that used a bamboo/resin compound, and he cast the flute body from it.

[Sirchronique]

People have done the composite thing with wood for flutes, as well.

The flutes in this video were 3D printed with “80% plastic and 20% redwood”.

https://youtu.be/vGqw9IsPL84

[Kirk B]

... Anyone who owns one of Patrick Olwell's bamboo flutes has seen the Silverstripe variety. It grows down in Florida. It will grow other places, but it won't grow large enough to make flutes from it. I use it, but I have to source it from a grower in Florida. ...

I have three bamboo flutes: Eb, D, and low Bb, made by a guy who's name escapes me right now (It's hell getting old). He travels the Arts Festival circuit and sells his flutes at shows. They look exactly like Olwell bamboo flutes and according to him, Olwell had seen/played one of his flutes years ago and that's how he (Olwell) got the idea to start making bamboo flutes. I'm not sure I believe that story but in any event he sources his bamboo from Florida so I assume it's the same Silverstripe variety that you mention.

Interesting information about bamboo though. I just assumed that all bamboo was invasive.

[Kirk B]

People have done the composite thing with wood for flutes, as well.

The flutes in this video were 3D printed with “80% plastic and 20% redwood”.

https://youtu.be/vGqw9IsPL84

3D printing has come a long way. I just bought this Alto Sax mouthpiece from Windy City Woodwinds. It's printed from PLA, hand finished, and It plays great. Another company called SYOS has been 3D printing mouthpieces for a while now. A few years ago I would have scoffed at the idea of 3D printing something as critical as a mouthpiece or a flute head joint but technology has improved so much that it's a viable option now.

[Geoffrey Ellis]

... Anyone who owns one of Patrick Olwell's bamboo flutes has seen the Silverstripe variety. It grows down in Florida. It will grow other places, but it won't grow large enough to make flutes from it. I use it, but I have to source it from a grower in Florida. ...

I have three bamboo flutes: Eb, D, and low Bb, made by a guy who's name escapes me right now (It's hell getting old). He travels the Arts Festival circuit and sells his flutes at shows. They look exactly like Olwell bamboo flutes and according to him, Olwell had seen/played one of his flutes years ago and that's how he (Olwell) got the idea to start making bamboo flutes. I'm not sure I believe that story but in any event he sources his bamboo from Florida so I assume it's the same Silverstripe variety that you mention.

Interesting information about bamboo though. I just assumed that all bamboo was invasive.

I know that George Torterelli fits that description in that he travels the festival circuit, grows his own bamboo, etc.. Not sure that he turned Pat onto bamboo flutes, however! I know he has provided Pat with some bamboo in the past, but I expect Pat was making bamboo flutes earlier than George. But that is speculation, not genuine knowledge

[Kirk B]

I know that George Torterelli fits that description in that he travels the festival circuit, grows his own bamboo, etc.. Not sure that he turned Pat onto bamboo flutes, however! I know he has provided Pat with some bamboo in the past, but I expect Pat was making bamboo flutes earlier than George. But that is speculation, not genuine knowledge

I know his name wasn't George. This guy is an old, tie-die wearing, white haired, long white beard, bohemian looking fellow. I'll dig through my flute resources and see if I still have a link to his site.