My venture into the world of flutes and flute making

[Hibiki]

Greetings all!

This message will most likely turn into an incoherent ramble, but those of you who have a bit of time and care to, please read on.

My father brought back a small bamboo flute (which looks to be a bansuri) from bangladesh as a gift to me, and after fooling around with it for a few months (and finally learning to blow the thing correctly!) my interest in flutes was sparked.

As with anything, I began researching flutes of all kinds, and came across the tinwhistle and the Irish flute. I love their simplicity in design, and I've always wanted to try Irish music, so I decided to give it a shot.

Of course, first, I needed an instrument. After making several flutes out of PVC pipe and cheap bamboo that I managed to obtain, I finally made a "decent" (at least, by my standards) low-D bamboo flute. My breath control, though by no means "good," has also improved enough that I was able to tune it fairly accurately. If anyone is interested, I might upload a picture and recording so someone more knowledgeable can look at it and give me some pointers.

The bamboo I used for this flute is rather cheap and thin. The instrument isn't particularly loud, but the tone isn't bad. Also, the I positioned the lowest hole a little too low, and it's very uncomfortable to play with my third finger. However, I found using my pinky to work just as well. Is this an unforgivable flaw in technique? At any rate, I'll try to position the hole a little higher on my next flute... but I find that smaller holes tend to be harder to half-hole correctly (even with a large hole, I can barely get a D#)

I recently purchased some thicker, denser bamboo which I think would work better. However, I have a problem! The nodes are much closer together, and there will have to be at least one or two nodes along the body. I don't have any extremely long drill-like tools to clear the bore, however. Would it be a very bad idea to cut the flute into sections, drill out the nodes, and then glue it back together with a good wood glue?

The last thing I wanted to ask about was wall thickness, and notes in the higher octave. On all of the PVC flutes I've built, the higher octave notes are 20-40cents flat. However, my thin-walled bamboo flutes don't have this problem at all. Of course, there are other things which may be involved, such as using a plug vs. a node to stop up the embouchure end, and I have fiddled with hole positions a little. So, what is most likely the cause of this problem, and how can I avoid it on future flutes?

I apologize for such a large number of ignorant questions, but thanks for taking the time to listen to them! I'm venturing into this entirely on my own, as I have no teachers nearby, so I appreciate any advice to help me in the right direction!

Ah, and, if anyone knows of a place where I can find good information on playing and technique, I would be very grateful! I've learned a little about embouchure, breathing and ornamentation online, but I still feel my knowledge is a bit lacking.

[greenspiderweb]

Hi Hibiki,

You probably will find some answers here if you use the search function at the top of the page (though it could take you a while), or you could join this flutemakers forum here and resubmit your post to them:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/flutemakers/

and also you may find this shakuhachi forum useful for learning about working with bamboo, and a lot of good flutemaking tips that can be applied to other flutes, such as PVC and wood flutes. This forum you don't have to join to read:

http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/index.php

Good luck!

[fyffer]

(Disclaimer: I am not a maker, nor do I play one on TV, but here's what I've gleaned over the short years I've been in the flutey world)

Two comments on your post:
1) Your issue with the placement of the last hole can be remedied by making it larger. If you make the 6th hole a bit larger, it can be moved further up the body. Note also a larger hole will make your half-holing easier. However, keyless flutes are notorious for their inability to half-hole a D#. Sad, but true. Gotta live with that one, I'm afraid.

2) AFA second-octave tuning - working with a cylindrically bored pipe (i.e. PVC), you will *always* have a flat second octave. It's the nature of the beast. The only way to get two octaves in tune is to have a conical bore in the flute body or a parabolic bore in the head. The reason your bamboo flutes are better in tune through two octaves is that they are naturally slightly conical, and if your embouchure end is at the fat end, you have a natural conical bore to work with.

I also recommend Doug Tipple's flute pages: http://dougsflutes.googlepages.com
He's a great guy, and will likely post to this thread. Try his formula for making a flute, and read up on his "wedge".

Again, the above is subject to change, your mileage may vary, and I could be completely wrong (but I don't think I am). (L:

[jemtheflute]

Your issue with the placement of the last hole can be remedied by making it larger. If you make the 6th hole a bit larger, it can be moved further up the body. Note also a larger hole will make your half-holing easier. However, keyless flutes are notorious for their inability to half-hole a D#. Sad, but true. Gotta live with that one, I'm afraid.

Ooops, Fyffer! If you move a hole UP-tube, it has to be SMALLER! Or it goes doubly sharp.........
Otherwise, sound advice.

[fyffer]

Your issue with the placement of the last hole can be remedied by making it larger. If you make the 6th hole a bit larger, it can be moved further up the body. Note also a larger hole will make your half-holing easier. However, keyless flutes are notorious for their inability to half-hole a D#. Sad, but true. Gotta live with that one, I'm afraid.

Ooops, Fyffer! If you move a hole UP-tube, it has to be SMALLER! Or it goes doubly sharp.........
Otherwise, sound advice.

Uh, yeah -- that's what I meant.
(re-read the disclaimer at the top of my OP).

[Hibiki]

Thanks everyone! Very useful links and information.

[Thomas-Hastay]

Hibiki

The thickness at the lip plate must be at least 1/8th in. or oscillation will be difficult. You can also increase the thickness at the last tonehole to move it higher up the bore. These techniques are standard for Recorders and work well for simple system flutes/fifes as well. have a look here too..

http://www.shakuhachi.com/TOC-CM.html

http://www.cwo.com/~ph_kosel/flutomat.html

http://www.mimf.com/link.htm#flutes