Simple Flutes: A Guide to Flute Making and Playing, or How to Make and Play Simple Homemade Musical Instruments from Bamboo, Woo

Simple flutes of bamboo, wood, metal, plastic, or clay can be a joy to play and make. This book gives you the basics of simple flute playing, then offers guidelines for making flutes of your own from a variety of materials. It even includes a handy chart for where to put the holes. Simple Flutes is a must for simple flute players and makers! / Mark Shepard is the author of How to Love Your Flute, hailed by Paul Horn as a model for our times, as well as the craft guide Simple Flutes. For many years, he was a professional artisan, making and selling flutes of bamboo or plastic. / Contains the essense of a tremendous amount of experience. -- Sam Hinton, Sing Out An excellent overview. -- Monty Levenson, Tai Hei Shakuhachi A slim, elegantly presented, and highly practical guide. First-rate, user friendly. -- Midwest Book Review, Aug. 2002 This thin volume contains a wealth of information. -- Linda Dailey Paulson, Dirty Linen, Oct.-Nov. 2002 / CONTENTS 1 PLAYING The Sound The Hands The Notes Second Octave Sharps and Flats Breath and Tonguing Making Music Flute Care 2 MAKING Flute Qualities The Flute Tube The Mouthhole The Fingerholes Tuning Stoppers Finishes Plastic Bamboo Wood Clay Metal Other / SAMPLE Here are the two most important rules for tuning: -- A hole will give a higher note if it is placed closer to the mouthhole. It will give a lower note if placed farther away. -- A hole will give a higher note if made larger. It will give a lower note if smaller. These rules mean you can raise a note by enlarging the hole or by placing the hole closer to the mouthhole. You can lower the note by using a smaller hole or by placing the hole farther from the mouthhole. It also means you can change the hole size and its placement without changing the note. A larger hole could be placed farther from the mouthhole, or a smaller hole placed closer to the mouthhole.