Things That Make You Go, Hmmmm....

I can think better when my feet can breathe!!

~Kyllian


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Flute Building Co-op

Since there were so many people that weren't able to make it today. I figured I would post the assembly instructions for those of you that will get yours later.

The three main pieces are the body of the flute, the cork and the mouth piece (which also acts as the bird or block).







Place the cork, flat side down on a table.








Hold the body of the flute with the two holes that are close together towards the bottom.







Set the body on top of the cork.








Press down until the cork slides into the body. This takes a little elbow grease!







Carefully push the cork further in so it rests between the two holes. If it goes to far or tilts, push it out with a long piece of dowel and do it again.






Place the mouth piece on so it covers the first hole and the front of the mouth piece is even with the beginning of the second hole.







Use the leather, beads and feathers to decorate the flute if you want.







The mouthpiece is a very tight fit. If you need to you can sand down the body so it slides on easier. Be careful not to sand too much because you don't want the air to escape in the wrong direction.

Also, you will notice that a small amount of the body has been sanded back between the two holes. That is the air channel. If it is too small and you have to work really hard to get air to flow through you can file it down some with a metal file. Do this bit by bit because if you take too much away it will stop working.

Once all of that is done you can play with the placement of the mouthpiece. Move it forward or backwards very slightly (1/32 of an inch) and see how it changes the tone. Each flute will have it's own 'sweet spot'.

Remember not to blow into the flute. Instead you want to sigh. Blowing too hard with create a whistle. Think gentle. It takes a bit of practice to get it just right!

You shouldn't have to worry too much about moisture since these are plastic. Although the cork will retain moisture so if it starts to sound a bit off you may need to let is dry out a bit.

If you decide to paint them, be careful what paints you use and be careful to avoid paint building up in any of the holes!

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