Principles of A Native American Flute

Series Summary

It is thought that the Native American flute was discovered in an interesting way. Woodpeckers would put holes in reeds searching for food and when the wind would blow a whistling sound was made. Man sought to recreate this. These flutes are made of wood and consist of six or more finger holes and a mouthpiece. In the 1960's a roots/new age musical revival saw huge use of this instrument and it's popularity grew. It's still not the most popular instrument today but it is one of the most distinct sounds you will hear on any song.

This video clip series will cover everything you will need to know about getting started playing the Native American flute. You will learn how to breathe properly, create a vibrato in your notes and scales that are invaluable when it comes to more advanced techniques such as improvising. This expert has been playing for decades and will walk you through every step of your lessons. Although instruments may seem a bit overwhelming and daunting the Native American flute is a great place to start your musical journey!

Video Transcript

"The Native American flute is a wonderful instrument, it sounds great, it's physically beautiful, but the best part about it is how easy it is to play. I've sold about 800 flutes to people all over the northeast in the last 16 years or so and no one has ever came back for more than three lessons. That says a lot about an instrument that people just pick up and make their own very quickly. Now the basic principle to playing the native flute is to really relax right from the beginning. So even before you play a note on your flute just kind of breath gently several times. Fill your lungs with air and then exhale, just kind of relax as you exhale just let all of your muscles relax. In the next little bit we're going to be going on and learning the beginning part of the scale of flute."