I used see lots of sites about this topic a few
years ago. Then later, all the trad sites would be
advertising 'hand made stuff' for vast sums of
cash; now I can barely find one site about it, nor
do I see any come-ons.
Individual Celtic instrument craftsmen are the most fascinating of folk artists to me. I keep an eye on this, and there are more individual makers of whistles and flutes than there have ever been before, EVER!.... and the quality is out of this world.. (price is very reasonable too). I have a Michael Burke composite Low D in the mail to me that cost only $130usd... Also have on order an Colin Goldie/Overton Low F and a Serpent Eb on order and will be here within the month. (Serpent = Bill Widdeon, a brand new maker with gorgeous craftsmanship) ..... None of these cost "vast sums" of money. Allthough you can probably spend as much as your heart desires... I know for example, an Abell flute goes for $10,000USD and this waiting list is 4 years.
If you are a flautist, you should check out Michael Copeland's web site, .... after a 5-6 year sabbatical, he is once again making keyless Blackwood Irish flutes, quite reasonable.....
Hope this was an appropriate answer to a serious question... Good luck sorefingers.
Thanks for the suggestions, I guess I am entering
the wrong data into google.
Years ago I had a buddy in England - and at the
time what he did showed great courage befriending
a bogOirish such as meself- anyways he loved and
played Irishtrad really well, but and here's my
point - he had not one but several whistles and
flutes he made himself.
Never took them out to a gig, but at home would
play on them. I often wondered but too shy to ask
where did he find all the technical stuff to
be doing that kind of thing?
I found some plans on the Internet for making a whistle out of copper tubing. I haven't tried it yet...And Pied Piper said in a recent thread that he's made flutes out of PVC.
Is this the kind of thing you're asking about? If you're interested in those whiste plans, I can probably give you the link -- I printed the stuff out and could get an address (don't have them here, at work), if you like.
Paul
Sure that would be great not just for myself, but
all the other folks here. BTW I did today find an
excellent site for making fipples for the Bamboo
Flute, guess that would be the same huh?
In theory, anyway. If I remember my whistle plans, they were for building something designed a bit like a Clark, with a block of wood in the mouthpiece and a slight bend in the air window, which, of course, wouldn't work with bamboo. The fipple was the most daunting part of the operation...The plans were imprecise and called for playing around with the degree of bend until you got it right. I remember that you were supposed to build the fipple first, blow in the tube and, using an electronic tuner, cut the tube off to the desired low note. Fingerhole placement from that point on was a mathematic formula measured off the air window.
But I'll get you the link.
I've made my own bamboo, PVC and CPVC flutes and fifes. I stopped this past spring when I realized I needed to be a better player to really make a good instrument (I do think it's fairly easy to make a playable instrument out of the materials I used, but to be really good takes a working knowledge of playing the instrument). I'll probably go back into bamboo flute making next year or so.
Mark Sheppard has a great book out (downloadable for a reasonable fee) on basic flute making.
And you can always learn a lot from the MIMF (musical instrument makers forum) http://www.mimf.com/
But you need to register as a member (free, so far) to get the good stuff in the archives
oh, I see where you were going with the question... Careful - everyone who learns how to make a decent whistle for themselves suddenly wants to become a "for profit" whistle maker for the public. It is getting crowded out there.
Thanks Dudes and Dianas - this is the sort of thing that
makes the internet and this site on it such a wonder
- if it was not for your expert help I would be
chasing that mouse for a week.
In Ireland, many many years ago, at harvest-time
a whistle would be made from a stalk of Oats,
Barley etc whittled out with a penknife. All that
straw on a mummer should now make more sense.
Hi cuchulain the links I got were a great help and
I have made a bit of progress.
I am a little lost about the mechanics of these
instruments, but I bet in time I will figure it
out. For example, would making the invent of the
fipple/top hole of the flute make them easier to
fill with air, or should one instead narrow the
exit, like the Clarke's?
Also wondering, since I can choose finger hole
sizes, should I make them small too?
"The March 1998 issue of Scientific American has an interesting article on flute materials. It cites an experiment in which a blindfolded audience couldn't tell the difference between the tone of a flute made of cherry wood and one made of concrete. In the end, the material used to make a flute may matter less than the shape and size of the bore, the size and shape of the embouchure hole, the size and shape of the toneholes, the presence or absence of keys, and other factors.
Good flutes can be made from a wide range of materials. Don't reject something simply because it's not blackwood or box. Patrick Olwell's son Aran once made an acceptable (though temporary) flute out of a large carrot, and Vincent Broderick's brother Peter won the All-Ireland championship with a flute he made out of a length of copper pipe. Flutes have been made from bicycle pumps, plastic tubes, glass, ceramic, bones, and who knows what else."
Thank You nastyweegirl, I guess my bad eyesight is no help
to the typewriting, still. What I am really curious
about it the amount of air savings I could get
from a different pipe diameters for the whistle or flute,
as well as hole sizes.
hi,
you've probably got all this already, but in case you haven't,
you want to be careful with changing the inside diameter of a flute or whistle.If you make it too narrow, the instrument will favor high notes,if it's too wide it'll favor low notes.
As to holes,you have to move them to change their size without changing the note. A larger hole will give louder volume and better tone,but they will be farther apart and harder to reach.Smaller holes end up closer together,but will affect the tone.
I hope this is useful!
-Kelly
Home made whistles and flutes
Home made whistles and flutes
I used see lots of sites about this topic a few
years ago. Then later, all the trad sites would be
advertising 'hand made stuff' for vast sums of
cash; now I can barely find one site about it, nor
do I see any come-ons.
What happened to free enterprise?
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by sorefingers
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
You are probably looking in the wrong places....
Individual Celtic instrument craftsmen are the most fascinating of folk artists to me. I keep an eye on this, and there are more individual makers of whistles and flutes than there have ever been before, EVER!.... and the quality is out of this world.. (price is very reasonable too). I have a Michael Burke composite Low D in the mail to me that cost only $130usd... Also have on order an Colin Goldie/Overton Low F and a Serpent Eb on order and will be here within the month. (Serpent = Bill Widdeon, a brand new maker with gorgeous craftsmanship) ..... None of these cost "vast sums" of money. Allthough you can probably spend as much as your heart desires... I know for example, an Abell flute goes for $10,000USD and this waiting list is 4 years.
If you are a flautist, you should check out Michael Copeland's web site, .... after a 5-6 year sabbatical, he is once again making keyless Blackwood Irish flutes, quite reasonable.....
Hope this was an appropriate answer to a serious question... Good luck sorefingers.
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by irish ruff
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Thanks for the suggestions, I guess I am entering
the wrong data into google.
Years ago I had a buddy in England - and at the
time what he did showed great courage befriending
a bogOirish such as meself- anyways he loved and
played Irishtrad really well, but and here's my
point - he had not one but several whistles and
flutes he made himself.
Never took them out to a gig, but at home would
play on them. I often wondered but too shy to ask
where did he find all the technical stuff to
be doing that kind of thing?
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by sorefingers
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
I found some plans on the Internet for making a whistle out of copper tubing. I haven't tried it yet...And Pied Piper said in a recent thread that he's made flutes out of PVC.
Is this the kind of thing you're asking about? If you're interested in those whiste plans, I can probably give you the link -- I printed the stuff out and could get an address (don't have them here, at work), if you like.
Paul
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by cuchulain54
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Sure that would be great not just for myself, but
all the other folks here. BTW I did today find an
excellent site for making fipples for the Bamboo
Flute, guess that would be the same huh?
:0)
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by sorefingers
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
In theory, anyway. If I remember my whistle plans, they were for building something designed a bit like a Clark, with a block of wood in the mouthpiece and a slight bend in the air window, which, of course, wouldn't work with bamboo. The fipple was the most daunting part of the operation...The plans were imprecise and called for playing around with the degree of bend until you got it right. I remember that you were supposed to build the fipple first, blow in the tube and, using an electronic tuner, cut the tube off to the desired low note. Fingerhole placement from that point on was a mathematic formula measured off the air window.
But I'll get you the link.
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by cuchulain54
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
I've made my own bamboo, PVC and CPVC flutes and fifes. I stopped this past spring when I realized I needed to be a better player to really make a good instrument (I do think it's fairly easy to make a playable instrument out of the materials I used, but to be really good takes a working knowledge of playing the instrument). I'll probably go back into bamboo flute making next year or so.
Mark Sheppard has a great book out (downloadable for a reasonable fee) on basic flute making.
For hole spacing on conical instruments, here is the invaluable flutomat link:
http://www.cwo.com/~ph_kosel/flutomat.html
Best of luck.
Eric
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by Jayhawk
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
The web site of Dennis Havlena is one place where you can find plans for a low PVC whistle and lots of other stuff too.
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/
steve
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by SteveKendall
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Hello Sorefingers. Here are three links dedicated to whistle-making:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/6611/makewhis.htm
http://jubileeinstruments.messianic-webhosting.com/experiem.htm
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/low-d.htm
And you can always learn a lot from the MIMF (musical instrument makers forum)
http://www.mimf.com/
But you need to register as a member (free, so far) to get the good stuff in the archives
# Posted on August 25th 2003 by lars
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
oh, I see where you were going with the question... Careful - everyone who learns how to make a decent whistle for themselves suddenly wants to become a "for profit" whistle maker for the public. It is getting crowded out there.
# Posted on August 26th 2003 by irish ruff
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Thanks Dudes and Dianas - this is the sort of thing that
makes the internet and this site on it such a wonder
- if it was not for your expert help I would be
chasing that mouse for a week.
In Ireland, many many years ago, at harvest-time
a whistle would be made from a stalk of Oats,
Barley etc whittled out with a penknife. All that
straw on a mummer should now make more sense.
# Posted on August 26th 2003 by sorefingers
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Sorefingers, I never posted the site I promised, but it looks like you have lots here to work with. Good enough?
# Posted on August 27th 2003 by cuchulain54
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Hi cuchulain the links I got were a great help and
I have made a bit of progress.
I am a little lost about the mechanics of these
instruments, but I bet in time I will figure it
out. For example, would making the invent of the
fipple/top hole of the flute make them easier to
fill with air, or should one instead narrow the
exit, like the Clarke's?
Also wondering, since I can choose finger hole
sizes, should I make them small too?
Thank You
# Posted on August 28th 2003 by sorefingers
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Found here: http://www.firescribble.net/flute/choosing2.html :
"The March 1998 issue of Scientific American has an interesting article on flute materials. It cites an experiment in which a blindfolded audience couldn't tell the difference between the tone of a flute made of cherry wood and one made of concrete. In the end, the material used to make a flute may matter less than the shape and size of the bore, the size and shape of the embouchure hole, the size and shape of the toneholes, the presence or absence of keys, and other factors.
Good flutes can be made from a wide range of materials. Don't reject something simply because it's not blackwood or box. Patrick Olwell's son Aran once made an acceptable (though temporary) flute out of a large carrot, and Vincent Broderick's brother Peter won the All-Ireland championship with a flute he made out of a length of copper pipe. Flutes have been made from bicycle pumps, plastic tubes, glass, ceramic, bones, and who knows what else."
# Posted on August 29th 2003 by nastyweegirl
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
It may be a bit late to add to this, but the flutemakers mailing list is alive and well on Yahoo, with a simple website at: http://www.flutemakers.org
There a few good links on the Yahoo website, including instructions, discussion archive, etc. Sign up information is at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flutemakers/
It is a fairly lively group, and includes some world-class makers, but all are welcome!
Best,
David
# Posted on August 30th 2003 by Dabooks
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Thank You nastyweegirl, I guess my bad eyesight is no help
to the typewriting, still. What I am really curious
about it the amount of air savings I could get
from a different pipe diameters for the whistle or flute,
as well as hole sizes.
# Posted on August 30th 2003 by sorefingers
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Here are some excellent books:
Paxton Price, Lew "Secrets of the Flute: The Physics, Math and Design of Non-Mechanical Flutes"
Hopkins, Bart "Air Columns and Tone Holes"
"Musical Instrument Design"
Some excellent online links for information can be found at: http://members.iinet.net.au/~nickl/design.html (yes, I know it's a recorder page, but the principles are the same...)
Hope this helps!
Best,
David
# Posted on August 30th 2003 by Dabooks
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
Thanks Dabooks I guess now I owe you and the rest
of the helpers for saving me oodles of time and
miles of headscratching ...
:0)
# Posted on August 30th 2003 by sorefingers
Re: Home made whistles and flutes
hi,
you've probably got all this already, but in case you haven't,
you want to be careful with changing the inside diameter of a flute or whistle.If you make it too narrow, the instrument will favor high notes,if it's too wide it'll favor low notes.
As to holes,you have to move them to change their size without changing the note. A larger hole will give louder volume and better tone,but they will be farther apart and harder to reach.Smaller holes end up closer together,but will affect the tone.
I hope this is useful!
-Kelly
# Posted on September 11th 2003 by seisflutes