Why do you need so many flutes?

I get that question a lot.

Speaking specifically about the Native American Flutes, which make up the majority of my collection, there are several reasons…

Each of these five-six holed flutes is tuned to one specific key (just like a harmonica). So in order to play with any variety, you need flutes in different keys. For my musical friends out there, these instruments are tuned to play a basic scale that is minor pentatonic. But with advanced fingering and some breath control, most can be made to play 16 notes chromatically. It just isn’t conducive to do those finger gymnastics all the time. And every flute can play a variety of scales within it’s key, again often relying on fancy finger work.

Each flute only plays a few notes more than a single octave. So again, for variety you need flutes in the same key, but in different octaves.

My first teacher (Grammy Award winner Mary Youngblood) lovingly calls them sticks with holes in them. Each flute is hand-made by an artisan flute-maker, which means that no two are exactly alike. The really good flute-makers all have their own designs and techniques, resulting in a signature sound. Incidentally her collection is well over 200 flutes even after scaling back.

The different wood types produce different tones as well. Three flutes of the exact same key but different woods and makers, would produce a tone and character completely different from the others. So one will be a better fit for a specific song, and the next time it will likely be a different one.

Then taking a step back and looking at other world flutes, each region and culture invented and/or adapted their own style of flutes. It has been documented that flutes are the third oldest instrument, right behind drums and rattles. Some ancient flute makers created styles that are completely hollow (whereas typical Native American Flutes are not), some are transverse (side blown like the popular silver flute you all know), each are tuned to different scales based on the traditional music of their people.

Besides traditional Native American Flutes, I currently play four other types of world flutes:

• The Bansuri: A hollow six-holed transverse multi-octave bamboo flute from India
• The Suling: A hollow four-holed, multi-octave bamboo flute from Indonesia.
• The Basket Maker Flute (known by a different name, which we now understand was a racial slur): These are the predecessors to the traditional Native American flutes. They are hollow four to six holed rim-blown, multi-octave flutes that are attributed to the Hopi Tribe. This has been the hardest to learn so far. Rim-blown flutes require an embouchure and breath control significantly more precise than others.
• Finally there’s a variation on the Native American Flute, know as multi-chamber or drone flutes. These are essentially two (or more) flutes in one. Half plays like a normal flute and the other half will do one or many things depending on its design. It could play a single drone sound on the key (fundamental) note, It could play a single drone sound on a harmony note (usually the 4th or 5th for you musicians), it could have several holes and could play a separate melody.

I’m not 100% sure which of these other flutes will make it onto this album just yet.

And above and beyond all of the reasons I’ve given, we have a joke in the flute world… “Just one more…” Like chips or dogs or guitars or any other hobby, they can be addictive!