TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT FLUTE FOR YOU:
Which is the right flute for you?
This is a tricky question to answer if a player does not already have a clear idea of what they want. Sometimes a person hears a beautiful flute, either at a concert or in a sound sample, and they want to be able to play one as well, but they may not know what it is or how to play it.
There is no way for me to know what the right flute is for you, but I can share some simple guidelines that might help you to make that decision.
1. Know what you are buying. Make sure that you have read the descriptions of the different instruments listed below. Some flutes are easy to play (such as the Native American style flutes) and others are more difficult (all of the embouchure flutes). Take a minute to learn the differences if you don't already know them.
2. How much do you want to practice? Playing any instrument takes a commitment, and some are easier than others. As mentioned above, the Native American style flute is, by flute standards, one of the easiest to play and you can get satisfying results very quickly. No embouchure is required, you simply cover the holes and blow. On the other end of the spectrum are the embouchure flutes which can be very challenging and require patience and perseverance. The Anasazi-style flute is famous for being a challenge, requiring lots of practice to master.
3. What sort of music do you want to play? Are you wanting to play Irish jigs? Classical Indian music? Traditional Chinese? Or do you want to just experiment with your own style of music? Knowing the sort of sound or feel you want in your music will help you decide what flute and what tuning might best fit your needs. Listen to the sound samples on this site, and make sure you take into account things like reach and ergonomics. The flutes and tunings that require a bit of a stretch will always have a warning to that effect so you'll know before you buy. When in doubt, send me an e-mail asking for clarification.
4. Any flute is worth your time. There are songs in every flute, regardless of style or key, and any player who is willing to get to know their instrument will find them. You can't make a wrong decision so long as you get something that you can physically play.
TYPES OF FLUTES
I make many different kinds of flutes, with a wide variety of tunings and variations. This page is designed to give a brief overview of the flutes that I'm currently making.
NOTE: I'm a supporter of the 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act, and as such I want to clarify that I am not a registered member of any tribe in the U.S., nor am I of Native American decent. If you see terms such as "Native American", "Anasazi", and "Mojave", please take note that these terms are used purely for descriptive purposes. I only make a modern "interpretive" version of these flutes, hence the style qualifier.
End blown/Rim Blown flutes: These types of flutes are held vertically in front of the player.
Ancestral Pueblo/Anasazi-style: This flute is an ancient instrument dating back hundreds (possibly thousands) of years. Who were the people that our modern culture calls the Anasazi? They were the ancestors of the modern Pueblo people living in New Mexico and Arizona. There never was an "Anasazi tribe", nor did anyone ever call themselves by that name. Anasazi is originally a Navajo word that archaeologists applied to people who farmed the Four Corners area before 1300 AD. I use this word to refer to the flutes that are inspired by the work of the Pueblo people of long ago (since no one knows what they called themselves), and no disrespect is intended--it is simply a widely recognized descriptor.
These flutes are what are called "rim blown" flutes. As with other embouchure flutes, the player uses their mouth to direct the airflow across the rim of the flute, thus creating the tone.
These instruments--contemporary versions in the style of the early Pueblo flutes-- are considerably more difficult to play than a fipple flute (such as a whistle or a Native American style flute), and they represent one of the most satisfying challenges to the flute player. Do not expect to simply pick one up and start playing! These flutes take time and patience to master, but they are well worth the effort.
Mojave style: This type of flute is essentially the same as the Anasazi-style flutes, only with a different tuning. The original artifacts of these flutes only had four holes, but I make what is called the Mojave 6, which is a six hole version that extends the scale to it's logical conclusion.
The Quena: The South American Quena (also spelled Kena) is an end blown flute with a more pronounced notch at the blowing end. It typically has six holes with a diatonic tuning (like the Bansuri and Irish flutes). A lower version, called a Quenacho is made in the key of D. However, the Quena can be made in a wide variety of keys and the design lends itself to the creation of different "fusion" flutes (see below).
The Xiao: The Xaio (pronounced "show" as in "shower") is an ancient Chinese vertical end blown flute, traditionally made from bamboo. Many modern versions of the Xiao feature metal joints in the body of the flute to allow for both tuning and disassembly.
The Earth Tone Flutes version of the Xiao is one piece (not jointed) and made from a wide variety of woods. It is an 8 hole flute with the lowest note being either B, middle C, D or E. The notes that the flute plays in the key of C (open holes, no cross fingering) are: C, D, Eb,E, F, G, Ab, A, B. In the key of D, they would be D, E, F, F#, G, A, Bb, C#. With this scale you can play the diatonic Major scale or a harmonic minor.
The flute is approximately 33" long and has at least a two octave range. Skillfully handled it will play up into the third octave.
The Xiao (like the Anasazi flute, the Shakuhachi, and the Quena) is an endblown embouchure flute. If a player has experience on any of these flutes they will find the Xiao to be accessible. Just like switching between any two embouchure flutes that are of a different make, adjustments will have to be made, but the skills required for any one of these flutes will translate to any of the others given some patience.
Native American Style: These flutes are often called "fipple" flutes, which essentially means that they are a whistle. They are very easy to play and accessible, with a distinctly haunting, sweet voice. These are typically tuned to the pentatonic minor scale.
Transverse (side-blown) flutes:
The transverse flute is one of the most recognizable types of flutes in the world, and the silver, orchestral flute is the icon most people imagine when you say the word "flute". However, transverse wooden "folk" flutes come in all shapes and sizes and they have their own wonderful character. Using wood instead of other materials (such as metal and bamboo) allows for a wide variety of visual styles.
Transverse flutes are also embouchure flutes, requiring the player to create the airstream with their lips and direct it over the tone hole to create a sound. If you are new to this kind of flute, you will need to be patient with the learning process. If you already play other embouchure flutes (Silver flute, Quena, Shakuhachi, Xiao, etc.) you will find these flutes very accessible.
Irish style: These flutes are simple-system flutes with open hole tuning (no keys and the bore is a simple cylinder). They feature a lip plate to enhance tone and playability. The standard tuning for an Irish style flute is diatonic major (do-re-mi tuning), but these flutes can be made with any number of different tunings from standard to exotic.
Bansuri/High Performance: These flutes are styled on the Indian Bansuri, and as such they are different from the Irish style flutes. The traditional Bansuri also features a diatonic major scale (the same as the Irish style flute), but in addition to the classic tuning I'll be offering alternative (exotic) tunings for these flutes as well. These high-performance flutes have thinner walls and considerably larger finger holes on the average. This increases the accuracy of their second octave tuning as well as making certain ornamentation possible, including half-holing and slurs. They also feature a lip plate to enhance tone and ease of play.
These high-performance, bansuri-style flutes might require different playing techniques, due to the size of the finger holes, particularly in the lower tunings. In classical Indian Bansuri playing, often times the player uses the second joint of their fingers to facilitate the covering of some of the holes. This is more ergonomic and allows for more comfortable playing. This is also called a "Piper's Grip" and is used by players of bagpipes and low whistles. Here is a picture of how the Piper's Grip looks on a bansuri.
Fusion Flutes: This category encompasses all of the non-traditional, contemporary creations from Earth Tone Flutes. A fusion flute is essentially a traditional style flute that has been modified, either with physical changes to it's design or changes to it's tuning. Some example of this: a high-performance Bansuri that has been tuned with an exotic scale, such as the Hungarian Gypsy tuning, or an Irish style flute tuned to a pentatonic minor scale. Other examples would be the Quenasazi and Quenajave (pronounced "kay-nah-sa-zee" and "kay-nah-ha-vee"), which are lower keyed versions of the Ancestral Pueblo flutes that feature the same scale and the Anasazi and Mojave style flutes but with the mouthpiece of a Quena. Almost anything is possible with fusion flutes!
