How to buy a Native American flute

Many people have asked me about what I look for when purchasing a Native American flute. There are many factors to consider, and in this post we'll cover some of ones I consider the most important. Hopefully these tips will help you purchase a flute even if you've never played one before.

At the bottom of the Post you'll find a section called How to look like a Pro when buying a Native American flute with power tips on how to purchase your first flute. The Native American flute is one of the easiest instruments to play. If you've ever wanted to to try one, but didn't know what to look when buying one, this post will give you all the tools you need to get a good flute that you will enjoy for many years.

The top 5
When I look at a Native American flute (NAF) with the thought of purchasing it, there are five major things that I look for in the following order:

• Quality of Workmanship
  
• Quality of Sound
  
• Tuning
  
• Fingering
  
• Ease of Playing
  

I consider all of the points above as a whole before I go ahead and make a purchase. However, one can make a compromise on some of the criteria listed above. As we will see, every player is looking for something a little different, and it should be noted that the the "Perfect Flute" doesn't exist. Keep in mind that Native American flutes are hand-made, so no two are alike. I never expect to find the perfect flute, but rather enjoy each one in my collection for its unique qualities.

Quality of Workmanship
The first thing I look for in a NAF is the workmanship. Simply put, is the flute well made? For example, is the tube perfectly, or near perfectly round? Are the wall of the bore the same thickness through out? Are the seams straight and even? Is there any glue noticeable? Are the finger holes clean, and round or are they ragged and oddly shaped?

Take a very close look at the sound hole. This is very important. Are the edges clean? Does the block line up with the sound hole or is it crooked even when the block is lined up with the body of the flute? We'll talk more about block placement in the How to look like a Pro when buying a Native American flute section below. Look for any slivers of wood in the sound hole, the finger holes or the inside of the flute. These disturb the air flow and might be a sign of a maker not paying attention to detail. Take your finger and feel the inside of the flute. Is it rough or smooth? Smooth is better.

Fancy or Museum Quality Flutes
Personally I am not as impressed by fancy blocks, exotic woods, intricate carvings or inlays as I am the basic workmanship of the flute. I have seen many flutes that look great as works of art, but upon closer inspection are not well made flutes. This does not mean that all Fancy Flute are not well made, just don't be impressed by looks alone. When buying from a recommend or well known maker this is not something you need to worry about. The top flute makers today are expert craftsman and produce flutes that are both excellent instruments and incredible works of art. They stand behind their work and want you to be happy with your purchase.

Also, as I record my flutes, I know that my microphones don’t care whether a flute is fancy or not. They only care if it sounds good. So I tend to not spend the extra money on flutes that have a lot of decorative elements like carvings and stone inlays. Pick your flute to fit your needs. If you are just starting and plan to really learn how to play, then a simple, plainer flute is better to start with. If you want something to hang on your wall, well that’s another story. Both options are equally valid.

Quality of Sound
Native American flutes have a very haunting sound that is instantly recognizable. But like all musical instruments there are variations from flute to flute, and maker to maker. What sound you might look for in a flute will not necessarily be the same sound that someone else will want, but there are types of sound that are helpful to think about when buying a flute.
Not unlike the way wine drinkers have their own "wine-speak", flute players and makers have their own vocabulary for the sounds of flutes.

• Clear
  
• Sweet
  
• Warm
  
• Mellow
  
• Dark
  
• Woody
  
• Thin
  
• Hard
  
• Airy or Wispy
  

When playing a flute listen carefully to the sound and think about which word best describes it. (As you do this you'll soon notice that each flute sounds a little, or even a lot, different.) Play the flute while facing a wall, about one foot away, and listen to the sound as it's reflected off the wall. The way you hear the flute as a player (from behind) will be different than the way a listener or microphone will hear it. The sound as it comes off the wall will be closer to what your listeners will hear.
If you have the opportunity, at a flute circle perhaps or if you are meeting the flute maker at an Art Fair or Pow Wow, don't be shy. Play as many of the flutes as you can. Try to match one of the descriptions listed above. Get a sense for how each one sounds a little different, even if in the same key.

Types of Wood
This is a good time to talk a little about wood. The wood used to make a flute can have an impact on its sound. Softer woods tend to be sweeter and warmer while harder woods tend to sound...well, harder or thin. Harder woods have a tighter grain and more cells per inch. Therefore they are denser, heavier and resonate less than softer woods.

Don't assume, however, that just because a flute is made of a softer wood it will sound warmer, or sweeter. I have a few hard wood flutes that have a very sweet and clear sound. Good sounding flutes can be made of plastic PVC pipe! There are many other factors that go into the making of a flute than jus the type of wood. The size of the sound hole and, or, the size of the slit under the block can have more impact on the sound than the wood. Also the edge of the sound hole farthest from the player is very important. This is where the air column is spilt to begin the vibrations we hear as a musical tone. Some makers like this edge, called the fipple, to be very sharp and clean, while other like it more blunt. For more on flute construction read my History of the Native American flute article.

The bottom line is how the flute sounds to you is more important than the wood its made of.

To hear examples of different Native American flutes check out some of the earlier postings to this blog. You can find an Index of these posts on my web site. There are many profiles of different flutes and all include audio samples. New flutes are being added all the time, so check back from time to time.

Tuning
Recently I met with a flute maker for the first time to take look at his flutes and consider buying one. He was surprised and a little nervous when I whipped a tuner out and started playing his flutes into it. I find many makers are surprised when I put their flutes to a tuner. But why should they be? I wouldn't want to play a piano or guitar that's out of tune. Why would I want to buy a flute that's not in tune? (By the way, I did get a very nice flute from the above maker.)

The modern Native American flute is tuned to western scales. Look on almost any flute and you'll see the key noted with a single letter of the alphabet from A to G, and perhaps a # (sharp symbol), somewhere on the instrument. For example: F#, G, A, E, etc. Many people, including myself, play Native American flutes with other western tuned instruments. It should come as no surprise that I would want a flute to be in tune! Don't be fooled by a flute that "sounds" okay. I've played many flutes that I think sound in tune only to find out that they are not. Our ears can be very forgiving, especially when playing a flute alone, without any other reference. Buy a tuner. They're small, inexpensive and very useful.

There is no reason to buy an out-of-tune flute. There are too many well made flutes out there. Well respected flute makers make flutes that are in tune. And if you're not happy with it, they'll exchange it for one that is. They take great pride in their work and stand behind their flutes. There are a lot of really talented flute makers out there. You can find more information about the makers whose flutes I play on the makers page on my web site. I'm always discovering new makers so the list is always growing. If you’re sure that you will never play a flute with other instruments, or just non-pitched drums, then the quality of the tuning is not as important. But never say never. You may someday want to play a flute duet with another person and, if your flute is not in tune, it won't sound pretty!

One last note, when talking about flutes being in tune, I’m referring to “Western” tuning. This is unfortunately very Eurocentric. There are many cultures that do not traditionally use Western tuning. India, Indonesia, China, Tunisian, Africa, and the pre-Columbian Americas for example. Some people, including myself, find non-Western tunings to be quite beautiful, just not compatible with conventional instruments. Historically the Native American flute was not tuned to a “western” scale. A couple makers still make these instruments, called Grandfather flutes, and there is nothing wrong with them, they just won’t be in tune with most western instruments like guitars and pianos.

• In the How to look like a Pro when buying a Native American flute section at the bottom of this posting you'll find a tuning chart that you can use to check a flute's tuning.
  

Fingering
Most flutes use the following standard fingering.

The lowest note of the flute is played with all the finger holes covered, then each note is played by lifting the finger off one hole at a time, going from the bottom to the top, bypassing the 4th hole from the bottom, until the top note is reached, which is an octave higher than the lowest note.

• TIP: The 4th hole is never uncovered in the basic Native American flute scale. The pentatonic scale.
  

This is the most common, or standard, fingering for Native American flutes. There are other fingering but they make up only about 1%, if even that, of the flutes that are out there. For most people, especially beginners, I recommend buying a flute with the standard fingering. Once you learn it you can play 99% of all flutes, as all standard fingered flutes have the same fingering, no matter what key they’re in. When buying a flute ask the maker what the fingering is. Don’t ask if it is the “standard” fingering, ask them to demonstrate it for you, or give you a sheet that shows the fingerings. Not unlike the image above.

You may notice that some flutes have only five holes. These are all “standard” fingered flutes as the 4th hole from the bottom, which as noted above is not uncovered in the basic NAF scale, is not even drilled into the flute. Its the missing sixth hole. Five hole flutes are great for beginners! You may notice many makers are now covering the 4th hole, with a leather tie, on their six hole flutes to turn them into five hole flutes.

After you’ve mastered a standard fingered flute you might want to try some non-standard fingered flute. Some of these are the same NAF Pentatonic scale as the standard fingered flutes and some are completely different scales or modes of the basic NAF scale.

• A note about keys. The key of the flute is the the lowest note the flute can play or all the holes covered. The length of the flute and the size of its bore, determine the key, not the fingering. For example a flute in the key of A will be shorter than a flute in the Key of F#.
  

Ease of Playing
The last thing to consider is how comfortable is the flute to play. There are several parts to this section.

Pressure:
When you play the flute is the back pressure comfortable? Does the flute allow you to play long tones without running out of breath too quickly? You shouldnÂ’t have to blow too hard, OR too lightly. The flute should also need the same amount of pressure on both the lower notes and the high notes. Most flutes make you blow harder on the higher notes, but you shouldn’t have to blow a lot harder. The more even the pressure on all the notes, the easier it will be to play.

Overblowing:
When playing the bottom note, all holes covered, does the flute want to jump to the upper octave? This is common, and a lack of playing experience is part of the problem. However, there are many flutes out there that overblow on even professional players. This is a very annoying problem that can only be fixed by backing off on your breath, which as we saw above is not a desirable thing in a flute.

Finger holes:
Another thing to consider are the finger holes. Are they even in size? Are they too far apart, causing your hand to have to stretch too far? Finger holes become less of an issue for more experienced players, but if your just beginning or if you have small hands, start with a flute in a higher key. As we saw above, the lower the key of the flute the longer the instrument. If you’re buying you’re first flute I recommend starting with a flute in the key of A. These are usually small enough for even the smallest hands and still has some of the characteristics of a lower flute. Then working our way down the next key would be a flute in G, then F#.

How to look like a Pro when buying a Native American flute
Here are a few tips to look like you know what you’re doing, even if you’ve never played a Native American flute before.

Check the Block:
When trying a flute the first thing you should do before starting to play is make sure that the block on the top of the flute is lined up correctly with the sound hole. A block that is not lined up correctly will not produce a good sound. Checking the block before you play will also make you look like you know what you're doing. Many flute makers have told me that the way they spot an experienced buyer from an amateur, is whether or not they check the block placement before they start to play. Experienced player check the block first.


Here is a block that is lined up correctly with the sound hole. Notice that the front edge of the block lines up with the back edge of the sound hole. This is the Sweet Spot and will produce the nicest sound. The air flow coming out of the slit between the bottom of the block and the top of the flute is directed to the best part of the sound hole resulting in a nice, clean sound.


In the above example the block is pushed back too far and is not lined up with the sound hole. This send too much air above the flute and results in airy, wispy sound which can sometimes be harsh.


Now we have a block that is pushed too far forward. This chokes off the air flow by sending too much of the air into the flute, producing a very muffled sound or no sound at all.


In this example the block is close to the sweet spot, but is askew and will not send the air flow into the flute at all. It is anyone’s guess what this will sound like..

Your first notes:
If you have never played a NAF before don’t try to play the lowest note, all holes covered, first. This is the hardest note to play. Instead, cover the top three holes with which ever hand feels comfortable, which your index, middle and ring fingers, and blow with a gentle breath into the flute. Don’t be timid, but don’t blow like you’re blowing out the candles on your birthday cake! Then, while keeping the top three holes covered, cover the third hole from bottom with the index finger of your other hand. Keep those holes covered and work your way down the last two holes.

Let’s take another look at the standard finger pattern:

There are two things of note here.

1. The fourth hole from the bottom is never uncovered in the basic NAF Pentatonic scale.
   
2. All holes are uncovered in sequence. Except for the fourth hole, you never have to cover a lower hole while uncovering a higher hole. There are no “crossed fingering” such as found on Recorders and Silver flutes.
   

Lastly, don’t try to play too fast. You’ll get better feel for the flute, how it sounds and how it plays, plus you’ll sound better. There is nothing wrong with playing fast, but you have to walk before you run. Also, the Native American flute is at its heart as meditative and contemplative instrument.

Check the tuning:
Below is a chart that shows the notes for the keys of A, G, F#. Use this when playing a flute into a tuner. As we can see, reading from left to right, a flute in the key of A will have the notes A, C, D, E, G, A-octave. Above are the fingerings that produce each of these notes. The black circles are covered holes, the white ones are uncovered.


That covers the major points. Soon you'll sound like a pro too! Don't be surprised if you end up with a large collection of tese wonderful instruments.

You can find a complete list of all the Native American flute makers whose flutes I play on the Flute Makers page of www.scottaugust.com. It is located in the More Stuff section.

To find out more information about the history, construction and tradition of the Native American flute be sure and check out my About the Native American flute page as well.

Thanks to Bill Alves, my watermelon-dropping partner in crime, for his help.
Also thanks to C Tuhy, J McCord, and J Ponce for their help.

Was this article helpful? Did you enjoy it? Are there other things you would like to know about Native American flutes? Let me know. Post a comment!

Happy Fluting,
Scott August

© 2006 Cedar Mesa Music. All rights reserved.