How to Adjust a PVC Flute to Play an Octave

Adding holes to the flute increases the amount of notes you can play.

PVC flutes are ideal beginner projects for amateur flute-makers. If you’ve advanced to the point where you now run out of notes because the complexity of the songs you play exceeds the amount of holes you drilled, you can modify your existing flute to create an octave. By adding an extra hole or holes, you can expand the harmonic capabilities of your flute.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Tuned musical instrument
• Pencil
• Drill
• Bench clamp

Instructions

1. Measure all dimensions of your flute, including length, diameter, thickness of PVC and also the diameter of the aperture into which you blow.

2. Measure the distance between each hole, including the aperture, and the enclosed end of the flute. Factors such as distance between holes, thickness of tube, size of aperture and length of flute determine the correct position for the extra hole or holes. It’s impractical to guess where to put the hole; you could end up destroying your flute by the time you’ve found the right place. The easiest way to determine the correct place is to enter all of the measurements into a finger placement calculator.

3. Determine the pitch of the lowest note. Use a piano, electronic keyboard or tuned guitar to find a matching note. To complete an octave, you must have a minimum of eight holes. The eighth pitch must be precisely twice as high as the lowest pitch. This creates a note-span of one octave, sometimes written as “8ve.”

4. Calculate the frequency of the new note or notes. For example, if your lowest note is middle C, which has a frequency of 261.6 Hz, then the note one octave above has a frequency of 523.2. Consult a note frequency list.

5. Enter the flute dimensions, hole distances, aperture dimensions and desired frequencies into an online hole placement calculator and note down the instructions.

6. Make a pencil mark on the flute to indicate the placement of the new hole.

7. Fit a drill bit to the end of the drill, as per the sizing instructions. For example, if the hole needs to be 1/4-inch in diameter, use a 1/4-inch drill bit.

8. Fit the flute into a bench clamp to brace it.

9. Line up the drill bit with the pencil mark and turn on the drill. Push gently to bore the hole. Remove the drill.

10. Wipe any PVC dust from the flute. To make additional holes, enter all of the same information, apart from the “desired frequency.”

References

• Mark Shep; The Plumber’s Pipe Making Simple Flutes from PVC Plumbing Pipe; Mark Shepard; 2002
• The Widet Forge; Making PVC Flutes; Design
• Virginia Tech; Music Dictionary; Middle C

Resources

• Flutomat
• Michigan Tech; Physics of Music; Notes