Native  American flutes

​

I prefer to call my flutes North American wood flutes, or Native style, because it is a more accurate description of flutes being made today. The only similarity of flutes today compared to those made by Native Americans 200 years ago is they both have two chambers, a slow air chamber and a resonant bore chamber. This trait separates the flute from all of the other flutes in the world. Flutes today are tuned to conventional European music standards, whereas those of yesterday were tuned and played by the maker to what they felt was correct.

 

Why play a Native American flute?

 

Playing the flute is fun, enjoyable, loaded with healing potential. I have little musical talent however what makes the flute so much fun is its simplicity. If you love to listen to flute music, take that as a sign you are to play as well. There are two schools of flute playing, for entertainment and for spiritual healing. Play in both schools and your life becomes blessed.

​

For Entertainment – Play duets, play with backtracks, participate in flute circles, and connect with your body allowing the music to flow. Regardless of your mode of playing, if it feels good to you, this precisely what you are to play.

 

Spiritual Healing – Playing for healing can be for physical healing or to repair emotional healing. Treat the flute as a cell phone to the Spirit. Low notes are you speaking or I should say expressing your feelings to the Spirit. Whatever the high notes are played, is the Spirit speaking back to you. Put NO thought into what you are playing and you will soon discover a greater awareness of the Spirit within you.

​

It is my opinion that listening and/or playing the flute lulls and quiets the mind. Often the mind will say, “Give me something more interesting to evaluate.” In that bit of calm the essence of our true ethereal identity reveals itself. If you would like to view the benefits of playing and listening to North American wood flutes, check out our information about healing and the Native American flute.

 

How is a sevenwinds flute unique?

I make and play flutes because the process creates peace, calms the squirrel cage in my head, and enables me to have a closer connection to Spirit. Making flutes for other people is my way of sharing the gifts that I have been given to those around me.

I consider my flutes as hand-made, though I do use power tools. One factor I have noticed at flute conventions or gatherings is to look at my display, there are a wide variety of woods, colors, shapes, sizes and designs. Typically I work in small batches of seven flutes, usually a particular key and several different types of wood.

 

Concert tuning

This is a term that provides a great deal of misunderstanding. If one asks the question, “What is concert tuning?” you will receive a wide variety of interpretations. I consider a well tuned flute to be capable of playing a chromatic scale of 14 notes. However it should be noted that a few of those notes will not be as precise in tuning.