How to Make a Native American Flute Fipple

Native Americans made many different instruments by hand, including variations on the flute.

A fipple flute is a flute that is made without a reed that vibrates air. Instead, air is blown into the end of the flute and has a block that sits at the top of the flute that directs the air flow. Traditionally, a fipple flute uses the measurements of the player's hand, fist and forearm to create the perfect fipple flute that will match your body size. To make a fipple flute, use a PVC pipe and other household materials.

Things You'll Need

• 2 feet of 3/4-inch PVC pipe
• Saw
• Pencil
• Metal file
• Drill
• 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch drill bits
• 3/4-inch wood dowel
• 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch PVC adapter
• Sandpaper

Instructions

1. Measure your arm from the elbow to the tip of your middle finger; this is your forearm measurement and will be the length of your PVC pipe. Mark your PVC pipe at this length with a pencil. Cut your PVC pipe at your pencil mark with saw.

2. Place PVC adapter over one end of the pipe. Mark with a pencil where the end of the adapter is on the pipe. Take the PVC adapter off and file down the inside of the PVC pipe with a metal file on the end that you had placed the PVC adapter. The filed section will be flat. File slightly past the pencil mark that you made previously.

3. Drill a hole into the flattened part of the PVC pipe with the 1/4-inch drill bit. The hole should be about 1/8-inch deep. Drill two holes next to each other above the first hole with the 1/8-inch bit. This will create a bigger, rectangular shaped hole by making the two holes merge into each other. The end of the PVC adapter will fit halfway over the holes.

4. Measure the length of your closed fist from wrist to end of fist. Measure this same length from the end of pipe into pipe. Drill a hole with 1/4-inch bit.

5. Measure the length from index finger knuckles to middle finger knuckles. This will be the distance from each hole to the next. Mark out four holes starting from the hole that you drilled previously and moving all the way up the pipe.

6. Cut the wood dowel into a section small enough to place between the two fipple holes, which are the side-by-side holes that you previously drilled. If the dowel is still not small enough, sand down. This dowel will force the air through the fipple.

7. Place the PVC adapter over the end of the flute that is closest to the wood dowel and fipple.

References

• Native Access: Make A PVC Flute