How to Make an Indian Flute
Traditional Native American cedar flutes are hand carved individual works of art the capture the spirit and loving workmanship of the flute maker. Finely carved with an attention to intricate detail, artisans often embellished with totems or spirit carvings to add a rich three-dimensional beauty to the instrument. Often called "Love Flutes," cedar flutes were crafted and played by both men and women of the tribes to woo their beloved. A flute finely crafted from aromatic cedar is a beautiful piece of art.
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Instructions
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Research the history of the flute. Study historical drawings and diagrams to determine the width and length of the chambers that will produce the sound you seek. Flute making manuals are available on line or from wood carving hobbyist supply stores. The haunting, plaintive sounds of a cedar flute are enhanced by the mysteries of the wood. A Native American flute does not have an embouchure as is found in metal flutes and does not require a reed like most woodwind instruments. Most traditional Indian flutes have two air chambers. A soft blow produces a beautiful, clear tone. They do not require any special shaping of the mouth to play. There are two different styles of Native American flutes, the plains style, and the woodlands style. They differ slightly in construction, check reference materials to determine your choice.
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Choose the wood. Traditionally flutes are crafted from cedar.However, maple, walnut, sassafras, cherry, aspen and other exotic woods such as rosewood or tulipwood are sometimes used. The pure tone of a traditional Native American flute is influenced by the type of wood selected. Softer woods such as sassafras or ceder produce warmer tones. Harder woods such as red heart, purple heart or Osage orange produce a brighter, lighter clarity. Discard any wood with cracks or knots. Tone is the texture of the sound produced by your flute. Different woods produce different tonal ranges; treble, bass, deep bass or contra bass.
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Select a piece of wood for your flute between 12 to 36 inches in length; the longer the piece of wood, the lower the key of the flute. If you wish to create designs in your flute, the piece of wood may be cut at angles diagonally and slices of a darker or lighter shade of woods may be inserted and glued. (Clamp the pieces together and allow to dry before proceeding.) Cut the wood piece into two equal halves lengthwise to carve the sound chambers.
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Use a hand chisel or wood carving bore to carefully hollow out each half of the wood. You will want to create two elongated sound channels about 1/3 inch deep and 1/2 inch wide and rounded. A chisel or bore is a metal hand tool for carving that will allow you to chip and scrap the sound channel to its desired dimensions. (It is helpful to use a template to layout the size of the chambers.)
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Sand the chambers with fine grit sandpaper. Water proof the inside of the flute by rubbing with a small rag saturated with organic linseed oil (use food grade oil such as the oil for cutting boards. Protect the glue joints with masking tape prior to applying linseed oil. The glue may not adhere to oiled surfaces.)
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Plane and sand with fine grit sandpaper (100 grit) the two pieces to fit snugly together. Join with wood glue. Clamp the two pieces together and allow to dry before proceeding. (Use padding under the clamps so as to not damage the wood.)
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Carve the wood with a small sharp knife to give the flute a tubular shape. Taper and slot the flute near the mouth end. Your flute should have a finished diameter of between 2 and 2.5 inches; try to achieve a size that is comfortable for you to hold and play. Traditionally Native American flutes are smudged with sage and lovingly crafted as a sacred piece of art, its sound, a tribute to the Great Spirit. The far end of the flute can be shaped into a bird-like form.
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Drill holes from a template. Many flute makers start with a very small hole, blow into the flute and then blow into a tuner. The hole is then slowly enlarged (many artisans use a wood burning tool to enlarge and finish the holes) until a satisfactory tone is achieved. There are both five and six hole flutes. The sixth hole can be wrapped with leather and played only when a different sound is desired.
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Use a narrow chisel or wood burning tool to cut an upward slant into one end of the flute. This cut will form the part of the flute's first air chamber. The upper chamber acts as a resonator; providing the flute with its mystical sound.The slanted hole will direct air flow up through the flute's fetish which is carved separately.
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Cut a second corresponding hole into the top of the second sound chamber. The air exits the first chamber and is sent into the second chamber through an external air channel under the fetish strapped with leather bindings to the top of the flute.
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Sand the exterior of the flute with 200 grit sand paper until smooth. Finish with a hand rubbed natural sealant such as organic linseed oil to display the spirit and beauty of the wood. The flute can be wrapped with leather bindings and feathers or beads added.
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Tips & Warnings
Traditional Native American flute makers prefer to use only lightening struck wood. When the tree is struck by lightening, the sap crystallizes and it is believed gives a sweeter sound to the flute. They gather their own wood in the forest. The modern day carver may be limited to selections found at a woodcraft supply store.
Only flutes actually crafted by enrolled Native Americans are considered Native American Flutes. In 1990 Congress enacted the Indian Arts And Crafts Act which makes misrepresentation a Federal felony. Artisans who are not Native American often market their instruments as "Native American Style Flutes".
