In our initial lesson, I aim to equip you with four essential insights to kick-start your adventure with the Native American flute. I've categorized these insights into four key areas for easy understanding. First, we'll explore how to select your initial or the perfect flute. Next, we'll discuss the fundamentals of posture, hand placement, and the positioning of the mouth. Our third focus will be on fostering creativity and finding inspiration in your practice. Lastly, we'll touch upon putting your newfound skills to practical use. Now, let's dive into each of these four pivotal steps.
Choosing the right flute as a beginner can be tricky, especially when it comes to size. Many new players opt for larger flutes, attracted by their deep sounds, only to find themselves struggling to reach the lowest holes comfortably. This can lead to frustration and discomfort, potentially dampening their enthusiasm for playing the flute. Today, I want to highlight the importance of selecting a flute that feels comfortable from the start, ensuring a smooth musical journey.
Among the flutes typically encountered in our industry, the A flute stands out. It comes in two variants - the mid-A, which is of standard size, and the high-A, often referred to as a "pocket flute." The key difference between these flutes lies in their size and the pitch they produce; larger flutes yield lower tones, while smaller ones offer higher tones. For instance, comparing a standard A flute with a pocket A flute reveals a stark difference in pitch, despite them being in the same key.
Many beginners mistakenly purchase a pocket A flute thinking it will sound the same as its larger counterpart, lured by its compact size and portability. And indeed, the pocket flute is an excellent choice for those who love to blend their music with the great outdoors, given its ease of transport in a purse or a small backpack. For beginners starting their flute adventures, the keys of A, G, and B are popular choices, with the B flute being a viable option for individuals with smaller hands or those who find the A flute slightly too large.
When you're learning how to play the Native American flute, one common challenge might be managing the tension in your hands, especially when lifting your fingers. Instead of curling them or tucking them under, which adds unnecessary strain, it's best to allow them to rest lightly. This approach not only reduces tension but also improves your finger placement and agility, which is crucial for playing Native American flute music beautifully.
Starting at the top of your Native American flute and working your way down, placing your fingers one by one, is a method that promises better success. If you find it hard to locate the right spots, one helpful strategy is playing in front of a mirror. This visual aid can be incredibly useful. However, an alternative method that enhances your tactile familiarity with the flute is to close your eyes while playing. This allows you to focus on the feel of the instrument, helping you to master the positions without relying on sight. You want to ensure to use the pads of your fingers and not the tips. I encourage students to try and keep their hands relaxed and flattened like an “F” instead of curling up like a “C”. Remember, “F” as in flat, not “C” as in curled.
Incorporating these techniques into your Native American flute lessons will not only improve your playing skills but also make the learning process more enjoyable. Paying attention to your posture and handling the flute, especially focusing on common areas of neglect like elbows and finger positioning, is vital. These tips are designed to help you create beautiful Native American flute music while maintaining a comfortable and effective playing stance.
Remember, the key to mastering the Native American flute is patience and practice. By focusing on the right techniques from the start, you'll find yourself making beautiful music in no time. Whether you're taking Native American flute lessons or learning on your own, these tips will set you on the right path.
Each time you play, the music can be different because you have a variety of notes at your disposal. I encourage you to experiment and improvise, using the foundational scale as your guide. This process itself is a source of inspiration and a stepping stone to unlocking your musical potential.
The basic scale alone offers numerous possibilities for creating music. As you progress, you will learn about advanced techniques such as cross-fingering and half-holing, further expanding the range of sounds you can produce. But even with just a few simple notes, the creative possibilities are vast.
Exploring music through playing scales is just the beginning. Imagine playing a song inspired by the horizon—notes climbing as the tree line or mountains rise and descend as the landscape evens out. This approach allows you to adapt the music to your surroundings and pace.
Many people, myself included, love taking their flutes into nature. Whether it’s by a tranquil lake or on a serene hike, moments of rest are perfect for bringing out your flute. Playing in natural spaces, especially those with canyons or caves, adds a unique echo to your music, enriching the experience.
The flute isn't just an instrument meant for indoor play. Its music extends beyond four walls, inviting you to explore and engage with the world. Creativity and inspiration can be found in everything around us, and the flute is a beautiful tool for connecting with that endless source of wonder.
The transformation of the Native American flute from a relatively obscure instrument to a versatile mainstay in various music genres and healing practices mirrors a broader change in the availability and application of musical resources.
Fast forward to the present, and the flute's soulful melodies can be heard in television shows, wellness centers like spas, and on streaming services such as Pandora. Its adaptability is further showcased by musicians who seamlessly blend its sound into jazz, electronic dance music, and more.
Interestingly, many have found the Native American flute invaluable in therapeutic settings, playing for hospice patients, in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, yoga studios, and meditation classes. It's hailed for its sound healing properties and as a tool for personal meditation and healing practices.
For me, the flute started as a personal journal of sorts—a way to express feelings I couldn't put into words, which proved to be a profound tool for self-exploration and growth. This personal impact led me to wonder about its potential effect on others. Gradually, I began sharing my music, first with family, then at public performances. This journey with the flute has been incredibly fulfilling, and it's a story I'm eager to share in more depth in the future.
If you’re feeling a deep connection with the serene and sacred sound of the Native American flute… If you’re envisioning yourself not just playing but truly embodying the soulful melodies that this beautiful instrument can offer, here’s your next step…
Join us for a serene exploration of the Native American flute with our Beginner Bundle. For $97, you’ll receive a comprehensive guide to the art of this beautiful instrument, a cozy fleece bag for your flute, and a traditional cedar flute to begin creating beautiful melodies. If you already have a flute, you're welcome to join our community at a reduced rate and further hone your skills.
This course is more than just learning; it’s an opportunity to connect with a deeper part of yourself and share sacred sounds with the world. We invite you to start this musical adventure, immersing yourself in the soothing world of the Native American flute. Click here to start your musical journey.
We’re excited for you to join us and start sharing your unique sounds with the community.
]]>Watching YouTube videos to gain basic ideas or fresh perspectives is a great way to start learning how to play the Native American flute. You’ll find loads of information on YouTube however there can be lots of misinformation. So, just be careful and use your best judgment when learning the Native American flute this way.
Check out some of my tips for playing the Native American flute.
Online learning continues to grow, and the opportunity to learn the Native American flute has become even easier and more convenient. Courses that are offered online allow a student to work leisurely through more in-depth content and methods. Everyone has a different way of learning, so one thing that I focus on when teaching through an online course is integrating audio and visuals and providing lots of resources that give clear direction to students. Most of my courses offer video demonstrations and accompanying PDFs to follow.
Check out all the courses that I offer. You may also be interested in my low-cost monthly membership called Horizons Plus where you'll get so much more than courses!
Workshops are a great way of not only learning something new with your Native American flute, but they are also a wonderful way to gather with other like-minded individuals who are also aspiring to become better flute players. While the content of an online (or in-person) workshop can vary, they typically offer a solution to one specific problem and provide you with some resources that you can work on afterward. Workshops are typically shorter in time than a full, online course which is great for those who are looking for a quick fix or spark a new idea!
Check out the online workshops I’m currently offering
Taking lessons from a Native American flute instructor is not only a wonderful way to intimately learn the Native American flute, but you’ll also gain a higher level of accountability and transformation. A good coach will help you achieve the things that are important to you by giving feedback on your performance, catering the lessons to your learning style and being supportive and encouraging throughout the process.
Interested in taking private lessons with me? Click here to learn more!
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When it comes to playing Native American drone flutes, there are so many things to consider...
I remember what it was like to huff and puff for breath, land on sour notes and feel awkward playing these types of flutes when I started playing drone flutes.
In my e-course, Exploring Multi-Chambered Flutes, I give you tons of strategies, frameworks, advice and help just like the four tips that I'd like to share with you today for free...
Dealing with a mouthpiece that has several holes in it can be really challenging. If you play all the chambers at the same time, it can be a mouthful, or if you want to just single out a flute it can be challenging with air leaks and whistle noises.
This may feel weird at first, but using your lips and the corner of your mouth is one of the best ways to segregate the airflow so it's only going where you intend. Practice angling the flute a bit and using the corner of your mouth so you can play all the different options that come with your flute. When you do this, make sure that you take a few breaths and also practice the speed at which you break contact with the flute and return. This is a great exercise to practice your recovery.
Consider which hand you play on top or bottom, left or right sides of the flute. It may feel awkward at times, but you could avoid some cramping or crowding by switching your hand positions around. Pay close attention to what you feel in your hands and wrists as well as the sounds you're producing.
When playing a drone flute where you need to reach over a barrel of another flute or the flute is just larger in size, you may want to remove any rings that you're wearing so that they don't tap or click against the side of the flute. This will definitely make a difference if you're playing into a microphone or recording!
When you're playing a regular drone, with one or two blocks over the sound hole, it's important to understand how the drone is responding. Sometimes the drone will want to just hang out on the fundamental note, other times it may jump up to the octave, and in some cases, it may be so sensitive that it wants to hang out on that octave note and not come back down. What your drone flute does and how it reacts is based on a couple of things; how it was made, how you are playing it and what your preference is.
Some Native American drone flutes are stubborn and we learn to love it as it is, or we don't get beyond our preference and we part with that flute. If you have a drone flute that hangs out on fundamental and you want it to jump, try pushing the block into the sound hole area a little more, even if you have to kind of twist the one wide block. If you have a separate block for the drone side, just move it forward. If you have a drone flute that is too sensitive and you want it to hang back on the fundamental a little more, push or twist that block the opposite way, back towards you away from the splitting edge.
Note: Just know that when you move the block forward or backward, you will be adjusting the pitch of the flute as well as changing the voice a little bit. Moving the block back towards you (when playing), the flute may become a little more raspy and airy sounding. Pushing the block forward toward the foot-end of the flute can make the voice a bit more nasally and thin.
Not only is learning a new song fun, but it can also bolster your own creativity. A common frustration that I hear from flute players of all levels is that they tend to play the same thing over and over–basically, they’re in a rut. One path out of that rut is by playing something different than normally would and by doing so, you may find yourself faced with a unique playing pattern or a new note to play!
See a full list of cover songs and original songs offered.
Playing along with a backing track isn’t for everyone, but I’ve seen first hand how it can transform the most rigid flute player from boring, lost and non-expressive to emotive and liberated, yet structured.
Explore Ambient Pads, Tribal Rhythms and other backing tracks.
There’s a difference in leisure listening and intentional listening. When I started out with the Native American flute, there were very few resources available so I grabbed up whatever flute CD (or cassette) I could find and practiced intentional listening. It’s how I learned so much about technique and song structure from the get-go.
Whether you still own a CD player, or you’re just a streamer, you can find my music available everywhere on many platforms.
Music CDs • Spotify • Pandora • Apple Music • Google • Amazon Music
Just as mentioned with intentional listening, there’s quite a bit you can learn by observation. I have several playlists on YouTube including Instructional & Educational Flute Videos, Cover Songs on the Native American Flute and Original Songs on the Native American Flute.
If you’re looking to go further faster, the path is pretty clear. You can cut through the noise and work with me one-on-one to address specific needs you’re struggling with relating to the Native American flute. I’ve worked with hundreds of students from all over the world to improve their flute playing, helping them get more out of their flute journey.
Learn more about my membership learning platform if you’re ready to really sharpen your skills with the Native flute or you're just getting started!
I have a Facebook Community where students whom I’ve worked with can grow even further.
Growing As A Flute Player Community [Facebook Group]
Writing music can be a very rewarding and creative process, but sometimes it can be overwhelming – especially if you're new to this, or you've been told that you're not good at songwriting!
I didn't know anything about music when I started with the Native American Flute, but I came up with my own way of writing music and capturing melodies... and it worked! That framework helped me write more than 100 songs.
In Songwriting Shortcuts For The Native American Flute, you'll learn how to:
You'll find capturing tactics, arrangement strategies, blank NAF TAB sheets and a story sheet as part of this e-book to help you maximize your songwriting experience.
Knowing how to identify flute makers, the symbols and signs to look for, what key and tuning it is and roughly how much it’s worth based on market value is important. You may have a mental picture and index of all your flutes in your head, but I bet that no one else in your family knows this. What if something were to happen to you? What will happen with your flutes?
Heaven forbid it doesn’t happen, but your family will thank you for your responsible action if it does.
Read more and download the worksheets.
The truth is, we have no idea the severity this COVID-19 pandemic will have on our economy. That trickles down to our loyal and passionate flute makers. There have already been cancellations of concerts, festivals, shows and vending opportunities for musicians and flute makers alike.
Many of these full-time flute makers were relying on these vending opportunities to feed their families. If you're interested in buying a flute, but not sure what you want or where to go? You can start by watching a few of my Flute Reviews on YouTube.
This goes beyond just sanitizing your flutes, which you may not even have to do. Why? If they're your germs, you already have whatever it is. Germs generally don't live on wood for more than a day anyway, and some only a few hours. Just don't share your flute with other people.
Alcohol will completely strip off shellac and can damage other finishes. Certain essential oils like lavender and tea tree are antibacterial and antiviral, although I don't know of any actual testing to confirm any of that.
First and foremost, I would ask the flute maker what they would recommend as the material used to finish your flute is important. You may want to even note what type of finish it is on your Flute Collection Index Sheet(s).
Depending on the finish and the climate in which you live, you may want to wax or oil your flute during this time and give it a little bit of a break. I find that the mouthpiece wears down quicker than any other part of the flute–especially if it’s a flattened or wider mouthpiece–because it is more likely to be exposed to saliva.
Mother Nature isn’t off-limits. Grab your flute and get outside today or sometime in the next week. Changing your environment can also positively affect your playing style.
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