Tuning Holes, What are they? Blue Bear Flutes Native American Flutes
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- In this video we'll talk about what those little holes are at the bottom of some Native American Flutes.
If you like this video, please check out the hundreds of others we have on making and playing Native American Flutes.
LIKE, SHARE and SUBSCRIBE!
visit us online at www.bluebearfl...
Wonderfully informative, Maestro. Four direction holes implies balance, for me. The tonal quality between the two is definitely in favor of the directional holes
True! Thanks for watching!
Nice, a new construction method to try. Thanks, Charlie!
I’ve been wondering this the past few months. Well timed video!! 😉👍
I just got my drone flute and it sounds great! Thank you Charlie!
Thank you! 😀👍
Hello Charlie,
Thanks for the repair and work you put into my flute recently! It brings peace in my life to hear it speak again. I pray continued blessings on you and your family 👍
Chris Hunter
Ah, the good old K2 equation regarding air resistance at the foot end of the flute as laboriously detailed by author Lewis Paxton Price in his little books 20 odd years ago. I think that you summed it up much more relatably here. In my experience, the tuning holes function somewhere in between as does the bell of a trumpet (in terms of projection) and the sound board of a guitar (resonance), enhancing the overall tone. For what it's worth, I have had limited success by making a bell end on a NAF; the sound holes seem to be the better option due to their simplicity. Great video as always.
Charlie, on the flutes that are cut on the end down there to resemble the bill/beak of a bird or duck- does that also affect tuning? -Thanks! PS-you explanation re the holes was very interesting. Thanks again.
It affects the sound to a minor degree. Imagine the vibrations and how they escape the bottom of the flute! That will tell you a lot!
G'day Charlie. How much difference would having just one tuning hole instead of the four make? I have seen a flute with four tuning holes that looks great, but did not get to handle it (due to Covid). I am now thinking of turning the E flute that I am working on into a double tuning holed flute, just for an experiment. You make me think, my head is now hurting. Ha ha ha. Thanks Charlie.
Hi Charlie, I have a couple questions. Are the bottom tuning holes something that’s planned when the flute is created or is it considered problem solving? Is there a point where too many tuning holes diminishes the value of the instrument? I’m looking at a used flute online that has three tuning holes going up the back of the flute at the bottom, as well as 3 directional holes at the sides, for a total of 6 tuning holes. I’m not super experienced, but I haven’t seen that before. There’s no way for me to test it before buying but it otherwise looks to be in good shape. I’m just wondering if those three holes in the back are something to be concerned with, like perhaps this was someone’s first project and they kept making holes to try to fix the tuning. Any insight?
@lynnb4609 hey Lynn, does a great questions! For some flute makers it is problem-solving and for others it is decoration and tradition. That's not to say that all flutes had them historically but some people prefer to put them on their flutes. Usually when tuning holes are seen going up the flute that is correcting a problem. When they are pre-planned and a specific area, of course you can imagine that's someone holding a tradition. This all having been said, the most important question was your last one. I'm sure you have realized by now that the value of the flute is in the eye of the beholder. To some people at an event $5 for a Native American flute is too much money. Yes that is true! It's hard to believe that people could not imagine such a thing being hundreds of dollars or even in the case of certain events that I have attended where I've sold $20 flutes but people still want to be shocked by such as that. So the value of the flute is really up to you, and how it sounds. If you're unable to hear any sound samples for it, I would recommend requesting them. I've been offering sound samples for over 30 years now since we first started on ebay. Of course in that time, I have seen cheap Chinese whistles sold for hundreds of dollars which outsold my handmade Native American made flutes and I have also seen at least one Canadian flute maker, not sure if he's native or not, but he was selling flutes for thousands of dollars because each of them came with the story about The Rock he stubbed his toe on or the eagle that he seen that day out of his car window while on the interstate that inspired him to make it. Of course I have seen the other side of this coin as well where people believe this is a get rich quick scheme and they will offer their flutes for hundreds of dollars, find some sucker who will buy them and being a beginner the quality of their flute sounds like that of a beginner. I have to admit I have seen beginners who have made some amazing flutes, better than any company offering them online today
@@BlueBearFlutes Thanks for the quick reply. The flute is on an auction site and the seller doesn’t know anything about it. They aren’t going to provide sound samples, but I think I could probably get it for a good price, assuming it’s playable. Maybe it’s worth the gamble. It has a maker’s mark I haven’t been able to identify and is numbered, and for whatever reason I’m drawn to it, but the extra holes in the back are giving me pause.
@lynnb4609 there are of course a lot of options. I'm not suggesting you do this but after making a few million flutes, I could make an ugly stick off of the ground play. I do charge a repair fee but since you would have to be paying that in addition to whatever the cost of the flute is, my next question is what is it that draws you to it? Is it how it looks? It's obviously not how it plays. Is it the presumed key that it is suggested to be in? Keep in mind that I ask a lot of these questions for marketing purposes on my own behalf. As I have written in my flute making book, I do recommend buying flutes from beginning flute makers or anyone to give them a chance but is what you're looking for something that you can find on mine or other flute makers websites who offer sound samples? I have to admit, it sounds an awful lot like the same story that made me quit making flutes 20 years ago when on eBay someone was selling a cheap Pakistani whistle and said that it was sold by someone from a pow wow that was Indian but they didn't know if the flu was Indian or made by him or not. There's so many Pow Wow vendors out there selling cheap Pakistani and Chinese made whistles as native american made because those people know how to make them look in order to convince the public to sell them. Just a lot of things to think about in there. I don't mean to discourage you or sound discouraging but it's a reflection of my own life.
@@BlueBearFlutes I just like collecting flutes and this one is made of a wood missing from my collection and appears well finished. I liked how it was pretty simple and elegant looking. It definitely didn’t look mass produced or like some cheesy tourist flute. The price was only $35 this morning, and it wasn’t even listed as a native flute so I was hoping I could snag it for a bargain since it wasn’t listed correctly. Plus no one had bid on it in days, but apparently people discovered it tonight and now the auction is closing at $145. Little bidding war at the end! I finally recognized the mark on it - it’s a Singing Tree but I’m guessing it’s at least 10-15 years old as it looks different from what they are making today. I’m still a bit confused about why there’s so many tuning holes in the back though. I ended up passing on it, it’s not in a key I really needed, but I was willing to take a chance if I could get it for under $100.
I have two of your flutes, I’m familiar with your work. I have an F# and an A drone. But like I said, it’s fun to collect and try different makers. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I appreciate it!
@lynnb4609 well, you got to go with what you like. Sorry you missed it. I didn't realize they were making foods that long either.
R/sir, you are humbly requested to post this video in indian national language.Then you will be very much beneficial to get name fame and money.thanking you sir.
Um...