Flute Styles
I use only olive oil and local beeswax to finish my flutes, bringing out the grain while allowing the wood to breathe and keeping you safe.
All flutes come with care instructions, a fingering scale, and a free copy of my cassette, Windflowers. You also have my support as long as you need it. All questions are welcome before and after the sale.
These flute styles are available:
Standard Flutes
Single Side by Side Drone
Flutes
Take-anywhere Flutes
Pocket Flutes
Harmony Flutes
Elderberry Flutes
Fancy Elderberry Flutes
Standard flutes are carved with western red cedar. I have some hardwoods for custom orders. I also will add beadwork if requested. Standard flutes have five or six hole Native American scales (based in low D, E, F#, and G). I also do a number of exotic scales. Looking for something in particular? - just ask.
Single Side by Side Drone Flutes
These flutes are no more difficult to play than a regular standard flute. You simply play the melody side and the drone plays along, creating pleasing harmonies.
This is the perfect little flute to take with you...backpacking, to the beach, to a sweat, to a powwow. It is only 18-20 inches long (depending on the key). It is as light as a feather weighing only 3 ounces, about the weight of a couple of candy bars. Leave the candy bars behind and take the flute. The candy bars will only melt, and the flute will make you feel better than the candy bars. The holes on this flute are small and close together, making this flute perfect for an older child (see the picture of my grand-daughter) or someone with small hands (you big guys can play it too). This flute may be small but it has a big sound. The tone is rich and clear. They will hear you on the other side of the lake, or in the next meadow if you are hiking. This will be a good flute to play with other instruments. I love playing mine while my friends drum. Available in pentatonic scales based in A, G, F#
The Outma Cultural School Flute Club and me with our Take-Anywhere flutes.
My granddaughter and her Take-Anywhere flute
Pocket flutes are similar to "Take Anywhere" flutes but they are only 14 1/2 inches long. They have a louder tone than the "Take Anywhere" flutes. All of these pocket flutes are tuned to a Native American pentatonic scale based in high "D".
The harmony flute has two chambers, with half of the scale on one side and the rest on the other. I am still discovering all of the possibilities for combining the two sides in harmony. One side can be held and act as drone for the other side, or the two sides can move together, or you can play the two sides separately and sound like you are playing two flutes. The bonus is that it is easy to play. The pentatonic scale insures that every combination of notes sounds good. This flute is great for the novice, and you more experienced players can make the other members of your flute circle jealous. I’m sure you will love this flute as much as I do!
I was at a powwow last summer selling my flutes when an elder came over to my booth. He was there to supervise the salmon bake. He looked at my flutes and asked why I didn’t have any made from elderberry wood. This was the wood that his people had traditionally used to make flutes. Looking toward the beach of Okanagan Lake where the powwow was being held, my new friend pointed to an elderberry bush right at the water’s edge and offered to cut me a few of the right kind of branches. I thanked him and accepted his offer. When I got home I set to work making my first elderberry flute with the branches gathered by the elder. On completing my first flute I was very impressed with the tone... rich and earthy. I have since discovered that elderberry is all around me, behind my house, in the forest, down by the lake, along the road. The nice thing, too, is that harvesting it doesn’t hurt the bush. The best wood for the flutes is the third year’s growth which is dead wood. Prunning it off actually helps by giving the bush room for new growth. The inside of the branch is a soft pith, while the outside is nice solid wood. No need to worry about your flute cracking (like bamboo does in dry climates). Each flute is hand crafted and is uniquely different according to the size and shape of the branch. The flute chooses its own tuning. Please contact me to learn what I currently have in stock.
