How to Shape Windways on Native American Flutes

Traditionally, Native American flutes were made throughout most of North America, using materials ranging from wood to bone. Modern Native American flutes are nearly all made from wood and have two internal air chambers and an outside block or wrapping. The windway from the mouth chamber to the sound chamber is directly under or inside the block. Its width determines the pitch of the flute.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Wood
• Woodcarving knife
• Milling machine (optional)
• Fine-grade sandpaper
• Piece of metal (optional)

1. Hollow out a straight piece of wood, the length of your arm, that will make the body of the flute. Leave a bridge, or stop, near the mouthpiece where the windway will be located. The bridge divides the two internal chambers: the wind chamber, which is blown into, and the sound chamber, where the sound is created. The wood can either be hollowed in one piece or split along its length, hollowed and glued back together later.
2. Carve a narrow channel between the two air chambers. Carve the channel either into the flute itself or into the block that sits above the stop. It can be hand-carved or done with a milling machine.
3. Smooth or sand the channel to make the high notes clearer.
4. Ensure that there's a hole through the flute wall on both sides of the bridge. The holes should be connected by the channel or windway. They should angle toward the end they're closest to, so that the channel is nearly an arch.
5. Make the block using a small piece of wood. It can be a simple block, or it can be shaped like an animal or any design you choose. It needs to be big enough to cover or contain the windway between the two holes.
6. Attach the block to the top of the flute. It should cover, but not close, the windway. It should allow air to escape at the end away from the mouth and direct it through the second hole into the second air chamber.
7. Blow into the flute through the mouthpiece. If you don't like the pitch of the flute, you can change it by narrowing or enlarging the windway.

Tips & Warnings

• Traditional flutes are made of wood. While some flute-makers prefer soft woods like red cedar and fir, others prefer harder woods like oak and cherry. You may try different flutes to see what kind of wood makes a tone you truly love.
• Windways should be very thin to focus the air flow.
• If you choose not to leave a spacer when you're hollowing the wood for the flute, you can add one made of a thin piece of metal or wood. If you add the spacer, the windway will be in the block attached to the top of the flute.
• If you choose to split the stick to hollow it out, make sure to use a waterproof glue to glue it back together. Moisture can affect the sound of the flute.
• Traditionally the block was made in the shape of an animal that had meaning to the flute maker.