Music from the heart

Music is one of those common elements shared by people all over the world. You probably listen to your radio and music CDs way more than you parents would like. Have you ever wished you could make your own music but then thought that playing a musical instrument is only for "real musicians"? Well, think again. Native Americans have been making their own style of flutes for many centuries. And they didn't need a music teacher to show them how to play because every person composed his or her own tunes from the heart.

The Native American flute is a wind instrument. It is the oldest musical instrument in the Americas, except for percussion instruments such as drums and rattles.

It was there in the forest that the Great Spirit saw him. Having pity on one so young, he decided to give the boy a gift so that he would not be alone.

From the heavens he sent a small bird to sit upon the hollow branch of a large tree. Underneath the shade of the tree sat the young boy. As the brisk northern wind blew through the hollow branch, it produced a sound which he had never heard before.

Looking up he saw a bird perched high in the tree. Soon the bird began to peck holes in the branch and with each hole that the bird made, it changed the pitch of each note as the wind continued to blow. The young boy realized that the beautiful sound came from the hollow branch and that it was a gift to him from the Great Spirit. He carefully climbed the tree to reach the branch and gently broke off the branch. He blew into it, imitating the northern wind, thereby making the beautiful sound. Later he would find his people and tell them about his wonderful gift.

This is how the first flute was brought to us by the Great Spirit, and also why the small bird sits atop each flute.

Legend source: Crawford, T. R. & Joyce-Grendahl, J. "Flute Magic: An Introduction to the Native American Flute"

Uses for the flute

Before the white man and the soldiers and the bugle or instruments of brass, the flute was a part of the warrior's attire. An instrument taken into battle. Why? Because each group of warriors had their own songs or sounds of the flute which directed them during battle. When all the fights were over and there was peace between the peoples, the men found that the sounds of the flute could be refined and the girls and women liked the music from the flutes. It then became an instrument in affection toward the women. It is a man's musical instrument.

In most cultures, women did not traditionally play flutes, but this has changed and today more and more woman are making and playing flutes. Native American flutes were originally made by boys or men for their own use or to play for a girl or woman. In fact, the Native American flute is sometimes called a "love flute" or "courting flute" because the player traditionally used his flute for romantic purposes to impress a girl or woman who he loved.

Flutes were also used for ceremonies such as to demonstrate gratitude to The Creator for good fortune, to encourage hope for rain or fertile planting grounds, or to heal the sick.

Sometimes flutes were used simply for relaxation and musical enjoyment.

"It is an exceptionally expressive instrument, often described as beautiful and haunting. In the hands of a skilled player, it can be quite touching and primal. It can, as often described, be made to laugh, cry, chirp, bark and a number of effects and characteristics which make it quite unique and unmistakable."
Eagle Warrior

The flutes were also not very big and so were easily carried, a consideration which was important to people who moved from place to place.

Playing the flute

Have you ever noticed how listening to music can make a difference to the way you feel inside? There is evidence that playing the flute improves the player's breathing skills and helps to clear his or her mind. And, unlike people who are taught to play "classical" piano without mistakes, Native American flute players do not have to feel anxious about whether or not they are playing the "right" musical notes because the key is in their own ears.

Jerry C. High Eagle, a flute player and NASA scientist, says:

One does not learn to play or take instructions. In order to play traditionally, one must play whatever comes from the heart… not the mind!

Tim "Windwalker" Crawford, another flutist, adds:

Playing the Native American flute should be a purely pleasurable experience. When it gets to be a struggle, then stop… The single greatest beauty and enduring quality of this lovely instrument is that you really do not need to know anything about music, nor do you need any sheet music or music lessons to play the flute. Be patient and play at your own pace."

Traditionally, tunes were usually the sole property of each player and were not be copied by anyone else.

Flute design

The design for the Native American flute originated in South America and came up to North America through Mexico. A few prehistoric flutes have been unearthed in the southwestern United States. Petroglyphs (images painted on rock) of flute playing have also been discovered in that region

Each flute looked and sounded different than any other because it was made specifically for the person who would be playing it. Since no two people are exactly alike, no two flutes are exactly alike. Still, flutes made by people living in the same geographic area might be similar. In some cultures, for instance, it was thought that the best length for the flute was the length from the player's elbow to the tip of his middle finger.

The length of the flute has an effect on the sound. A longer flute usually provides a lower tone while a short flute provides higher tones. If you think of this in terms of the human voice, a man's voice usually has a lower tone than a woman's voice.

The finger holes were made in the top of the flute at a distance that was most convenient for the player's hand. Early flutes had anywhere from zero to six sound holes. The flute was in tune with itself rather than in tune with other musical instruments. This meant that a boy or man could be recognized by the sound of their flute music, even if you could not see who was playing it.

Traditional Native American flutes were made from cane, animal bone, or various types of wood. A flute maker looks for wood that has no knots in it or that has only very small tight knots. Cedar is a preferred wood for making flutes because it is soft and straight-grained, making it easier to carve. Cedar wood also contains natural oils that prevent the wood from becoming saturated by moisture from the musician's breath.

Wooden flutes were made by hollowing out two halves of the tube and then gluing or wrapping the two halves together. Another method was to burn out the inner wood using a hot metal rod. The flutes were often decorated with bird feathers, carvings, painted designs, or other attachments that had special meaning to the owner.

The Native American flute design is unique because it has a barrier inside that divides the flute tube into two separate chambers: an air chamber and a sound chamber. A smaller air passage located on the top of the flute connects these two chambers together. When the player blows into the mouth end of the flute, his breath goes into the air chamber and then flows out into the air passage on the top of the flute. His breath is then directed to an edge at the far end of a tone hole. Here, the air oscillates up and down hundreds of times per second. Only some of his breath re-enters the sound chamber.

The air enters at the mouthpiece (end closest to the block on top). From there it travels through the low air speed chamber where any turbulence subsides. There is a wall separating the two chambers which is either wood that was never removed, or cork or something. The air exits the top through a hole called the rear window. From there it meets a thin channel which is either in the body of the flute or in the bottom of the block. In either case, the block seals the top of this channel. When the air reaches the end of the channel, it spans the forward window and hits the fipple edge. Much like making a pop bottle sing. Half of the air goes in and half out. Sound is made by pressure waves travelling up and down the barrel of the flute. Holes effectively shorten and lengthen the barrel causing different tones as the tube gets longer and shorter.

The tone is excited by an air jet which impinges on a (sharp) edge. The jet will move up and down a bit due to the pressure variations within the flute and so sometimes the jet blows more into the flute and sometimes more out of the flute.

Image source: Dr. Ronnie Payne, "Heart of the Wood"