How to Make a Native American Wind Instrument

Make a Native American flute.

Many people love to listen to Native American music. The main instrument that you hear is the Native American flute. It is a simple wind instrument that can be made by hand. Native American flutes are usually made of red cedar, but they can be made of any soft, easily carved wood. Once the instruments are made, they can be stained or painted. You can add fetishes, feathers, beads or leather strips to the flute, so get creative.

Things You'll Need

• 2-1/2 inch by 25 to 27 inch piece of wood
• Knife
• 1/2 wood gouge or 1/2 inch chisel
• Sand paper
• Wood glue
• 3 foot long leather strip
• 2 pony beads, 1/4 inch
• 4 small feathers

Instructions

1. Get a straight piece of wood that is between 25 to 27 inches long to use to make your flute. Use a piece of wood that has not been milled. The best wood is wood that you cut yourself. If you cut your own wood, you can get a nice barrel-shaped piece of wood that is the exact size you want. If you buy your wood from a store, you will have a problem finding wood that has not been milled. Most wood that is for sale is in nice, straight boards which will not work for this project. You can use any type of soft wood, but the preferred wood is red cedar. If you can’t find cedar, you can use pine. The wood will need to be about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

2. Use a knife to strip the bark off of the piece of wood.

3. Cut your wood in half, so that you have two pieces of wood that are 1-1/4 inch by 25 to 27 inches.

4. Hollow out the center of the wood on both pieces with a chisel or wood cutting gouge. Gouge out a line all the way across the 25 to 27 inch long, so that it looks like an empty, long hot dog bun. The wood should still be at least 1/2-inch thick around the gouged section.

5. Place the two pieces of wood on top of each other, so the gouge on both sides line up to make one long open gouge.

6. Wrap a thick rubber band around both ends of the flute about 4 inches in on both sides.

7. Scrape the wood carefully with the knife until the mouth piece is thinner than the barrel of the flute. It needs to be at least 1/4 inch around the gouged hole at the tip. Taper the flute from the body to the mouthpiece. When you are done, the flute should slowly narrow as you get to the mouthpiece. It should go from 1/2 inch thick around the gouge for the body to 1/4 inch thick at the mouthpiece.

8. Carefully sand the whole flute with sand paper. Make sure that you make it very smooth.

9. Measure from the mouthpiece side. Place a mark with a permanent marker at 10 1/2 inches, 11 1/2 inches, 12 1/2 inches, 13 1/2 inches, 14 1/2 inches and 15 1/2 inches. Use the point of the knife to drill in the holes. Turn the blade from side to side until the hole goes all the way through the top of the flute. Sand around the tops of the holes.

10. Remove the rubber bands, line up the pieces of the flute and glue the two halves together using wood glue. Make sure that you put it on neatly. Do not let it squish out all over the sides.

11. Cut a slash about 3 inches away from the mouthpiece. Cut it into the wood at an angle, and then cut a second slash straight down into it to create a “V” shaped opening. Remove the small piece of wood.

12. Wrap a thin leather strip two times around the flute 1 inch behind the “V” shape. Tie the ends together. Cut the leftover strip so that one side is 6 inches, and the other side is 10 inches.

References

• Cedar Spirit Native American Inspired Flutes, How a Flute is Born
• At the Center of the Sacred Circle , Playing Your Flutes