This morning I went out into the desert before dawn. The air was cool with just an edge of crispness. With my flute in my backpack I start off into the hills. In the West the moon is almost full. A faint glow of the coming sun is barely visible in the East. I have moccasins on my feet I walk softly. I feel the body of Mother Earth through the soles.
For several years now I have made it a habit to spend my Sunday mornings alone in the Desert. For me nature is the power of God manifest in physical form. On Sunday morning the world pauses for a moment. There is a palpable relaxation of tension as society takes a pause in its busy schedule. The disturbing sounds of people bustling off to work are absent.
Gradually the light of the magnificent Sun returns to a still sleeping world. The first bird song pierces the stillness of the dawn. A mocking bird announcing his territorial imperative. The air resonates with his thrill of life. Reaching a familiar hilltop I put down my pack and take a long drink of water. I take my flute out of its bag and begin to play.
Off in the distance a civilization is dying. The age of the merchants is ending. They have held us in thrall to their sirens call of material wealth for so long. The age of the mystic-lover is dawning. This new civilization is like a rising Sun. It is now a faint light on the horizon. Our hearts thrill to the promise of a new day.
The Native American flute is a tool that is helping bring about this change. It brings each of us into contact with our true self. Our true self is Love. We are children of light. We are sons and daughters of the Holy power that has brought into being and supports all Life. The Love flute helps bring us into direct contact with that power. Music is part of the very fabric of creation. It is a link to the always-mysterious flow of creative energy that we call the Universe.
With each new player the circle of Love grows. We meet in a place that is without boarders. It is an expanding circle with the larger circle of Life. When we pick up our flutes and play we bring healing harmony into a dissonant society. You and I and everyone who expresses his heart through the Indian flute are emissaries from the Kingdom come.
There is nothing to do. No plans to make or speeches to give. Powers beyond our ability to conceive are flowing through each one of us. Healing and hope for the future are in our music. With our simple songs we send out an invitation to forgive, relax, enjoy and play together.
May the Holy power of the Father – Mother be with you this and every day. May your flute songs sing out healing to a troubled world. May peace reign on Earth.
Facing the Great Unknown
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Wood Species and Tonal Quality in the Native American Style Flute
I do not put wood type near the top of my list of things that affect tonal quality in Native American style flutes. That does not mean that I am not aware that different types of wood produce different types of tone. I do not personally use soft woods such as cedar and redwood. There are many factors that lead to this decision. I will not go into them here.
Wood density is measured on a scale called the Janka Hardness Scale. Alaska cedar, for example, has a rating of 580. Ipe, a dense tropical hardwood, has a rating of 3680. The hardwoods that I use range from a density of 1010 for black walnut to Indian rosewood with a rating of 3170.
There is no such thing in nature as a pure sign wave tone. Any tone – like a tone in the key of A – is always a mixture of tones. The predominant tone is that of A – vibrating at 440 Hz. But, mixed in with that tone are other tones both above 440 Hz and below it. These tones are called overtones. They add color to the pure sign wave or note.
Wood that is lower in density, such as walnut, has a tendency to selectively absorb sound vibrations of a certain wavelength. The vibrations that have the greatest tendency to be absorbed are the higher vibrations or overtones. Higher density woods tend to reflect these overtones not absorb them. Tones that are not absorbed by the wood itself are projected out into the surrounding atmosphere and strike the ear. Thus, they become part of the musical experience. Overtones that are absorbed into the wood do not get projected out into the atmosphere. They do not reach the ear and consequently do not become part of the musical experience.
A flute that is in the key of A has a brighter tone than a flute in the key of E. Higher overtones, like higher keyed flutes, are usually called bright overtones. Some people prefer higher, brighter tones. Others prefer lower, moodier tones. It is my opinion that a good flute should have the proper balance of higher and lower tones.
When I am making a flute in a higher key – such as an A – I want to balance the tonal quality. The flute is naturally going to be bright. If it is too bright then the tone can begin to sound hard and penetrating. If I were following my own personal preference I would prefer to use a lower density wood. I would do this to absorb some of the higher overtones. By neutralizing these extreme tones I would take some of the edge off the hardness. The resulting flute would sound more comfortable to the ear.
Lower keyed flutes on the other hand tend to be dull. If I were making a flute with a lower tone such as an E or lower I want to preserve bright overtones. So I would make the flute out of a harder wood. In my experience the harder the wood the better. I do this because the flute is already laid back in tonal quality. I want to preserve as many bright tones as I can so that they are projected out into the atmosphere. By preserving the bright warm overtones the flute retains as much of a happy, bright quality as possible. These qualities are the ones that tend to be lacking in the lower keyed flutes.
These are not hard and fast rules. Every hand made instrument is different. Some, perhaps many, will violate these principles. Also, as I have tried to explain in previous articles, there are many other factors that are simultaneously having their effect on the tonal character of the flute.
Wood density is measured on a scale called the Janka Hardness Scale. Alaska cedar, for example, has a rating of 580. Ipe, a dense tropical hardwood, has a rating of 3680. The hardwoods that I use range from a density of 1010 for black walnut to Indian rosewood with a rating of 3170.
There is no such thing in nature as a pure sign wave tone. Any tone – like a tone in the key of A – is always a mixture of tones. The predominant tone is that of A – vibrating at 440 Hz. But, mixed in with that tone are other tones both above 440 Hz and below it. These tones are called overtones. They add color to the pure sign wave or note.
Wood that is lower in density, such as walnut, has a tendency to selectively absorb sound vibrations of a certain wavelength. The vibrations that have the greatest tendency to be absorbed are the higher vibrations or overtones. Higher density woods tend to reflect these overtones not absorb them. Tones that are not absorbed by the wood itself are projected out into the surrounding atmosphere and strike the ear. Thus, they become part of the musical experience. Overtones that are absorbed into the wood do not get projected out into the atmosphere. They do not reach the ear and consequently do not become part of the musical experience.
A flute that is in the key of A has a brighter tone than a flute in the key of E. Higher overtones, like higher keyed flutes, are usually called bright overtones. Some people prefer higher, brighter tones. Others prefer lower, moodier tones. It is my opinion that a good flute should have the proper balance of higher and lower tones.
When I am making a flute in a higher key – such as an A – I want to balance the tonal quality. The flute is naturally going to be bright. If it is too bright then the tone can begin to sound hard and penetrating. If I were following my own personal preference I would prefer to use a lower density wood. I would do this to absorb some of the higher overtones. By neutralizing these extreme tones I would take some of the edge off the hardness. The resulting flute would sound more comfortable to the ear.
Lower keyed flutes on the other hand tend to be dull. If I were making a flute with a lower tone such as an E or lower I want to preserve bright overtones. So I would make the flute out of a harder wood. In my experience the harder the wood the better. I do this because the flute is already laid back in tonal quality. I want to preserve as many bright tones as I can so that they are projected out into the atmosphere. By preserving the bright warm overtones the flute retains as much of a happy, bright quality as possible. These qualities are the ones that tend to be lacking in the lower keyed flutes.
These are not hard and fast rules. Every hand made instrument is different. Some, perhaps many, will violate these principles. Also, as I have tried to explain in previous articles, there are many other factors that are simultaneously having their effect on the tonal character of the flute.
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