- 1). Select a branch of cedar from the forest for your flute. It should be as straight and free of knots as possible, but use the branch to which you are drawn.
- 2). Cut the branch in half lengthwise with a band saw. Make as clean a cut as possible so that the seam will disappear when you glue the two halves back together.
- 3). Hollow out both halves with a rotary tool fitted with a grinding attachment or a sanding drum so that there will be two separate chambers, one smaller than the other, when the halves are glued back together. The smaller chamber is the slow air chamber, where air collects as you blow and passes slowly into the next chamber, which is the sound chamber. Take some care to make the the hollowed-out areas in both halves identical, and leave a divider about 3/8 inches thick between them.
- 4). Chisel out an aperture in the top half of the flute that spans the divider between the chambers. This aperture can be a squarish hole that extends about 1/2 inch on either side of the divider. It will be the sound hole, and will be covered by a fetish which, when placed correctly, will produce the sound of the flute.
- 5). Use your finger to spread glue carefully on the two halves of the flute, then clamp them together and wait overnight for the glue to dry.
- 6). Drill a small blowhole into one end of the flute with a 1/4 or 3/8-inch drill bit. This hole should extend all the way into the slow air chamber.
- 7). Shape the flute with sandpaper, tapering the blowing end to your preference to make it easy to play. You can make a conical taper, or flatten it a little to give your lips purchase on the blowhole.
- 8). Carve a fetish to cover the sound hole, using a chisel. This fetish is traditionally an animal with which you feel a connection, such as a bear or a bird. It should have a flat bottom that completely covers the sound hole. Spend some time doing this--it is part of the art of flute-making. When it is done, wrap a leather strap around it and the flute to hold it in place.
- 9). Drill a 3/8-inch hole in the bottom of the flute into the sound chamber. This should be located so you can easily cover it with your thumb when you are blowing. Once the hole is drilled, use a wood burning tool to widen it slightly and darken the edges.
- 10
Blow into the flute and change the position of the fetish until the flute makes a sound. Then drill 6 3/8-inch tuning holes in the top of the flute. Drill each one in turn, and then tune it by widening it with a wood burning tool, checking the pitch with a tuning fork or musical instrument as you do this. - 11
Decorate the flute with beads and pieces of leather.
SHARE
