FAQ about Native American Style Flutes (Frequently Asked Questions)

What key should I get?

As far as the key, I would suggest you get the lowest key (biggest flute) you can use.  The dimensions and finger hole spacing is noted with each flute and they are listed in order of size.  Even people with small hands can play a flute in the key of A or higher (smaller) and "normal" size hands can play flutes in the G & F#  keys as well.  These have a deeper sound.  

Even if you've never played a woodwind before you should quickly adapt to most any key except the lowest ones. If you have any woodwind experience you will be able to master any Native American style flute.  Flutes in the highest range (High D, High C)  have a piping, Irish whistle quality, while flutes in the lowest range have an airy, hollow mellowness to them.  Experience has shown us that people usually want the deepest tone that is comfortable to play.  The A and G flutes are good middle of the road flute keys, still very easy to play and have a deeper sound than the smaller ones.  The F#, E, low D and lower, being larger flutes, need more practice to master. They are not so difficult to play as it is a matter of breath control. Again, most players I know have many flutes of different keys and woods.
I would recommended the key of A or G for people who never played an instrument before.  All the flutes listed on my web site have sound clips so you can hear the different keys. Click here to enter.

What wood should my flute be made in?

What is the best flute to start with?

After you read the FAQ page click here for help in choosing a flute. 

5 Hole or 6 hole flute?

How does one piece construction compare to the traditional method?

The Native American style flute is unique in that it has two separate air chambers, one you blow into and the air flow is directed out a hole into the other chamber which makes the sound.

What happens is that the moisture from your breath condenses in the mouth piece, expanding the wood in the inside, putting pressure on the outside grain and sometimes it gives & creates a check line. From our experience the check line closes back after it dries up on the inside. When playing again it will open up again but will not open up more then it did the first time. It does not continue to open any larger.  This is not as bad as it sounds.  I have a flute I really like and it has had a check line in the mouthpiece end for a long time, and only I know about it. It plays great.  Oiling the inside will help.  See the question on "How do I take care of my Flute?"

Fingering charts comes with every flute and all the songbooks. . 

Are Native American style flutes hard to play?

What if I have no musical experience and just want to play for fun?

If I need help playing are there instructions?

How are Native American Flutes like potato chips?

It is hard to only have one.

How do you take care of a Native American Style Flute?
Should I apply any kind of oil on it?

The easiest way to think about how to make vibrato is this: vibrato uses the very same muscles that you use when you whisper "ha ha ha."  It should sound very free and relaxed, but to make it sound natural, you have practice it like anything else on the flute, until it becomes second nature.  This way, you will be able to control every aspect of your vibrato, including both speed and depth.

Some vibrato practicing tips:

Speed:
First, get comfortable whispering "ha ha ha" very evenly.  It's not like great huffs of air as in belly laughing, but more gentle.  Think of a dog panting - that shallow kind of ha ha-ing, nothing too big or disruptive.   Feel what muscles are involved in this: you should feel your throat pulsing the air rather than huffing it from your stomach (or your diaphragm, as some flutists prefer to think).  

Then, if you have a metronome (click here to see our metronomes), set a very slow tempo at first, maybe around 80 or 90. Using triplet groups, do three pulses to a beat. Work for absolute control and evenness.  In performance, you won't want machine-like vibrato, but the more you can control it and make it sound exactly alike now when you practice it, the more you'll be able to vary it the way you want to in the future.

Speed up as you get comfortable... the average vibrato speed is generally around 116-120 on the metronome (using 3 pulses to a beat).  Vibrato speed can also vary depending on the style of the piece you're playing.  Despite how technical creating vibrato is, using it is entirely an artistic judgment, so it's up to you how fast or slow you want it to be for everything you play, but just be careful that you don't get TOO slow, or else it will sound like "waah waah waah"...  And too fast, and you'll sound like a nanny goat. :)  

Depth:
Once you have more control over the speed, you want to think about the depth of the vibrato, too. Vibrato is actually made by pitch bending, although it's fast enough that we don't perceive it as a bad kind of pitch bending.

To visualize what vibrato is, try thinking of the note you're playing as a straight line and the vibrato as a wavy line juxtaposed on the straight line. You can have several different types of vibrato:

A) Vibrato that spikes above the note (so the wiggles of the vibrato line would push above the straight line).

B) Vibrato that dips below the note (wiggly parts going below the straight line)

C) Vibrato that's in between (wiggles bisecting the straight line to wave both above and below the line)

It's good to be able to use all kinds of vibrato as there'll be different situations in which a certain kind is better than the others.  What vibrato you'll use will vary from piece to piece, and from musical character to musical character within each piece.  Some pieces will call for full, rich vibrato, others will need fast, brilliant vibrato, others shallow, barely-there vibrato, etc.... the varieties you can create are endless!   Always be creative with it. :)

Vibrato that pushes the pitch up rather than down (type A), is good for low register notes, when we have a tendency to go flat. Vibrato that dips below the main pitch of the note (type B) is good for high register stuff, to keep us from going sharp.   This type of vibrato makes a very rich, warm sound, and is the kind that flutist Julius Baker often used.  And type C vibrato is your general, in-between kind.

So, thinking of vibrato as both speed and depth, you should be able to get vibrato that you can control to beautify and vary your sound.

When to use it:
Next, there's the question of when to use vibrato. Your goal is to have vibrato that you can bring in and out of notes, so it's not like you have an "on" and "off" switch. Vibrato on every note is too much, so choose when to use vibrato very carefully. Sometimes on long notes, you might try adding vibrato late, or starting with vibrato and taking it out... there's a whole world of possibilities to try, so try switching it up a lot, according to what sounds right for the kind of music you're playing.

Imitation:
The best way to learn when to use vibrato and how it should sound is by imitation, so I highly recommend checking out some CDs of Native American flute players like Jan Michael Looking Wolf Reibach, Charles Little Leaf, etc.   To see and hear these CDs, click here. 

Flutists aren't the only ones to listen to, either.  Violinists always have great vibrato (although it's typically faster than what sounds good on the flute, but listen to how they use it).  And singers, too - jazz singers are great for this, as well as popular singers, too.

My flute is not playing properly, what should I look for?

This could be caused by a number of things:  

Moisture:
If it you have been playing the flute when it happens, moisture build up is the most likely cause.  As you play any wind instrument (flute, sax, trumpet, etc.) the moisture form your breath builds up in the instrument.  This is just condensation caused by temperature difference and is a normal part of playing any wind instrument.  You can just shake out the moisture or blow into the fipple hole (square hole) to clear it out.

Bird Block alignment:
The air flows thru the bird channel in the bottom of the bird block.  If it is not positioned just right it will cause the flute to play improperly.  The ideal position is a little behind the fipple hole (square hole).  It should also be right in the center and aligned to the length of the flute, not at an angle.  You can move the bird block back and forth to find the ideal spot.  Also the bottom of the bird block should fit tightly to the top of the flute.  Even a slight space would cause air leak.

Obstructions:
Hold the flute so light shines thru the finger holes and look in the end to see if you can see clearly to the fipple hole. See that no foreign objects are blocking the bore.  Now the Native American style flute does have 2 chambers so you will not be able to see clearly thru out the other side, but to the fipple hole.  You can get a better look if you untie the bird block and check both directions, toward the mouth piece and toward the body end.   Look down the barrel and mouth piece with a flash light.   One flute performer who will remain anonymous took a flute out of storage and found it would not play right.  It had a small nest of spiders inside! 

Structural:
As you can see the Native American style flute is very simple and if there is no obstruction or moisture build up it must be something physical.  A warped bird block bottom, or a major split or crack.  Some flutes do develop a crack or check line from moisture but the flute will still play fine for generations and this would not normally be a cause a flute playing poorly.

What is the thing (bird, animal, etc.) on the top called and what does it do?

What is the danger of buying a Native American Style Flute?

Warning: Most people who purchase a Native American style flute love it so much they buy more flutes in various keys & woods. You can't say I did not warn you.