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Flute Data
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Data about the flutes I have made....
Do NOT "clean" with alcohol — Never, Ever! Doing so will remove the finish. Please note, this is fairly common, so you should refrain from "cleaning" other persons flutes, or wiping them off with an alcohol swap before playing or testing. Ask the owner before you do anything like this. If you don't want another person's "cooties" carry a short length of plastic straw, and insert this into the blow hole, then use your straw as your personal mouthpiece — this is inexpensive and effective.
The following is a brief explanation of selected columns in the flute data tables below....
- Serial number. All my flutes have a serial number located on the bottom of the flute, under the sounding block/bird. You may need to remove the tie to read the serial number.
Also on the bottom of my flutes is "ErikWeaver.com" which is my all-purpose Internet domain. If you cannot remember Breath of Life Flutes, or you wish to see what some of my other interests are, point your browser to "www.ErikWeaver.com" and then click on your area of interest. (As you may have surmised, my name is Erik Weaver!)- Key (minor). Unless otherwise stated, all flutes are in the "minor" scale. This is common for all Native American style flutes which have been tuned to the Western musical scale.
- Tuning Standard. If you are not already familiar with this, it may be confusing at first. Basically, all instruments may be tuned. Some, like the Native American style flute, may only be tuned when constructed. Most instruments may be tuned at any time. But tuned to what? The "tuning standard" is the answer to this question. A person plays the A4 key on a piano and sets their A to the same pitch (or an octave of the A4 pitch). But the piano's A4 must first be in tune! This is accomplished by setting it to a very specific number of vibrations per second (this used to be called "cycle per second" but is now called "Hertz"). Most commonly A4 is set equal to 440 Hertz. An older tuning standard was 432 Hertz, and this is what many persons refer to as the "Healing Frequency."
If you compare a flute tuned to the 440-Hertz standard to one tuned to 432-Hertz, you will find a 30-cent difference between them. The 432-Hertz flute will play 30-cents "flatter" than the 440-Hertz flute.
Please note, while the tuning standard for a flute is either 440-Hertz or 432-Hertz, this is only the "standard," but not the "key" of the flute. In other words, the flutes "fundamental" (lowest note, all holes covered) may be any key (A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#). And any key may be set to either a 440-Hertz or 432-Hertz tuning standard.- Temp. Temperature. This is the actual temperature of the room in which I tuned the flute. Unless I have a special request to do otherwise, all tunings are adjusted to be accurate when played in a room temperature of 72*F. Colder temperatures make a flute "flat" while warmer temperatures make a flute "sharp." Fortunately this change is predictable, so when I tune a flute I observe the room temperature and then tune the flute a little sharper or flatter to accommodate for this deviation from 72*F. (This is a common practice.)
- Range. Not all flutes are created equal! And not all flutes play above the octave of the fundamental note. In fact, some makers call these "above octave" notes "gift notes." It is accepted practice that +4 half steps above the octave is the greatest range we may expect from the Native American style flute. This is NOT because greater range is impossible — there are other kinds of flutes that play two or more octaves (the "silver" concert flute is one example). However, the sound quality and characteristics change! So if one were to "push" a Native American style flute to play two octaves, it would no longer have that unique, hauntingly beautiful sound, which is so appealing to our spirit!
Opinions and tastes will vary widely on this subject. Some are quite happy to play within the basic pentatonic scale, and never feel a need to range above the octave. Others wish to play specific songs, and many popular songs do require the flute play at least +3 half steps above the octave. Bare this in mind when selecting your own flutes.
Flutes made in 2011... All Pentatonic Mode I/IV, Six-Hole Native American Style Flutes...
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Serial Number |
Key (minor) |
Tuning Standard: 432-Hz or 440-Hz |
Materials — Flute Body | Materials — Block/Bird | Stain/Finish — Flute Body | Stain/Finish — Block/Bird |
DATE Tuned |
TEMP (*F) Tuned |
LOCATION Tuned |
Range (How many "above octave" notes?) |
| 1101 | F#4m | 440 | Poplar | Poplar | Shellac over small amount of dark stain. | Dark Stain/Shellac | Jan. 16 | 68.4*F (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO |
+ 2
w/ease; w/skill + 3 |
| 1102 | C4m | 440 | Poplar | Pine | Shellac over small amount of dark stain. | Shellac | Jan. 16 | 68.4*F (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO |
+ 4
w/ease; |
| 1103 | D4m | 440 | Poplar | Poplar | Shellac over small amount of dark stain. | Heavy dark stain (oil), shellac finish coat | Feb. 6 | 64.8*F (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO |
+ 4
w/ease; |
| 1104 | B4bm | 440 | Poplar | Poplar | Shellac over dark stain. | Heavy dark stain (oil), shellac finish coat | Mar. 6 | 66.0*F (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO |
+ 3
w/ease; |
| 1105 | A3m | 432 | Pine | Poplar | Shellac over small amount of dark stain. | Heavy dark stain (oil), shellac finish coat | Mar. 25 | 68.0*F (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO |
+ 3
w/ease; |
Flutes made in 2010... All Pentatonic Mode I/IV, Six-Hole Native American Style Flutes...
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Serial Number |
Key (minor) |
Tuning Standard: 432-Hz or 440-Hz |
Materials — Flute Body | Materials — Block/Bird | Stain/Finish — Flute Body | Stain/Finish — Block/Bird |
DATE Tuned |
TEMP (*F) Tuned |
LOCATION Tuned |
Range (How many "above octave" notes?) |
| 1001 | G4m | 440 | Cedar | Cedar | Shellac | Shellac | (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | ||
| 1002 | ||||||||||
| 1003 | F4m | 440 | Cedar | Pine | Small amount of dark oil stain w/ Shellac finish | Shellac | (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | ||
| 1004 | 440 | Cedar | Cedar | Small amount of dark oil stain w/ Shellac finish | Shellac | (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | |||
| 1005 | E4m | 440 | Cedar | Pine | Dark oil stain w/ Shellac finish | Shellac | (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | ||
| 1006 |
F4m/F4m (drone) |
440 | Cedar | Pine | Small amount of dark oil stain w/ Shellac finish | Shellac | (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | ||
| 1007 | ||||||||||
| 1008 | A4m | 432 | Cedar | Pine | Very small amount of dark oil stain a/ Shellac finish | Shellac | (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | ||
| 1009 | A4m | 432 | Cedar | Cedar | Red stain w/ Shellac finish | Red stain w/ Shellac finish | (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | + 3 | |
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1010
(Fingering Diagram) |
F#4m | 440 | Pine | Cedar |
Shellac, with small amount of red dye. Finished with Johnson's Paste Wax
Do NOT clean with Alcohol |
Shellac, with generous amount of red dye to add contrast and to echo the red in the flute body. Finished with Johnson's Paste Wax | Sept. 26 | 69.1*F (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | + 3 |
| 1011 | (adjusted to 72*F) | |||||||||
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1012
(Fingering Diagram) |
C4m | 440 | Poplar | Pine |
Shellac, Finished with Johnson's Paste Wax.
Do NOT clean with Alcohol |
Shellac | Nov. 29 | 67.0*F (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | + 2 |
| 1013 | E4m | 440 | Pine | Poplar |
Very small amount of dark oil stain a/ Shellac finish.
Do NOT clean with Alcohol |
Shellac | Nov. 29 | 69.3*F (adjusted to 72*F) | Springfield, MO | + 2 |
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www.BreathOfLifeFlutes.com
Please contact me if you have any questions about flutes, learning to play,
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Please note, while I admire much of the Native American culture, I am not a Native American Indian.
So far as I know, my bloodlines are 100% European, including Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish, Holland, and German... along with a number of unknowns, I'm sure. One may properly refer to me as an European-American Mutt ;^) Although, in truth, I consider myself an American, not an European-American. My mother's bloodlines here in North America pre-date the American Revolution and my great-great-grandfather on my father's side was a circuit preacher in Kansas around 1900. |
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