'Nuther Dogwood branch flute...

I'm really liking the dead Dogwood branches I've found at this one place. I had already cut this branch in half and glued it before I realized I should take a picture of it. Too, just because someone had suggested it one time, I glued up the flute and then used lots of cheap electrical tape to hold it together instead of my army of clamps I normally use...(I greatly prefer clamps!)

In the picture, the mouthpiece is to the left and the exit holes to the right...the block and sound board area sits just to the right of the knob area, top left. Again, just a good ol' dead branch I picked up where I walk Mercy sometimes, with one significant crack/split that runs the length of much of the bottom of the flute.

First, the finished pictures of the whole critter (click on pics to enlarge). It's approximately 24" long...the SAC (slow-air chamber you breathe into) is about 9" long, 1" for the sound board area, and about 14" for the barrel. As you will see, there are getting to be what are my trademark tuning holes making this a short playing barrel, holes that I really like creating as they add another artistic flare to what is a truly unique flute...






It's in the key of high F (Verdi tuning), which explains the rather tight and staggered spacing on the 6 playing holes...interesting, too, to see a decent size flute play such a high key (the earlier Dogwood branch flute post was in the key of B, significantly lower but the same overall length. All a function of bore diameter and length of the 'musical' barrel, up to the tuning holes)...

Now, it just so happens that I've tuned all my branch flutes to Verdi frequencies...probably won't keep that up, however with this flute I didn't put it to a tuner until I took these pictures just yesterday (notice I've not even signed the flute yet). One reason why I didn't care about knowing the key is I make flutes for the joy of making them...I let this come into its own voice, and it's beautiful.

Consider the 'normal' A440 tuning that we all hear in virtually any music today...a note can be sharp or flat, sort of in between notes...however, that is basically where the Verdi frequencies are, the quarter-tones in between A440 notes. Sooooooo....putting those two ideas together, when I tune a flute, it's either going to be nicely in an A440 scale or an A432 (Verdi) scale. A bit simplified, but you get the idea...which is why I decided to let this flute (and a crop of others) come into their own voices and let their keys be what they are.

"Ooooh, I'd like a flute like that in high D#...can you make one?" Could, if I had the right piece of wood, I guess...but with these branch flutes I don't want to force the bird to land in any key tree, so I don't take such orders on. They are what they are...and this one has some neat details in it...

This is my tuning hole group...I cut the first one closest to the end (right) and check the flute's fundamental...through experience I can just tell if it's too low by the qualities of the root note. So I cut another....then another...until I found a really sweet, strong note that 'spoke' to me.

In the earlier Dogwood branch flute post I mentioned, I cut it along its major crack line and discovered some inherent problems compounded by doing that. For this flute, I cut the branch in half on a plane perpendicular to the large crack. I could have done the ol' cedar dust and runny CA glue trick as before to fill it in, but I felt like adding a splash of color this time. It's actually green Malachite, but I didn't compensate for the blue-shift in the shaded area I photographed in late yesterday...


The boring insect 'designs' made for neat patterns...this one the letter "V" which I'll say is for Verdi...the crack did go all the way through to the inside of the barrel I carved out, so I put a layer of thick CA glue on the inner opening to give me a base to pour in the crushed stone and powder from the outside.

The 'foot' of the flute is neat in that I opened up the two holes at the split...and learned the hard way that when you work with a flex-shaft power carving tool that you canNOT let the cutter head hit two surfaces at once, lest you eventually break the inner shaft from the resulting sudden torque and chatter when you get too tightly in on an area (should have gone to a smaller bit instead of one that was only a tad smaller than the hole).

"Hey, Bob, sounds like you broke the shaft!?!"

Yep. You live and learn, and I found a couple of affordable shafts on-line, now en route to me as I type. While I use a Wecheer, I've been told it's even a problem for the much pricier Foredoms...basically any flex shaft carver. They have powerful motors turning a core-shaft of tightly wound wires, and if the bit gets stopped hard by the material you are working on, the motor keeps turning briefly until the wire stops it...only if you do it repeatedly, the wire breaks. learned a lot in that lesson of a few days ago, I did...

Well, that's all for now. I've also been salvaging older flutes that were collecting dust, unfinished for some technical design or musical issues, and have had good successes 'repairing' them. Been kinda sorta like the old adage I'm reminded of...

"There are no 'problems', per se, just opportunities for solutions."

Have a blessed day, all y'all!

"The Transformation"

The analogy of a Cracker Jack box comes to mind, where you get a cardboard box that is full of not only sweet things but a surprise that delighted me as a little kid. OK, point taken, I spent little of my life actually 'little'...but this particular 'kid' (as I call all my flutes) has thoroughly done that, delighted me. In case you didn't see yesterday's post, here it is in all it's fibrous glory...

(click on pics to enlarge)

...the now-Ugly-Boy when it was just a throw-away stick...

[Lest I forget, it's a high B tuned to Verdi frequencies (A432), and the overall length is ~24 inches] Once the flute was glued, then tapped for sound and voice, the careful sanding began. I wanted to remove the oxidized stuff and yet I didn't want to remove 'character' that I was seeing, and there was a lot of it. With a magical break in the weather, I quickly photographed what I now call "The Howler"...as I was photographing some of the wonderful intricate detailed grain patterns, this one jumped out at me as a ululating wolf...see if you can see it, too...

For those that had any trouble seeing it, I did a little key fer ya...


This flute is just loaded with interesting patterns...



As above and below, there were voids that I had to fill in...while I could have used something like Turquoise or malachite, I decided to stay 'natural' and used cedar dust. I simply would add a watery superglue and press the dust in, then 'water' the top with the watery glue. Makes a rock-hard and pretty inlay, if I do say so myself.

I mentioned in yesterday's post about avoiding sticks with pronounced splits, as such cracks are rarely singular in nature or on the same plane. Case in point for this flute as a couple of large pieces flew off when cut with the saw and also with the Kutzall bit I used to rout out the chambers. In this case it was easier to fill it in as opposed to go look for the wood or try to custom fit some odd piece in the void...all part of the 'on the fly' decisions I have to make.

The mouthpiece ended up being quite wide where I had decided to cut the branch...so instead of boring the hole and then shaping down to the opening like I would normally do, I left it as-is and had this flash to simply use a sander and make it concave. Never done it before, never seen it, but it is really easy to play and so I've given the design an appropriate monikor: "The Kisser". That's how you play it, just 'kiss' it and blow...

Here are a few views of the almost-finished flute, the High B "Howler"...




Not too bad a transformation of kindling, eh? Carpe diem, y'all!

How a branch flute begins...

(click on pics to enlarge)

Ah, even the best laid plans...

Our Carolina weather pattern of late has been the pits for getting stuff done outdoors, including putting on flute finishes indoors, thanks to the sky-high humidities. I was hoping to do a cute little 'family tree' post on my new family of 'branch flutes', but the photography I want to do isn't going to happen any day soon, so it appears...

So I thought you might find it interesting how this new little offshoot began for me, and I pulled together some pictures to put it all into perspective. To set the stage, there have been flute makers that do nothing but make natural branch flutes, so it's nothing new...what is new for me is the 'look' and 'approach' and 'technique' as well as the sheer joy of seeing and hearing the finished product.

Going back a couple of years, a very special wooded area was 'harvested' in a very ugly manner, all due to a tiff between a local doctor and his local municipality.

I vowed to collect some of the 'trash' Cedar and Dogwood trees and incorporate them into flutes, so that they could be a part of healing music to go back out into the world in a positive way. I wasn't thinking branch flutes at the time, but I would still start at the same place regardless of what flute style I made. After the dust settled, I began to scout for good specimens...

Of course, the possibilities were almost unlimited...what was limited was a space to store selections since it would take a couple of years for 'green' wood to dry. However, this area had some 'dead standing' trees already, which is preferable to dead trees lying on the ground where they can rot more quickly over the years. I was able to use some of the dead Cedar immediately as it was already dry, and just recently began incorporating Dogwood. Now that I've started making some branch flutes, I go back to the area and still rather easily find some pretty good wannabes, which is why I carry a handsaw under Mercy's quilt in the back of the car!...

This post is about just one particular piece I began to finish up last week, a piece I could have easily argued wasn't worth looking at twice and passed over. I think it might be an old Dogwood branch, but it was so 'dead' already I couldn't tell with much confidence. It was a hardwood that was now softer inside thanks to initial drying and decay.

Today will simply be the beginning images...the finished flute (well, except for a couple of more finish coats when I can get 'em put on!) is sitting ready for pictures...and it turned out beautifully, all things considered. That last phrase is because these flutes take a LOT of handwork, especially for hole and crack filling, and then the whole unique sound 'issues' that have to be calculated and solved especially for curvy pieces like this one...

I did lightly knock off what bark was left on this dead branch so that I could get a better look at what cracks and blemishes were where; too, you have to envision which end will be the mouthpiece...which will be the foot...where the sound hole 'nest' will go...which will be the more ergonomic placement for finger holes...where the musical 'end' of the flute will be so you can drop in a tuning hole(s) to keep more of the stick for aesthetics...

Since this is all still new to me and a constant work in progress, I will be shying away from flutes with noticeable cracks, unless they are solitary ones. The process is that I cut the branch in half with a band saw, cut out the insides with various tools to specifications I draw up for a particular branch, then glue it back together. With large cracks, they are rarely straight up and down and in one plane; rather, they usually exist in groups on multiple planes, and when you make a cut with a band saw, which is one plane, or even in the hollowing stage, you risk cracked pieces flying off as you cut into the flute, many times making the wood firewood!

Here is what I came up with for this particular piece:

I'm obviously leaving a lot out about, say, how I know I need a tuning hole in that particular location, etc. That's a function of the approximate diameter of the bore I'm cutting out versus length of barrel I cut out...which has as the starting point at the 'nest' area and the TSH (true sound hole, in front of the block)...if you think there is a lot of blind trust and faith in this process, you are correct! But that's the beauty of being an artist and making unique creations: there ain't no guide book. You go within and listen to your intuition and follow your inspiration.

Last week I was adding the four new branch flutes to the 'family tree' (below), and today's 'kid' is the one closest to the anaconda-size 'trunk' flute at the bottom. I had not yet split it, only cut the mouthpiece area (which is on the right end) and sanded the rough areas off the flute

It just so happens I tuned all of these to Verdi frequencies..today's is a high B...the top one pictured is a high C#....followed by a lovely straight, bright mid G...and then the bottom Bahama Mama is a bass A# that would astound you by how very little breath it takes to play and still get a rich, full tone.

Not to tease you, but I'm not taking just any ol' snapshot of the finished product just to include it in this post...this was more to give you an idea of what processes I work through. I tap the 'nest' sound holes just like a regular flute, 'guess' at the tuning hole and tweak until I get a solid fundamental note, just like a regular flute. I then measure and drop the finger holes where they need to go, though it is a bit trickier with a curvy piece with uneven wall thicknesses...still, pretty close to how I do a regular flute. The difference is that when you get it all done and then add all the finishing work, I have something rather extraordinary when I compare to the old stick I found lying on the ground. This particular piece has some gorgeous coloration and patterning in it that I'll get close-ups of...it's worth the wait, I promise!

Well, when the weather cooperates, the pics will come forth...I will be unable to do a video insert for a few days due to a few temporary technical issues, but I think you'd like to hear and see them being played. As I always say, "Stay tuned!"

Work in progress: cane branch flute, low C#

NOTE: IT CAME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE NEW STYLE OF VIDEO LINK AT THE END OF THIS POST IS "ACTIVE-X ENABLED", AND FOR SOME USING INTERNET EXPLORER YOU MAY NOT SEE THE LINK AT ALL UNLESS YOU "ENABLE" ACTIVE-X FOR THIS VIDEO. IN THE FUTURE YOU CAN GO TO "TOOLS", THEN "INTERNET OPTIONS", THEN "SECURITY" AND LIST THIS WEBSITE AS AN 'ALLOWED' SITE. FUTURE VIDEOS WILL THEN SHOW UP, AS I PLAN ON DOING MORE IN THIS FORMAT. SORRY FOR ANY TROUBLE THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED SOME OF YOU!

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(CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE)

Yesterday's PigPen pictures was of me carving out this particular flute. It is ready for sanding and finishing, and I thought I'd share it with you and try something new: shooting a video and putting it on the website. I'm sure those will get better, but at least it's a start and a nice new twist to the blogs.

Mind you, I could have held on to this post and put up scads pictures and videos and data about our swarm of weak tornadoes here in central NC yesterday....eegads it was a wild day for local meteorologists! My early morning shift was quiet, but you could see it coming for an active second half of the the day. It didn't disappoint, either.

Inbetween showers I went on the back deck to shoot the video below just once. Looking for more storms today, so not sure if and when I can get the sander outside to start finishing up. I'll start with a pic of the flute that is presently 38.5" long/tall. For my first 3 branch flutes (and next 2) I'm using relatively straight pieces of old, downed/dead cedar that I pick up on occasion when I walk Mercy. While I didn't take a picture of what it looked like before, I took a picture of it up against another potentail walking cane 'branch' flute that has already been cut in half and retaped for later carving...

"Branch" flute is a bit of a misnomer as this particular piece is not a branch but the main trunk. As a result, it has more of the white sapwood around the rich red heartwood center...as I sand the red streaks may or may not show up, so it's always fun to 'see whatcha get' and, regardless, it's always pretty when it's been sanded and rubbed down with oil. Nothing like the texture of wood...

If you want to shoot a tricky shot, hold a cane in a left hand and stick your right hand out and blindly shoot back at yourself!

Though it doesn't show up too well, I scallopped around each finger hole using the edge of my orbital palm sander, and it makes for a very comfortable grip. May try that more in the future with the branch flutes...the flute is also surprisingly light in weight, not only because it's mostly hollow inside, but the old dry wood is light weight to begin with.

I never was sure from the start what I was going to do with this flute, so I played it safe and did not bore all the way to the end of the flute...if I do let this be a cane, the added 'beef' at the bottom would be good to have. I have the option of not going with a 'cane' idea and cutting off the solid section and it won't effect the flute as I've already established the 'musical' barrel length by putting in tuning holes. Yet another option is to use the 4" long solid area to carve something neat and let it be an ornate branch flute...things that make you go 'hmmmmm.....'

It may be that the 'red' is not far under the surface, but there is plenty of character in the wood as it is...and I definitely want to oversand and change the 'natural' look and feel of it...

Flute-making is a on-going experiment...and on the next one I think I'll 'de-shag' the bark before cutting it in half...the reason is that with these particular pieces I've picked up and used for flutes, they have numerous cracks in them. The one below just happened to run along the top of the flute, but I didn't see it until after I'd cut out the 'nest' where the block sits, establishing the 'top' of the flute. It's easily neutralized with one of 3 viscosities of professional CA glue (cyanoacrylate or 'super' glue) that I allow to soak into the fibers over a few doses, and it looks neat when done. It's just that this big 'un had a whole lot of little cracks and openings and it took some time to get them all. You would be amazed how the tiniest of air leaks, cracks, can stop or significantly alter the sound quality of a flute...

I kept the end rounded off for now...still at that experimental stage on whether to make a leather bonnet to go over it while you use it as a cane, or get fancier with a 'handle' of sorts that pops on and off...mulling all that over. Plenty of rich, purple-red heartwood in the center, for sure!


And now for your viewing pleasure, the cane flute in action. At first it was a low B, but after tapping holes the fundamental was just not comfortably solid enough for me, so i lifted it a half step to low C. And without boring you with details, it all came together as a low C# using Verdi frequencies (I'm tellin' ya, I really like the stuff!). Enjoy! (FYI, videos don't enlarge, and you have to hit the arrow in the bottom left to play...audio comes out surprisingly clear!)



If this works well enough, I'll go back and make samples of the first two Verdi flutes I blogged about, the low E and my first 'branch' flute in A. That is, as long as more tornadoes aren't whipping around close by today...!

"Branching" out...

Back when I collected some cedar and dogwoods from that forest that was ripped down a couple of years ago, I held on to this stick of cedar thinking one day I'd split it and make a 'branch flute'. There are some flute makers who do this exclusively, and it's a neat concept. Certainly some of the earliest aboriginal flutes were made this way...split, hollowed out, and the lashed back together using sinew and natural adhesives. Ah, if it were only that easy!

Anyway, I had a hankering to split it and try my hand at it...next time I'll take pictures of all the steps, but in this case I just flew into it rather quickly. I used a Dremel tool and cutter heads to work at hollowing out the heartwood (thankfully, cedar is quite soft and easy to work)...get's tricky because you don't want to cut too close to the outside.

Long story short, I hollowed it to my satisfaction and glued it up overnight. Making the 'nest' area for the block and sound hole mechanisms creates some obstacles to overcome. I have various tools that will make it easier in the future, but I chose a flattish area and filed it to a usable size. Given the length and the bore I cut, I knew I had to drop a tuning hole somewhere down the flute, so I found a small knot area that seemed to be about the right proportion that I needed, location-wise, and burned it out. Very natural looking hole, if I do say so myself.

The wood had a significant number of long cracks, the worst of which I filled in with CA glue (super glue) and a little bit with Bali Coral powder. I at first used varnish to fill in the smaller cracks because it dries so quickly; however, I didn't like the 'look' and took 400-grit sandpaper and sanded it off, being careful to preserve as much of the woods natural form and beauty as I could. Once I got it off, I went back to multiple hand-rubbed coats of "salad bowl finish", a nice penetrating oil that dries hard and 'safe'. The lustre of this flute is really gorgeous.

Well, wouldn't you know it...when I checked the flute for a fundamental, I got a perfectly clear note that was a hair under "A", and given this happened right at my "Verdi A432" epiphany, I tuned this puppy Verdi-style. I really do plan on getting a video/audio sample of my playing it, maybe today, so I can embed it into the blog (stay tuned!)


(click on pics to enlarge)


In the pictures you notice there is no block/fetish...I kept trying different blocks but they just didn't go with the flute. I returned to the same area and picked up old pieces of cedar to see if I could come up with a unique but naturally shaped block...


Alas, I took a small, simple piece and 'roughed it' into a modest, low profile bird...and it seems to fit the flute perfectly as the body gets to stand out front and center...


It's a dream-flute that I will keep in my stead, along with the original low E Verdi I blogged about earlier. They are not only special but 2 of the finest playing flutes I've made. Too, they're matched Verdis, so I can record them together. Ah, where are those 36-hour days I need???