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~ This picture shows a flute in the final stage of completion. The arrow points to the two "sound holes" at the mouth end of the flute. The Carving or "air block" or "fetish" sits atop these two holes. If the flute could be cut in two, lengthwise, it would appear as in the next picture......
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~ Air enters the left chamber and is diverted upwards by the "wall" between the two chambers. It exits through the first "sound hole" and is then forced through the narrow channel beneath the air block. As the air exits the channel, it is forced across the top of the second sound hole which is beveled on the forward edge (fipple) producing the sound. The tone is determined by the length the air must travel before encountering the fingerholes along the top of the flute body. If all fingerholes are open, a high tone is heard. If all the fingerholes are covered the lowest tone of the flute is produced. |
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~ This is the first step in my process for making a flute. After the long bore hole is finished, I remove the excess wood leaving about 1/8" around the bore hole. I insert a "plug" to form the wall between the two chambers, add a mouth piece section, create the sound holes and the fingerholes at precise locations, tune the flute and apply a finish..... |
 ~ This is the finished flute from the Cypress branch in the First Step ~
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