Playing NAF Duets

As always, in deciding what to post to this blog I try to be aware of topics and techniques that people are asking about. One of the topics that I've been asked about a lot lately is “What keys go together well to play duets with my Native American style flute?”

Rather than go through every possible pairing of keys there are a couple very simple ways to figure this out no matter what key your flutes are in.

What keys work best

If you want to play duets, trios, or even quartets, with other flute players the keys of all the flutes need to be related somehow. Keys that are related keys share more notes than unrelated keys and therefore will sound better.

When choosing flutes to play duets with the first step is to pick one NAF as the master, thereby establishing the master key from which to choose other flutes. Once you’ve done this the rest becomes fairly easy. For this post I will also call the master flute: Flute-#1.

In general, to avoid playing too much cross fingering, there are three keys that work the best when picking one to harmonize with Flute #1: The same key, the key a fifth above the master flute, and/or the key a fourth above the master flute.

While this may sound hard, it’s not. Let's start with two flutes a 5th apart.

Finding NAFs a 5th apart
Once you have picked a flute to be Flute-#1, your master flute, you need to figure out what pitch a 5th on that flute is. If you don't know the note names in that key, here's an easy way to locate that pitch you're looking for.

The root of your master flute (Flute-#1) no matter what key you choose, will be fingered like this:
To find the 5th on the master flute play this fingering:

This is the pitch your second flute should play on its bottom note. In other words the bottom note of Flute-#2 plays a pitch a 5th higher than the bottom note on Flute-#1.

To look at it another way, the pitch produced by playing this fingering on the master key flute...
...will be the same pitch as produced by this fingering on a NAF a 5th higher.

This only refers to this one pitch. We will look at how the the scales mesh later in this post.

Here are some common NAF keys that are a 5th apart:
F# - C#, G - D, A - E.
All of these pairs can be in any register. So if you don’t have a high E but do have a mid range E, or even a Bass E it will still work with a flute in the key of A. However, as a general principle, having the flute that is in your master key (Flute-#1) play in a lower register will sound better if you’ve never done this before.

Why This Sounds Good: 5ths
The reason why flutes sound good in these pairing is due to the amount of notes they share. For example flutes that are a 5th apart share all but one note

Key=G	G	Bb	C	D	F	G	-	-	-
Key=D	-	-	-	D	F	G	A	C	D

Out of the six notes available in each NAF's basic scale, four of them can be played by both flutes without any cross fingering.
If we include the note, as shown fingered below, on the second NAF (the one a 5th higher) we can now play the minor 3rd from the master flute on the higher flute. In the example above this would be the Bb flat from the master flute in G, but played on the flute in D. So now we can play that pitch on both flutes! (This is the minor 6th on the flute a 5th higher, but you don't need to know this for it to work.)

Added note on the Flute-#2
Now both flutes can play five of the six total notes available between the two flute's basic scales.

Here's a sample of two NAFs a 5th apart
NAF Duet in 5ths by Cedar Mesa Music
To find out more about all the audio samples in this post be sure to read About the audio samples located at the bottom.

Finding NAFs a 4th apart
Now let's locate the note a 4th above the root of Flute-#1.

Playing this fingering on your master flute...
...will produce the same pitch as the root note on a flute a 4th higher

Here are some common NAF keys that are a 4th apart: F# - B, G - C, A - D.

Why This Sounds Good: 4ths
Just like NAFs that are a 5th apart, NAFs whose keys are a 4th apart share a lot of notes. Out of 7 total pitches the two flutes share 5 of them. If you use all the notes between both flutes you can play a full diatonic natural minor scale starting on the root of Flute-#2, starting on a C.

Key=G	G	Bb	C	D	-	F	G	-	-
Key=C	-	-	C	-	Eb	F	G	Bb	C

When I play duets a 4th apart and am playing Flute-#2 I tend to not play the minor 3rd (the second note on a NAF) but just skip over it. I also like to add the major 6th, for a little spice, which you can get with this fingering

Added note on the flute #2

NAF Duet 4ths by Cedar Mesa Music


"Say What..."
Now let's get a bit clever. If you take a close look at the diagram that compares notes in the key of G and the key of C you might have already figured out that if two players decide that they would rather make the bottom note of Flute-#2 the tonic of the key they are playing in that will make the relationship between the two flutes a 5th.

How does this work, you may be asking? Scales in western music are not divided evenly in half. The bottom half of the scale is the interval of a 5th, while the top half is a 4th.

Therefore, if you and another NAF player decide to play flutes a 5th apart, but the flute used for Flute-#2 is lower than Flute-#1 you could say you are playing a 4th apart! What will determine whether the relationship between the two flutes is a 4th or a 5th is which note is functioning as the root for both flutes. In both of the audio samples in this post the lower flute, Flute-#1, has always played the master root note for both flutes. Therefore the higher flute, Flute-#2, has had to conform to the lower flute's key in each example.

Let's look at this another way. If the notes F# - B are a 4th apart, when you reverse them, B - F# they are now a 5th apart. Conversely if the notes F# - C# are a 5th apart, when you reverse them to C# - F# they are now a 4th apart.

About the Audio Samples
The audio samples were recorded with a Heartsongs flute in the key of D for Flute-#1. One track was used for both samples, e.g. they are the same recording. Above this are a Yazzie flute in A for the sample of two flutes a 5th apart and another Heartsongs flute in G for the sample of the flutes a 4th apart.

I chose to make the master flute, Flute-#1, in D to keep both the second flutes from being too high.




The Three Flutes

© Cedar Mesa Music, BMI. All rights reserved.

NAF Major Scale Fingering

In all of the previous articles about scales we've delved a little bit into how major diatonic scales are constructed but not how to play them. Some of my students asked me recently about how a major scale would be fingered so I thought I'd make this available to everyone.
The first thing to remember is that the basic scale on a NAF is a 5-note, or pentatonic 1-3-4-5-7 scale. The so-called "Minor Pentatonic". Although for most of you this is common knowledge, it's worth pointing it out since any full diatonic (7-note) major scale will have to have crossed fingering.

THE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE
Very quickly let's review the NAF Minor Pentatonic scale. As most of you know, this is pretty easy to play. Starting with all the holes covered you lift one finger at a time beginning with the bottom finger, working your way up the flute, but never lifting the 4th hole from the bottom. In this scale it always stays covered.
A 6-NOTE MAJOR SCALE
If we want to play a Major scale starting on the root note of the flute (all holes covered) we can only get a partial 6-note major scale.

Read the full article and see the finger charts

How to Buy a Microphone

The Beginners Guide to Buying a Microphone

Of all the emails I get with questions about Native American flutes one of the most common is about what kind of microphone to use for the Native flute. Even if you're not recording a microphone can be used for amplifying your sound when you're playing live. Therefore knowing a little about mics and how you are going to use them will help you decide what kind of mic to purchase

There are two basic type of microphones. But before we get into them and look at how they are different, let's talk about how they are the same: The patterns in which they pick up sound. When I say pattern I'm talking about the shape that we use to represent the direction in which they will pick up a sound. There are a number of patterns but we'll look briefly at three: Cardioid, Bi-Directional or Figure Eight, and Omnidirectional. Some microphones will only use one of these patterns, but many have a switch that lets you choose which one you want to use.

Omnidirectional
The easiest to understand is Omnidirectional. Omni is Latin for all. So an Omnidirectional mic picks up sounds from all directions. No matter where the sound source is in relationship to the mic, it will be picked up equally.

Bi-Directional
Bi-Directional, or figure eight means that the mic will pick up sounds coming from both the front of the mic and the rear, but not the sides. This pattern when plotted on a graph looks like a figure 8, with the mic being in the middle of the two circles that make up the number 8.

Cardioid
A mic with a Cardioid pattern picks up sounds only from in front of it and just a little to the sides if the sound is near the mic. The pattern on a graph for this type of mic looks like a heart, or in truth more like a the outline of a plum. The mic is by the two upper lobes of heart.

If you're interested in seeing what these patterns look like on a graph you can find them here. You'll notice other patterns that we haven't covered here. But these are variations on these three basic types.

Native Flutes = Cardioid
For the most part, when talking about Native flutes, you'll want to use a mic with a cardioid pattern. You'll be playing in front of the mic and really don't want any other sounds to be picked up from the sides or back.

Different Types of Microphones
So now that we've looked at how mics are similar, let's look at how they are different. There are several different types of microphones but for the Native flute there are really only two that you'll need to worry about: Dynamic and Condenser. I'm not going to go into how these two types of microphones work, but rather talk about how they are used. If you want to know more about the circuitry involved there is a lot of information out there. You don't need to know this to use a mic. Let's look at dynamic mics first.

Dynamic Microphones
Dynamic mics are the types of microphones you see on a live stage. Singers use them on stage, as do instruments that need to be mic'd. They are, for the most part, inexpensive, can take a beating, and don't feedback as easily as Condenser mics. A decent, all purpose, dynamic mic can be purchased for $100 - $150. Dynamic microphones generally only come with a cardioid patter.

When playing a Native flute into a dynamic mic you want to get the flute's true sound hole, the one in front of the block, right up to the microphone. This is due to the fact that these mics don't pick up sounds that are not right next to them. (This is why they are harder to feed back)
Notice in the photo to the right how I'm trying to get the true sound hole as close to the mic as I can.

One of the reasons why these mics will not pick up sounds that are not close to them is because they are not as sensitive as condenser mics. This also applies to the range of frequencies they will, and will not pick up. As a general rule dynamic microphones will not pick up sounds that are very low in pitch e.g. low frequencies, or ones that are very high in pitch, e.g. high frequencies. Where they start to not pick up high and low frequencies will give each manufacture's model it's characteristic sound. (BTW a graph showing how a mic picks up certain frequencies is called a frequency response curve)

For the most part this lack of sensitivity really isn't a problem where Native flutes are concerned, due to these flutes limited range. Even if you take into consideration low bass flutes and super high flutes, which are well within the average dynamic microphone's frequency response curve.

I use a dynamic microphone when I perform live. How did I pick the mic I use? I didn't really. I just use the mic that came with my Fender Passport PA system. Why go out and buy another mic when the one that came with the PA works just fine? In fact I know that the mic's inability to reproduce really high frequencies works in my favor in that it acts like a filter on any high, breathy, windy or buzzy sounds coming from the flute. Noise that I would filter out anyway!

Condenser Microphones
Condenser microphones are more common for studio recording. Their electronics work in a different way than dynamic mics and are therefore more sensitive. This means that they will pick up sounds from farther away, that are quieter and very low or high in frequencies. Condenser microphones need to be powered, either by a battery in the mic capsule, or generally from the mic pre-amp. This external power is known as phantom power. Most mixing boards and digital I/Os have phantom power built into their pre-amps.

Unlike a dynamic mic, when playing into a condenser mic the sound source, in our case a Native flute, does not need to be right next to the microphone. In fact anything closer then 12" - 18" will over power the mic and cause distortion. It will also pick up noise from your lips and fingers moving. For Native flutes the best way to go is to have the mic in a shock-mount placed in front and above the flute at a 45˚ angle. It's very common to have the mic hanging upside down when recording this way.
The photo above shows my condenser microphone in it's shock-mount hanging upside down. This is a side view. The front of the mic is to the right.

I use an Audio Technica 4050 for 99% of my studio recording work. I asked several audio engineers what they would recommend for a good, reasonably priced, all purpose instrument mic and this was one of their recommendations. So far I've used it on all of my studio recordings except for a few tracks and have found it to be an excellent mic. When I bought it they cost about $750. They seem to have come down since then. But there are any number of good, reasonably priced mics out there if this is beyond what your budget will allow.

You might be asking yourself, "What mic did he use for the other 1% of his studio recording?" Well on a couple tunes that used a double flute I used a stereo mic, (which I'm not sure gave me the results I was looking for) and on a couple others I used a dynamic mic that was designed for drums! No one has ever mentioned that they can tell the difference and this doesn't surprise me. By the time you do some filtering, a touch of compression and add all the echo and reverb most people can't tell. But leads to another question...

How do you pick a mic for yourself?
So now that I've thrown all this information at you how do you wade through it all an pick a microphone for yourself? The truth is there are a few really easy ways to pick one. They aren't rules necessarily, they're more like guidelines...

1. Where will you use a mic the most?
In the studio or on the stage? If you're going to use it mostly in the studio then you might strongly consider a condenser mic. For anything else, stage, flute circles, family outings, public appearances, Madison Square Gardens..., then get a dynamic mic. It would be wise to not take a condenser mic onto a live stage. It can be done, but It's not worth all the extra hassles and it will pick up every little noise anyone even close to you makes. And that includes your noises as well...

2. What's your budget like?
If you don't have a lot of money you're better off with a good dynamic mic. That way you'll have money for a mic stand, cables and all the other gear the mic plugs into.

3. How quiet is your space?
If you plan to use a mic for only studio recording and your studio is your bedroom, how much unwanted noise is there? If you can't record yourself in a very quiet place then a condenser mic will pick up all sorts of unwanted noise. Computer fans, cars, planes, garbage trucks, neighbors yelling, dogs barking, phones ringing, your spouse / roommate flushing the toilet, the washing machine, birds, loud bees... Better to use a dynamic microphone that won't pick up all these noises. Unless of course you're doing some "Avant-garde, urban noise & flute recording".

I record my live instruments in a walk-in closet with acoustic foam covering the walls. I generally turn off all the phones (which, as my friends know, I rarely answer anyway), and even have my computer in an isolation box to damp down the fan noise. Trust me, when recording, not much is as anonying as unwanted noise that you can't get rid of.

Finally, the last thing to consider is that better equipment doesn't always make for a better recording. Why would I say that? Well what if you purchased some $5,000 microphone (yes, some cost that much) and when you record your flute you hear all this ugly stuff, like wind, buzz and air, in the recording that you don't like? Now you're just going to have to figure out a way to get rid of it. Maybe a less sensitive microphone wouldn't have picked up all that junk in the first place.

Keep in mind that the sound of the flute we hear in our head is not the same as the sound the mic hears. Our brains unconsciously and automatically filter out a lot of wind, air, buzz, fuzz, and other noises from the flute. A mic does not. It's kind of like hearing a recording of your voice. And you love how much your voice sounds... Right?

So if you aren't familiar with how sound works, and how to manipulate it through devices such as EQ, maybe you don't need that state-of-the-art microphone. Maybe an inexpensive dynamic mic is best for your needs and experience. You can always upgrade later.

...Plus, with a "cheaper" microphone, if your playing isn't all that great you can always blame the mic...

Happy Recording!

© Cedar Mesa Music. All rights reserved.

Running a Record Label -Tracking Sales, etc.

In previous posts we've looked at some of the steps needed to set up your own label. While the idea of having your own label might seem romantic, the truth is that it's a business and like all business you need to keep track of your product, sales, promos, purchase orders, invoices and business contacts.

The best way of doing this is to have a database. Now I realize that databases aren't sexy or hip or have the allure of a new piece of gear for your studio, but in the long run could have an equal, if not greater, impact on the success of your label.

There are a lot of databases to choose from. I've used a few and the one I've found the easiest and fastest to use is a less known one called Panorama by a company called Provue. Turns out Provue's been creating software for a very long time. In fact the only other company that has been designing software to run on Apple computers longer than Provue is Microsoft! You read that right, Microsoft.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Scales and Modes part 2

THE MODES

In the previous section we looked at how major scales are made up of a sequence of whole and half steps. That every major scale has a half step between notes 3 - 4 and 7 - 8. If you move the root note you need to also move the sequence of whole and half steps. Also, that while a major diatonic scale based on the note C has no sharps or flats, if you move the root note up to D both the F and C notes have to be sharp for the sequence to be correct.

But what would happen if we played the notes from D to D but this time we played just the white keys -the notes that make up the C major scale? This would force the sequence of whole and half steps to change and in doing so would construct a completely different scale. Scales that are made up like this, using the notes of a major diatonic scale but starting on a note other than the root, are called modes. Modes are nothing more than a variation of the sequence of whole and half steps.

Let's take a closer look at this.


READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Scales and Modes part 1

During my travels, workshops and performances I'm asked many times by Native American flute players and audience members about the scale of the Native American flute. Surprisingly, even among long time players and makers, there seems to be some confusion about the scale and the other modes that can be played on a NAF. Many people don't know what the scale is and it is often mislabeled as a "native "scale which, in it's most common form today, it is not.

History tells us that at one time the scales of the Native American flute varied greatly and that there was no standardized scale system. Today however, the NAF is most commonly tuned to the minor pentatonic scale, a western scale which like most, if not all, "western" scales can trace it's roots back to ancient Greece.

But what makes a scale minor pentatonic? Or major pentatonic? Or major, the most common western scale? Is a scale the same as a key, and if not, how do they differ? To understand the the scale of the Native American flute it's best to understand how scales are constructed. Not only will this give the player and maker a better understanding of the Native American flute, it will make them better musicians. For behind knowing about scales lies the secrets to what musical keys are all about, which different keyed flutes sound good together, what different modes sound good together and what is meant by terms such as Diatonic, Pentatonic, Major, Minor and Mode. These terms come up with increasing frequency during flute circles, online disscusion groups and between individual players and makers.

In this series of posts we're going to try to answer these questions in a way that is simple for a non-musician to understand. Be warned however that this can not be done without getting into some theory. You will discover however that you already know much of this information intuitively. Personally I have always found theory to be fun. It's like a puzzle. You start by working with a couple of pieces, then with whole sections and soon you have a complete image.

Don't forget, it's just music. It's not brain surgery...

SCALES AND MODES:
WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
The most common scale on the Native American flute is the minor pentatonic. However with a little change of fingering other scales can be played. Since these scales will all relate to each other as they have some common notes they can be considered as "sub-scales" of a main, or parent scale. These sub-scales are better know as modes. Modes have been around for hundreds of years. The two most common modes are the Ionian, better known as the Major scale and the Aeolian better known as the Minor scale. As you can see the words scale and mode tend to be used to mean the same thing even though they're not the same. They are related however. We're not going to go into that here (if you want to get deep into this spend some time doing a Google search or poke around Wikipedia, there's lots of information out there.) but for the purposes of making this easier to understand let's try to simplify this down to the basics.

Let's start with a major scale...

Read the full article

© 2008 Cedar Mesa Music - Scott August

How to Start a Record Label part 2

I've posted Part 2 of How to Start your own Record Label on my website. This article covers a lot of the legal side of making music including:

• Copyrights
  
• Licensing
  
• Royalties
  and
  
• Marketing.

This article is exclusively for members of my E-mailing List. If you are a member please visit the Member's Page on either www.cedarmesa.com or www.scottaugust.com Look for the new link called Exclusive Member's Articles. If you're not a member you can sign up for free. Details are on the web sites listed above. Click on the "Mailing List" link. It's free and you get free MP3 music and 10% all purchases. Click here to read Part 1 of How to Start your own Record Label

Starting your own Music Label Part 1

THE ARTIST'S GUIDE TO
STARTING AN INDEPENDENT RECORD LABEL


So you want to start your own record label? And why not, there are plenty of reasons to do so. Here are a few:

• Artistic and Monetary control
  
• Record companies do not have a reputation for making small artists money
  
• Keep in direct contact with your listeners.
  
• No legal junk to deal with. (Not much anyway)

All of this is now possible in the world we live in mostly thanks to the Internet. (This is a good time to mention supporting Net-Neutrality.) Having you're own business is an exciting challenge and extremely rewarding. How far you take it is up to you and the amount of work you put into it. In this part of Starting Your Own Music Label we're going to look at the basics to get your company up and running. We'll look at:

• How big do you want to be?
  
• What it costs
  
• Where to start
  
  • Picking a Name
    
  • Setting yourself up with a Performance Rights Organization
    
  • Picking and registering your company name
    
  • Location, location, location
    
  • Business license and filing
    
• How your company looks on paper and on the web
  
  • Your Logo
    
  • Letterhead, Business Cards
    
  • How to get YOURBUSINESS.COM
    
• Banking
  
• Bar Codes
  

Article continues...

Recording Your Own Flute Music

One of the questions I seem to get more than any other is from people wanting to know how to record their own flute playing. As I use fairly expensive equipment and software for my recordings I'm never sure how to answer this as I assume that most people don't intend to spend a lot of money.

So I called my friend Hal Stevens at West LA Music and picked his brain a little. Hal gave me a few options for people wanting to put together a small inexpensive set-up to record themselves and we'll look at two different options in this post. At the bottom you'll find contact info for Hal and I highly recommend you contact him before buying anything.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS:
Before we start let's talk about a some of the components and what they do.

Microphones: A Mic converts sound waves to electronic impulses. The better the Mic the better the conversion, e.g. the better the sound recorded.

Audio Interfaces: A audio interface converts the electronic impulses from a Mic into the 1s and 0s of digital code. The better the audio interface the better the conversion into digital code. Audio interfaces also convert the digital code back to electrical impulses that go to your Monitors (speakers). Again the better the audio interface the better the sound delivered to your speaks and thus your and your listeners ears.
Audio interfaces are also known by the name Digital I/O.

Click here to read all of Recording Your Own Flute Music

Playing/Composing from the Heart -part 2

Whenever I teach a song writing class for Native American flute players one of the biggest frustrations I hear from my students is that they have a real difficult time not ending everything on the bottom note of the flute. This is a common complaint and in this article we'll give you some ideas about how to deal with this.

Untimely many songs do end on the bottom note, the trick is to delay this so that when you finally do it land on the bottom note it will have a stronger sense of closure. Delaying an ending on the root note sets up some nice tension in your musical ideas and gives your songs a sense of progression and resolution. Like taking a little musical journey and then returning safely home.

Here is what we're going to look at:

Why All Notes Lead to the Root
The Weight and Gravity of the Notes of the NAF Scale
A Look at Each Note
How to Apply This: Some Simple Exersises

As I teach in my classes, one of the best ways to Play from the Heart is to really understand the NAF pentatonic minor scale and the implied harmonies that can be found in the notes. Each note in the scale has it's own weight, or gravity, relative to the other notes in the scale. Those with less weight tend to move to those with more. Knowing and understanding these relationships will allow you to exploit this natural phenomenon and will help give your tunes an implied harmonic motion. Normally an instrument that can produce chords plays harmonies, but you can create the illusion of harmony by the notes you choose for your melodies, especially at the ends of phrases.

Click here to read all of PLAYING FROM THE HEART, part 2.

Playing from the Heart -part 1

One of the beauties of the Native American flute is that it is within reach of people who have no musical background at all. The majority of Native American flute players have no formal musical training. I say formal because I believe that most human beings innately have music inside them. We respond to rhythms, melodies, and harmonies from birth, or even while still in the womb. It is all part of being human.

However, I meet many NAF players, or people that are thinking about becoming one, that worry they don'’t have any musical training and therefore they lack something when it comes to making music. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. I’m not saying that musical training doesn't help, but a lack of it is no reason to avoid playing the Native American flute. Music is a basic expression of human emotional. If you are drawn to music that desire for expression is already stirring within you. Besides, there are plenty of people with little or no musical musical training that are world-famous musicians. Many rock, blues and pop musicians have very little musical training and yet we hum their tunes and buy their recording all the time. They must have something in their hearts...

The music is already inside you, you just need to get it out.

WHAT IS PLAYING FROM THE HEART?
Playing from the Heart is what the Native American flute world calls improvisation. To improvise is to make something up while performing...

To read all of Playing from the Heart, part 1 click here.

Strengthening your fingers

In the last article we looked at playing your first Native American flute scale. It would seem natural that at this point you would ask the question "Now what?". There are a couple things that would be good to consider. Strengthening your fingers is one of them. The other is to begin "Playing from the Heart" which is the NAF word for improvisation, or just "noodling" around on your NAF and playing whatever pops into your head. We'll look at "Playing from the Heart" later, for now let's look at a couple easy ways to strengthen your fingers.

WHERE WE’RE HEADED
The point of this article is to start you on the path to freeing your mind from having to think about your fingers. The less you have to concentrate on your fingers the more you can focus on playing your music, and the music's what it's all about. To do that we're going to look at some very basic things you can do to prepare your fingers to move effortlessly, allowing you to play more freely.

A COUPLE THOUGHTS
The Brain Connection
The first thing to keep in mind is that you don't need strong fingers in the sense of muscle strength. You don’t need to do finger pushups. What is meant by strength here is mostly improving your coordination, which is handled by the brain. So what you're really doing is training your brain and it's messages to and from your fingers.

Repetition²
The second thing to consider is that like anything you do, and I mean anything, the more you do it the better you get. Repetition also multiplies on itself non linearly. I like to point out to the people that attend my NAF classes that if you were to tie your shoelaces every day of your life, that by the time you were 35 years old you would have tied them 12,775 times! Odds are you've gotten pretty good at it. The exercises below work the same way.

TIP: Practice makes better

REVIEW
Before we begin let's review the set up of the NAF. Remember that each hole has a number. We will also call the finger that covers any hole by the same number. So hole #1 is covered by finger #1.

Fig. 1 The finger holes of a six holed NAF

SOME SIMPLE EXERCISES
Here are some simple ideas that you can use everyday to warm up and strengthen you brain – finger connection.

READ THE REST IN SCOTT AUGUST'S NEW BOOK The Complete Guide to the Native American Style Flute

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© 2011 Cedar Mesa Music. All rights reserved.

Playing your first scale on a Native American flute

NATIVE AMERICAN FLUTE PLAYING BASICS.

In this article we will cover playing your first Native American flute scale and begin to familiarize yourself with the basic fingering and notes of this wonderful instrument.

There are many books and videos about how to get started on the Native American flute. Odds are when you purchased your new NAF you may have got one from the maker. But just in case you don’t have one, you lost it or you need a quick, easy refresher we’ll quickly go over the basics in this article, along with some handy playing tips that you can use all the time.

EASY TO PLAY.
The Native American flute is a fipple flute. There are many fipple flutes around the world. European recorders, tin whistles and penny whistles and ocarinas to name a few. Fipple flutes, unlike silver flutes, pan-pipes and other wind instruments do not require you to produce the sound with the shape of your mouth. This makes playing a musical note very easy. You just put your lips to the mouthpiece and blow. In fact you can do it without covering any of the finger holes.

Go ahead and try it now. Leave open all the holes and just blow into the mouthpiece.

HOW TO HOLD YOUR NAF
Hold your flute with the first three fingers from each hand and both your thumbs. The flute should be at about 45˚ from your body. Stand up straight, hunching your shoulders will hinder your breathing. The holes are covered with the first three fingers from each hand. Most people cover the top three holes with their left hand and the bottom three holes with their right hand. However, you may switch hands if you feel that is more comfortable. Use the fleshy pads of your finger-tips, not the tips themselves. This helps prevent air from leaking past your fingers.

Let’s assign numbers to the finger holes of the NAF, starting from the bottom and working our way up to the top of the flute. The hole closest to the bottom of the flute is Hole #1, the next one up is Hole #2, then hole #3, and so one until the last one hole which is hole #6. This way of numbering conforms to the basic scale of the flute. (fig. 1)

Fig. 1 The finger holes of a six holed NAF

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How to care for your Native American Flute

So you bought your first flute and have started play it. Congratulations! I’m sure the question “What do I need to do to take care of it?” has crossed your mind. A Native American flute is a musical instrument and like all instruments needs special care. As a woodwind instrument your NAF has some extra needs that don't come with guitars, pianos and other non-woodwinds.

Moisture
The biggest problem that you will encounter is moisture. As a wind instrument every time you play your NAF you force moisture from your breath inside the flute. As this moisture builds up in the space between the block and the flute, called the “flue”, it will eventually prevent the flute from playing and choke off the airflow that produces the sound. This is called “watering out” and is the main problem most NAF players encounter. Watering out is a product of a couple factors: the temperature of your breath and the temperature of your flute.

The temperature of your breath is close to your body temperature or 98.6˚. The flute, however, is close to the ambient temperature of air around it, usually lower than 98˚. This also applies to humidity. The humidity of your breath is usually higher than the humidity of the air around the flute, unless you like to play in the shower.

As you play, you blow hot, moist, humid air into your flute. This moisture is partially absorbed into the wood causing the wood to swell. The remainder is deposited as small beads of moisture in the slow-air-chamber, also called the wind chamber, and the flue.

Under normal circumstances these beads of moisture will clump together becoming larger and larger in the flue until they choke off the flow of air. At first your flute will begin to lose it’s tone and sound breathy and wispy, then it will stop producing a sound altogether.

As for the swelling of the wood, if taken to extreme, will cause the seam to break, usually near the mouthpiece. Although less common, the swelling can cause a split in the wood if there is a defect in the wood itself.

How to Manage Watering Out
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How to buy a Native American flute: Part 2

In Part 1 of How to Buy a Native American flute we looked at several different factors including:

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

If you haven't read Part 1 yet, I strongly suggest that you take a moment to read it before you dive into this article. In Part 2 we will take a much more detailed look some things you can look for when purchasing a NAF, including:

• Finger spacing
• Flute length and bore size
• Types of Wood
• Finishes

Finger Spacing
For beginning flute players the most important thing to consider, other than the sound, is the width of the finger spacing of the holes on the flute. People with smaller hands, or those who have never played a musical instrument before, are not used to the stretch that comes with the bigger, lower pitched flutes. Starting with a smaller, higher pitched flute is like doing warm ups before exercising. It will help a beginner get used to playing a NAF without having to worry about a big stretch right away.

A flute in the key of A is a good way to start for people with smaller hands.

If your hands are bigger or if you've played a musical instrument before, the finger spacing will not be as big a consideration. I've found that people with experience playing other wind instruments like clarinet, recorder or a silver flute have no problem with the finger spacing. Pianists also do well. If you've played other instruments before, or you have large hands, you could easily start with a flute in the key of G or F#.

Of course even if you never played an instrument or your hands are smaller you could still start with a G or F# flute. Just try not to over do it and strain a muscle in your hands. Once you've gotten used to the stretch of these the larger flutes you'll do just fine. Most flutes below F# are harder for all beginners to play and I generally don't recommend them for that reason. But there are exceptions and that lead us to our next subject.

READ THE REST IN SCOTT AUGUST'S NEW BOOK
The Complete Guide to the Native American Style Flute

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© 2011 Cedar Mesa Music. All rights reserved.

How to buy a Native American flute

From Chapter One of
The Complete Guide to the
Native American Style 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.

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 later.

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 recommended 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.

READ THE REST IN SCOTT AUGUST'S NEW BOOK The Complete Guide to the Native American Style Flute

Learn More
Get Your Copy Today!
© 2011 Cedar Mesa Music. All rights reserved.