My first bamboo flute

[Henry Lee]

First flute I ever made: six hole Chinese diatonic scale in C, root end with slanted mouthpiece.

http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/527/thumbs/P001476.JPG See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1255&cat=500) http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/527/thumbs/P001474.JPG See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1256&cat=500) http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/527/thumbs/P001477.JPG See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1257&cat=500)

***************
Photos of the flute material discussed in thread - Sources of root-end bamboo for flute making? (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showpost.php?p=3630#post3630)
http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/525/thumbs/white-and-brown-1.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=1299&cat=500) http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/525/thumbs/white-and-brown-2.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=1300&cat=500) http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/525/thumbs/white-and-brown-3.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=1301&cat=500)

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Henry, thanks so much for sharing this first time experience.

If you have an audio clip you're welcome to upload it and be the first to put music from this type of flute at the site!

I'm guessing you have been playing the flute longer then you have been making them? :)

Mark

[Henry Lee]

You welcome Mark.

I am still in the process of fine tune a couple of toneholes and need to apply a few coats of lacquer inside and out. I sure will post a sound clip as soon as I finish it. What sound format work best in your site... mp3,wav,zip?

Henry

[Mark Meckes]

See this thread - posted in the Bamboo Music makers Forum - Uploading bamboo music audio clips (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1407)

[moonlightgardener]

That is very inspiring...I am just discovering the wonderful world of bamboo and I'm determined to fashion something out of it. Both my kids play the flute (or recorder as it's known here) so it could be an interesting first venture!

[Henry Lee]

I call it satisfaction more than anything...seeing a piece of hollow stick of bamboo turning into a beautiful musical instrument. I am some what lucky on this first one. It turn out better than I anticipated both in looks, intonation and playability.

The second one started out with the mistake of not paying attention to the curvature of the bamboo and I cut the mouthpiece in the wrong direction. I tried straightening it with a guitar finger board heater with little sucess. Although it will play later but won't look as good. I'll post it later.

moonlightgardene:
The mouthpiece is of Japanese/Chinese type. It is not an easily blown m'piece to master. There are other ways of making the piece but I like the timbre this gives me. You can try other ways including the recorder style m'piece. Good luck and have fun

Mark:
Yes, I have been a flute player loooong before I am a flute maker.

[moonlightgardener]

Hmmm...well it sounds very complicated so I may give flute-making a little time and try something a bit more basic to begin with! http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/moonlightgardener/spin.gif

[Henry Lee]

You can start by gathering and preparing bamboo stock. If you get them green you need to let them cured for a couple of years before they can be made into a flute. I use root-end only bamboo. I brought some cured ones from eBay and from China. These usually cost about $20 each. It will cost upward of $100 each from Japan. I also dug some from my neighhood nursery and from a tree farmer in DC and these will not be ready for a while.

[Mark Meckes]

... Or you can start off by making one of these, and see where the wind blows ;)
http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/527/thumbs/1Mvc-291f.jpg
See article about ... Bamboo balloon flutes (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=548)

I made some side blown flutes once by just measuring the holes based on where my fingers felt comfortable and burning the holes with a red-hot poker.

They were the best flutes I ever made! (because I never made any more flutes after that!)
The wind blew my inspiration to other uses of bamboo.

Mark

[moonlightgardener]

Ah, now that I may be able to manage! They look great fun.

[Henry Lee]

You gotta start somewhere.

[moonlightgardener]

*planting bamboo as we speak*

[Henry Lee]

I also planted a couple of bamboos seedlings in my front garden, a p bambusoides on the left and a p angustas on the right. Hopefully they can give me some nice flute blanks in 4-5 years.

[Mark Meckes]

That'll give you plenty of time to think up uses for the smaller poles and parts of your bamboo not suited for your flutes.:)
There is great satisfaction in using homegrown craft material, even if it's not the greatest material. It has a lot to do with sharing life and savouring memories of the plant as it grew.
Bamboo, like wine, has vintage qualities too. I still have some `vintage' scraps and offcuts from a 1989 harvest which I'm reluctant to `use up' as they have more value to me at the present as momentos of a memorable time.
... Though if a project arises that they are suited to, I'll probably give 'em up to a greater cause!

The top branched part of smaller diameter Phyllostachys poles make great pan pipes, like these ones, made by Stan Skov ...
http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/data/527/thumbs/3463_Pan_Pipes_by_Stan_Skov.jpg
See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=784&cat=500)

Mark