A friend of a friend wanted a bass recorder, so the friend mentioned that I make PVC flutes. I said... Well, I do not make recorders... although I do make flutes... but I am not sure if I have time right now. Then, after around 25 hours of work, I had my first F3 flute! (157 Hz) The next one should be a bit easier!
This one ended up with fairly large finger holes after tuning. I will use this one to refine the design for the next one (for the friend) and should have an excellent flute for the 3rd one (for the fof)! Cool!
(Click Images to enlarge)
Above are some pics of BF1 (Big Bertha), an F#, and a C5. The F# was one of my earliest flutes. It has a D-shaped TSH (True Sound Hole) and the "flue" has been scraped, built up with fingernail polish, filled with PVC slivers on the sides... it is a mess! It has an interesting airy sound that I really like for some tunes. The "totem" is a "bird" a diving Hawk... can you see it? So I call this one the Hawk.
The C5, "baby", is one of 30 flutes I made to send 24 with a missionary to African orphans. I wanted them to be very small and have no outside parts like most of my other flutes. It has a lateral oval shaped TSH and a very clear tone like a penny whistle.
All of these flutes are made using the methods of many Native American Style flutes. I am not a member of any Native American nation, and do not claim to know their heritage or culture. I appreciate the willingness with which so many of the Native American flute makers allow me to enjoy and participate in their craft. Thank You!
I do not follow all of the normal guidelines, so my flutes are a bit different. For one thing they are almost all tuned like Irish whistles! (Even my shakuhachi flutes!) I'm just an old German 'Celt' monk who barely runs in mocs and toots PVC... I guess...
I call this bass "Big Bertha"! It is 40" long with 33.2 of that being the actual sound column. There is a SAC (slow air chamber) on the top (north) with a blow pipe so I can reach the holes, and a tail on the south beyond "4-winds" tuning holes. The column length to diameter ratio is 21.25 which is a bit high and causes it to easily jump from the F3 to F4. The holes must be carefully sealed or the F3 is very hard to get. The next 2 flutes should be easier to play F3. The "baby" flute is only 11" with a ratio of 17.6. That is a good compromise for me because I like playing the upper octave. Flutes with smaller ratios, like 15, are very mellow but do not play more than a few notes in the second octave.
Enjoy the sound samples. They are my first attempts at recording my flutes and my first Audacity project. I recorded with a ZOOM H4. I used a little bit of echo to add some warmth. Also please ignore the occasional bump and thump as I learn to better place the mic... and intonation is a big problem as I stretch to cover those over-sized holes... always learning!
(Click to play mp3)
F3_BF1_PartingGlass (trad.)
F3_BF1_Jazzy
F3_BF1_BygoneDays (Ivers)
F#_Hawk_BygoneDays (Ivers)
F#_Hawk_TimeAgo
C5_Africa_RakesKildare (trad.)
C5_Africa_10KftMeadowCreekMorning
