The Native American flute is a
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...
that is held in front of the player, has open finger holes,
and has two chambers: one for collecting the breath of the player and a second chamber which creates sound.
The player breathes into one end of the flute
without the need for an
embouchure.
A ''block'' on the outside of the instrument
directs the player's breath from the first chamber—called the slow air chamber—into the second chamber—called the sound chamber.
The design of a ''sound hole'' at the proximal end of the sound chamber causes
air from the player's breath to
vibrate.
This vibration causes a steady
resonance
Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force (or a Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. When an oscil ...
of
air pressure
Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars ...
in the sound chamber that creates
sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...
.
Native American flutes comprise a wide range of designs, sizes, and variations—far more varied than most other classes of
woodwind instrument
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and r ...
s.
Names
The instrument is known by many names.
Some of the reasons for the variety of names include: the varied uses of the instrument (e.g. courting),
the wide dispersal of the instrument across language groups and geographic regions,
legal statutes (see the
Indian Arts And Crafts Act
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-644) is a truth-in-advertising law which prohibits misrepresentation in marketing of American Indian or Alaska Native arts and crafts products within the United States. It is illegal to offer or d ...
),
and the
Native American name controversy
The Native American name controversy is an ongoing discussion about the changing terminology used by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas to describe themselves, as well as how they prefer to be referred to by others. Preferred terms vary pr ...
.
Native American names for the flute include:
* chy, tâhpeno
* ciw, bĭbĭ'gwûn
[
]
* dak, ćotaŋke
[
]
* kio, do'mba'
[
]
* lkt, Šiyótȟaŋka
[
]
* opt, bícusirina (Teguima language)
[
]
* unm, achipiquon (Lenape)
[
]
* zun, Tchá-he-he-lon-ne, lit=sacred warbling flute
[
]
Alternative English-language names include:
''American Indian courting flute'',
[
]
''courting flute'',
[
]
''Grandfather's flute'',
[
]
''Indian flute'',
[
]
''love flute'',
[
]
''Native American courting flute'',
[
]
''Native American love flute'',
[
]
''Native American style flute'' (see the
Indian Arts And Crafts Act
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-644) is a truth-in-advertising law which prohibits misrepresentation in marketing of American Indian or Alaska Native arts and crafts products within the United States. It is illegal to offer or d ...
),
''North American flute'',
[
]
''Plains flute'',
[
]
and ''Plains Indian courting flute''.
[
]
Names in other languages include:
* bar, Indianafletn
* nl, Indiaans-Amerikaanse fluit
* eo, indiĝena amerikano fluto
* french: Siyotanka
* german: Indianerflöte
* haw, Papa ʻAmelika ʻohe kani
* ja, ネイティブアメリカンフルート, translit=Neitibuamerikanfurūto
* ko, 인디언 피리, translit=indieon pili
* pl, Flet indiański
* russian: Пимак, translit=pimak
Naming conventions
By convention, English-language uses of the name of the instrument are capitalized as "Native American flute". This is in keeping with the English-language capitalization of other musical instruments that use a cultural name, such as "French horn".
[
]
The use of abbreviations (e.g. "NAF", "NASF") is discouraged.
The prevalent term for a person who plays Native American flutes is "flutist". This term predominates the term "flautist". "Flute maker" is the predominant term for people who "craft" Native American flutes.
Organology
The instrument is classified in the 2011 revision of the
Hornbostel–Sachs
Hornbostel–Sachs or Sachs–Hornbostel is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs, and first published in the in 1914. An English translation was published in the '' Galpin Society ...
system by the MIMO Consortium
as 421.23—''Flutes with internal duct formed by an internal baffle (natural node, block of resin) plus an external tied-on cover (cane, wood, hide)''.
This HS class also includes the
Suling.
Although Native American flutes are played by directing air into one end, it is not strictly an
end-blown flute,
since the sound mechanism uses a
fipple design
using an external ''block'' that is fixed to the instrument.
The use of ''open finger holes'' (finger holes that are played by the direct application and removal of fingers, as opposed to keys) classifies the Native American flute as a
simple system flute.
History
There are many narratives about how different
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
invented the flute. In one narrative,
woodpecker
Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions ...
s pecked holes in hollow branches while searching for termites; when the wind blew along the holes, people nearby heard its music.
Another narrative from the
Tucano culture describes
Uakti, a creature with holes in his body that would produce sound when he ran or the wind blew through him.
It is not well known how the design of the Native American flute developed before 1823.
Some of the influences may have been:
* Branches or stalks with holes drilled by
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...
s that created sounds when the wind blew.
* The design of the
atlatl.
[
]
* Clay instruments from
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Wit ...
.
[
][
]
* The
Anasazi flute developed by
Ancestral Puebloans
The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, a ...
of
Oasisamerica.
* Experience by Native Americans constructing
organ pipe
An organ pipe is a sound-producing element of the pipe organ that resonates at a specific pitch when pressurized air (commonly referred to as ''wind'') is driven through it. Each pipe is tuned to a specific note of the musical scale. A set o ...
s as early as 1524.
[
]
*
Recorders that came from
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
* Flutes of the
Tohono O'odham culture (often referred to by the archaic
exonym
An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group ...
"Papago flutes"). Although crafted by a Native American people, these instruments are not strictly ''Native American flutes'' since they do not have an external block. In place of the block, the flue is formed by the player's finger on top of the sound mechanism. This style of flute may have been a precursor to, or one of the influences for, the Native American flute.
[
][
]
* Flutes of the
Akimel O'odham culture (often referred to by the archaic
exonym
An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group ...
"Pima flutes"). These flutes may have directly evolved from flutes of the Tohono O'odham culture, with the addition of a piece of cloth over the sound mechanism to serve as the external block.
[
][
]
It is also possible that instruments were carried from other
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
s during
migrations.
Flutes of the
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a Native American civilization that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building large, eart ...
have been found that appear to have the two-chambered design characteristic of Native American flutes. They were constructed of
river cane. The earliest such flute is curated by the Museum Collections of the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkans ...
, Fayetteville. It was recovered in about 1931 by Samuel C. Dellinger and more recently identified as a flute by James A. Rees, Jr. of the Arkansas Archeological Society. The artifact is known colloquially as "The Breckenridge Flute" and was conjectured to date in the range 750–1350 CE.
This conjecture proved to be accurate when, in 2013, a sample from the artifact yielded a date range of 1020–1160 CE (95% probability calibrated date range).
[
]
The earliest extant Native American flute crafted of wood was collected by the Italian adventurer
Giacomo Costantino Beltrami in 1823 on his search for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. It is now in the collection of the Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali in Bergamo, Italy.
Construction
Components
The two ends of a Native American flute along the longitudinal axis are called the
''head end'' (the end closest to the player's mouth—also called the ''North end'', ''proximal end'', or ''top end'')
and the ''foot end'' (also called the ''bottom end'', ''distal end'', or ''South end'').
The Native American flute has two air chambers:
the ''slow air chamber'' (also called the ''SAC'', ''compression chamber'', ''mouth chamber'',
''breath chamber'', ''first chamber'', ''passive air chamber'', ''primary chamber'', or ''wind chamber'')
and the ''sound chamber'' (also called the ''pipe body'',
''resonating chamber'', ''tone chamber'', ''playing chamber'', or ''variable tube'').
A ''plug'' (also called an ''internal wall'', ''stopper'', ''baffle'', or ''partition'')
inside the instrument separates the slow air chamber from the sound chamber.
The ''block'' on the outside of the instrument is a separate part that can be removed.
The block is also called the ''bird'', the ''fetish'', the ''saddle'', or the ''totem''.
The block is tied by a ''strap'' onto the ''nest'' of the flute.
The block moves air through a ''flue''
(also called the ''channel'', ''furrow'', ''focusing channel'', ''throat'', or ''windway'')
from the slow air chamber to the sound chamber.
The block is often in the shape of a
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
.
Note that flutes of the
Mi'kmaq
The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the no ...
culture are typically constructed from a separate block, but the block is permanently fixed
to the body of the flute during construction (typically with glue).
Even though these flutes do not have a movable block, they are
generally considered to be Native American flutes.
The precise alignment and longitudinal position of the block is critical to getting the desired sound from the instrument.
The longitudinal position also has a modest effect on the pitches produced by the flute,
giving the player a range of roughly 10–40
cents of pitch adjustment.
The slow air chamber has a ''mouthpiece'' and ''breath hole'' for the player's breath.
Air flows through the slow air chamber and up the ''ramp'', through the ''exit hole'', and into the flue.
The slow air chamber can serve as a secondary
resonator
A resonator is a device or system that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior. That is, it naturally oscillates with greater amplitude at some frequencies, called resonant frequencies, than at other frequencies. The oscillations in a resonator ...
, which can give some flutes a distinctive sound.
The sound chamber contains the ''sound hole'', which creates the vibration of air that causes sound when the airflow
reaches the ''splitting edge''.
The sound hole can also be called the ''whistle hole'', the ''window'', or the ''true sound hole'' ("TSH").
The splitting edge can also be called the ''cutting edge'', the ''fipple edge'', the ''labium'', or the ''sound edge''.
The sound chamber also has ''finger holes'' that allows the player to change the
frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is eq ...
of the vibrating air.
Changing the frequency of the vibration changes the
pitch of the sound produced.
The finger holes on a Native American flute are ''open'', meaning that fingers of the player cover the finger hole
(rather than metal levers or pads such as those on a
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...
).
This use of ''open finger holes'' classifies the Native American flute as a
simple system flute.
Because of the use of open finger holes, the flutist must be able to reach all the finger holes on the instrument with their fingers,
which can limit the size of the largest flute (and lowest pitched flute) that a given flutist can play.
The finger holes can also be called the ''note holes'', the ''playing holes'', the ''
tone holes'', or the ''stops''.
The ''foot end'' of the flute can have ''direction holes''.
These holes affect the pitch of the flute when all the finger holes are covered.
The direction holes also relate to (and derive their name from) the
Four Directions of
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
,
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
,
West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
, and
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north ...
found in many
Native American stories.
The direction holes can also be called the ''tuning holes'' or ''wind holes''.
In addition to the ''Components of the Native American flute'' diagram shown above with
English-language labels, diagrams are available with labels in
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...
,
Dutch,
Esperanto
Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communic ...
,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
,
Japanese,
Korean,
Polish,
Russian,
and
Spanish.
Spacer plate
An alternate design for the sound mechanism uses a ''spacer plate'' to create the flue.
The spacer plate sits between the nest area on the body of the flute and the removable block.
The spacer plate is typically held in place by the same strap that holds the block on the instrument.
The splitting edge can also be incorporated into the design of the spacer plate.
The spacer plate is often constructed of metal, but spacer plates have been constructed of wood,
bark
Bark may refer to:
* Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick
* Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog)
Places
* Bark, Germany
* Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland
Arts, e ...
, and
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...
.
When positioning and securing the removable block with the strap,
the use of a spacer plate provides and additional degree of control over the sound and tuning of the flute.
However, it also adds a degree of complexity when performing the task of securing both the block and the spacer plate.
Plains style vs. Woodlands style
Various sources describe attributes of Native American flute that are termed "Plains style" and "Woodlands style".
However, there is no general consensus among the various sources
about what these terms mean.
According to various sources the distinction is based on:
* whether the flute uses a ''spacer plate'' to create the ''flue'' of the instrument,
[''Anatomy of the Plains Flute'', Flutetree.com](_blank)
/ref>
* whether the flue is in the body of the flute or the bottom of the block,[
]
* the sharpness of the angle of the ''splitting edge'',
* whether the ''finger holes'' are burned or bored into the body of the flute,
* the design of the ''mouthpiece'' (blunt and placed against the lips vs. designed to go between the lips),
* the timbre
In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musica ...
of the sound of the flute, or
* details of the fingering for the primary scale.
Branch flutes
While many contemporary Native American flutes are crafted from milled lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
, some flutes are crafted from a branch of a tree. The construction techniques vary widely, but some makers of branch flutes will attempt to split the branch down a centerline, hollow out the inside, and then mate the halves back together for the completed flute.
Double and multiple flutes
A double Native American flute is a type of double flute. It has two sound chambers that can be played simultaneously. The two chambers could have the same length or be different lengths.
The ''secondary sound chamber'' can hold a fixed pitch, in which case the term "drone flute" is sometimes used. The fixed pitch could match the fingering of the main sound chamber with all the finger holes covered, or it could match some other pitch on the main sound chamber.
Alternately, various configurations of finger holes on the two sound chambers can be used, in which case terms such as "harmony flute" or "harmonic flute" are sometimes used.
Extending the concept, Native American flutes with three or more chambers have been crafted. The general term "multiple flute" is sometimes used for these designs.
Dimensions
Some Native American flutes constructed by traditional techniques were crafted using measurements of the body.
The length of the flute was the distance from inside of the elbow to tip of the index finger.
The length of the slow air chamber was the width of the fist.
The distance between the sound hole and first finger hole was the width of the fist.
The distance between finger holes would be the width of a thumb.
The distance from the last finger hole to the end of the flute was the width of the fist.
Flute makers currently use many methods to design the dimensions of their flutes.
This is very important for the location of the finger holes, since they control the pitches of the different notes of the instrument. Flute makers may use calculators to design their instruments, or use dimensions provided by other flute makers.
Materials
Native American flutes were traditionally crafted of a wide range of materials, including
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
( cedar, juniper
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arc ...
, walnut, cherry
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The n ...
, and redwood
Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Cupressaceae. It includes the largest and tallest trees in the world.
Description
The three redwood subfamily genera are '' Sequoia'' from coasta ...
are common),
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
, saw grass, and river cane. Flute makers from indigenous cultures would often use anything that could be converted or made into a long hollow barrel, such as old gun barrels.
Poetic imagery regarding the covenant between flute maker and player
was provided by Kevin Locke in the ''Songkeepers'' video:[
]
Contemporary Native American flutes continue to use these materials, as well as plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adapta ...
s, ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...
, glass
Glass is a non- crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenchin ...
, and more exotic hardwood
Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...
s such as ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...
, padauk, and teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...
.
Various materials are chosen for their aromatic qualities, workability, strength and weight, and compatibility with construction materials such as glue and various finishes. Although little objective research has been undertaken, there are many subjective opinions expressed by flute makers and players about the sound qualities associated with the various materials used in Native American flutes.
Physical and mental benefits of the flute
Heart rate variability
One study that surveyed the physiological effects of playing Native American flutes found a significant positive effect on heart rate variability, a metric that is indicative of resilience to stress.[
]
Music therapy
The Native American flute is still used today in Music Therapy settings.
Known as Ojibwe music, usage of the flute is extremely beneficial for
hospice, cancer, and cardiac patients to assist in managing anxiety, restlessness, fear, and pain.
Flutes can provide a source of rehabilitation and encourage a sense of accomplishment.
It guides patients in taking a deep breath and using controlled exhalations to blow through the flute,
helping with exercising the lungs.[
]
Ergonomics
Contemporary Native American flutes can take ergonomic considerations into account,
even to the point of custom flute designs for individual flute players.
However, the ergonomic issues related to these instruments are not well-studied and
ergonomic designs are not widespread; one study reported that
47–64% of players reported physical discomfort at least some of the time,
while over 10% of players reported moderate discomfort on an average basis.[
]
Sound and tuning
The predominant scale for Native American flutes crafted since the mid-1980s (often called "contemporary Native American flutes") is the pentatonic minor scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale).
Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many an ...
. The notes of the primary scale comprise the
root
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...
,
minor third
In music theory, a minor third is a musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval number). The minor third is one of two com ...
, perfect fourth
A fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions in the music notation of Western culture, and a perfect fourth () is the fourth spanning five semitones (half steps, or half tones). For example, the ascending interval from C to ...
, perfect fifth
In music theory, a perfect fifth is the musical interval corresponding to a pair of pitches with a frequency ratio of 3:2, or very nearly so.
In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is the interval from the first to the last of five ...
, minor seventh, and the octave
In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
.
Recently some flute makers have begun experimenting with different scales, giving players new melodic options.
The pitch standard used by many Native American flutes before the mid-1980s was arbitrary.
However, contemporary Native American flutes are often tuned to a concert pitch standard
so that they can be easily played with other instruments.
The root keys of contemporary Native American flutes span a range of about three and a half octaves, from C2 to A5.
Early recordings of Native American flutes are available from several sources.
Fingering
Native American flutes typically have either five or six finger holes, but any particular instrument may have from zero to seven finger holes. The instrument may include a finger hole covered by the thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...
.
The fingerings for various pitches are not standardized across all Native American flutes. However,
many contemporary Native American flutes will play the primary scale using the fingering shown in the adjacent diagram.
While the pentatonic minor scale is the primary scale on most contemporary Native American flutes,
many flutes can play notes of the chromatic scale
The chromatic scale (or twelve-tone scale) is a set of twelve pitches (more completely, pitch classes) used in tonal music, with notes separated by the interval of a semitone. Chromatic instruments, such as the piano, are made to produce th ...
using cross-fingerings.[
]
Tuning
Native American flutes are available in a wide variety of keys and musical temperaments—far more than typically available for other woodwind
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...
instruments.
Instruments tuned to equal temperament
An equal temperament is a musical temperament or tuning system, which approximates just intervals by dividing an octave (or other interval) into equal steps. This means the ratio of the frequencies of any adjacent pair of notes is the same, ...
are typically available in all keys within the range of the instrument.
Instruments are also crafted in other musical temperaments, such as just intonation
In music, just intonation or pure intonation is the tuning of musical intervals as whole number ratios (such as 3:2 or 4:3) of frequencies. An interval tuned in this way is said to be pure, and is called a just interval. Just intervals (and ...
, and pitch standards, such as A4=432 Hz.
Warble
A distinctive sound of some Native American flutes, particularly traditional flutes, is called a warble (or warbling).
It sounds as if the flute is vacillating back and forth between distinct pitches. However, it is actually the sound of different harmonic components of same sound coming into dominance at different times.
John W. Coltman, in a detailed analysis of flute acoustics, describes two types of warbles in Native American flutes: One "of the order of 20 Hz" caused by a "nonlinearity in the jet current", and a second type "in which amplitude modulation occurs in all partials but with different phases". The first type is analyzed by Coltman in a controlled setting, but he concluded that analysis of the second type of warble "is yet to be explained".[
]
The warble can be approximated by use of vibrato
Vibrato ( Italian, from past participle of " vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms ...
techniques. The phase shift that occurs between different harmonics can be observed on a spectrograph
An optical spectrometer (spectrophotometer, spectrograph or spectroscope) is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify mate ...
of the sound of a warbling flute.
Written music
Written music for the Native American flutes is often in the key of F-sharp minor
F-sharp minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative major is A major and its parallel major is F-sharp major (or enharmonically G-flat major).
...
, although some music is scored in other keys. However, the convention for this music written in F-sharp minor is to use a non-conforming key signature
In Western musical notation, a key signature is a set of sharp (), flat (), or rarely, natural () symbols placed on the staff at the beginning of a section of music. The initial key signature in a piece is placed immediately after the clef a ...
of four sharps, creating what is known as "Nakai tablature".
Note that the use of finger diagrams below the notes that is part a high percentage of written music for the Native American flutes is not necessarily part of Nakai tablature.
The use of a standard key signature for written music that can be used across Native American flutes in a variety of keys classifies the instrument as a transposing instrument
A transposing instrument is a musical instrument for which music notation is not written at concert pitch (concert pitch is the pitch on a non-transposing instrument such as the piano). For example, playing a written middle C on a transposing ...
.
Music
Extensive ethnographic recordings were made by early anthropologists such as Alice Cunningham Fletcher
Alice Cunningham Fletcher (March 15, 1838 in HavanaApril 6, 1923 in Washington, D.C.) was an American ethnologist, anthropologist, and social scientist who studied and documented American Indian culture.
Early life and education
Not much is ...
,
Franz Boas
Franz Uri Boas (July 9, 1858 – December 21, 1942) was a German-American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology". His work is associated with the movements known as historical ...
,
Frank Speck,
Frances Densmore
Frances Theresa Densmore (May 21, 1867 – June 5, 1957) was an American anthropologist and ethnographer born in Red Wing, Minnesota. Densmore is known for her studies of Native American music and culture, and in modern terms, she may ...
,
and Francis La Flesche.
A small portion of these recordings included Native American flute playing.
One catalog lists 110 ethnographic recordings made prior to 1930.
These recordings capture traditional styles of playing the instrument in a sampling of indigenous cultures and settings in which the instrument was used.
However, the legal and ethical issues surrounding access to these early recordings are complex.
Because of incidents of misappropriation of ethnographic materials recorded within their
territories, Indigenous communities today claim a say over whether, how and on what terms
elements of their intangible cultural heritage are studied, recorded, re-used and
represented by researchers, museums, commercial interests and others.[
]
During the period 1930–1960, few people were playing the Native American flute.
However, a few recordings of flute playing during this period are commercially available.
One such recording is by Belo Cozad, a Kiowa flute player who made recordings for the U. S. Library of Congress in 1941.[
]
Revival
During the late 1960s, the United States saw a roots revival of the Native American flute, with a new wave of flutists and artisans such as Doc Tate Nevaquaya, John Rainer, Jr., Sky Walkinstik Man Alone, and Carl Running Deer Carl may refer to:
* Carl, Georgia, city in USA
* Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
*Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name
* Carl², a TV series
* "Carl", an episode of ...
.
The music of R. Carlos Nakai
Raymond Carlos Nakai (born April 16, 1946) is a Native American flutist of Navajo and Ute heritage. Nakai played brass instruments in high school and college, and auditioned for the Armed Forces School of Music after a two-year period in the ...
became popular in the 1980s,
in particular with the release of the album "Canyon Trilogy" in 1989.
His music was representative of a shift in style from a traditional approach to playing the instrument
to incorporate the New-age
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...
genre. Mary Youngblood won two Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s
in the ''Native American Music'' category for her Native American flute music
in 2002 and 2006. She remains the only Native American flutist to be distinguished in this way, as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...
retired the category in 2011.
Today, Native American flutes are being played and recognized by many different peoples and cultures around the world.
Community music
The Native American flute has inspired hundreds of informal community music groups which meet periodically to play music and further their interest in the instrument. These groups are known as '' flute circles''.
Several national organizations have formed to provide support to these local flute circles:
* WFS — World Flute Society
The World Flute Society (WFS), a successor to the International Native American Flute Association, is a non-profit organization dedicated to "musical and cultural expressions of the world's indigenous and folk flute traditions."
WFS has a particul ...
(U.S.A.)
FTF
— FluteTree Foundation (U.S.A.) (formerly RNAFF, Renaissance of the North American Flute Foundation)
JIFCA
— Japan Indian Flute Circle Association (日本インディアンフルートサークル協会) (Japan)
Popular appeal
The Native American flute has gained popularity among flute players, in large part because of its simplicity.
According to a thesis by Mary Jane Jones:[
]
Flutists and composers
Notable and award-winning Native American flutists include: Jan Michael Looking Wolf,
R. Carlos Nakai
Raymond Carlos Nakai (born April 16, 1946) is a Native American flutist of Navajo and Ute heritage. Nakai played brass instruments in high school and college, and auditioned for the Armed Forces School of Music after a two-year period in the ...
,
Charles Littleleaf
Charles Littleleaf, a Native American flute player and flute maker, is a tribal member of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Oregon. Charles is also an honorary member of the Piikani Nation, Alberta, Canada, and is the son of the late Chief ...
,
Joseph Firecrow,
John Two-Hawks,
Kevin Locke,
Aaron White
Aaron White (born 1980) is an American actor and director, his most notable work for '' The Dance: The History of American Minstrelsy'', which he co-wrote and co-directed with Jason Christophe White (no relation). He is also an independent mu ...
, Robert Mirabal and
Mary Youngblood.
A few classical composers have written for the Native American flute, including
James DeMars,
David Yeagley,
Frank Martinez,
Brent Michael Davids
Brent Michael Davids (born June 4, 1959) is an American composer and flautist.
Davids is a member of the Stockbridge Munsee Community, a Native American tribe. He has composed for Zeitgeist, the Kronos Quartet, Joffrey Ballet, the National Symp ...
,
Philip Glass
Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...
,
Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, and
Fabio Mengozzi.
Legal issues
1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act
The 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-644) is a truth-in-advertising law which prohibits misrepresentation in marketing of American Indian or Alaska Native arts and crafts products within the United States. It is illegal to offer or d ...
of the United States criminalized deceptive product-labeling of goods that are ostensibly made by Native Americans.
In the United States, wrongfully claiming that an artifact is crafted by "an Indian" is a felony offense.
The US Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...
explicitly states on its informational website about the Act that, "Under the Act, an Indian is defined as a member of any federally or
State recognized Indian Tribe, or an individual certified as an Indian artisan by an Indian Tribe."
Based on this statute, only a flute fashioned by a person who qualifies as an Indian under the terms of the statute can legally be sold as a "Native American flute" or "American Indian flute".
However, although there is no official public ruling on alternative terms that are acceptable,
it is general practice that any manufacturer or vendor may legally label their work-product by other terms such as "Native American style flute" or "North American flute".
Labels such as "in the style of", or "in the spirit of", or "replica" may also be used.[
]
However, while the Act applies to offering handmade arts and crafts offered to the public for sale, it does not apply to the use of Native American flutes in situations such as performance, workshops, or recording.
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), codified at (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1918 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Canada ...
makes it unlawful (without a waiver) to use materials from species protected by the Act in a musical instrument.
This statute applies to the eagle-bone whistle
The eagle bone whistle is a religious object, used by some members of Native American spiritual societies in sacred ceremonies. They are made from bones of either the American bald eagle or the American golden eagle, and are considered powerful ...
, examples of which might or might not be classified as a Native American flute depending on the particulars of their construction.
Documentaries
*''Songkeepers'' (1999, 48 min.). Directed by Bob Hercules. Produced by Dan King. Lake Forest, Illinois: America's Flute Productions. Five distinguished traditional flute artists – Tom Mauchahty-Ware, Sonny Nevaquaya, R. Carlos Nakai
Raymond Carlos Nakai (born April 16, 1946) is a Native American flutist of Navajo and Ute heritage. Nakai played brass instruments in high school and college, and auditioned for the Armed Forces School of Music after a two-year period in the ...
, Hawk Littlejohn, Kevin Locke – talk about their instrument and their songs and the role of the flute and its music in their tribes.
*''Journey to Zion'' (2008, 44 min.). A documentary by Tim Romero. Santa Maria, California: Solutions Plus. An inspirational documentary about Native flute enthusiasts attending the Zion Canyon Art & Flute Festival located in Springdale, Utah, the gateway to Zion National Park.
See also
* Bamboo musical instruments
* Edge-blown aerophones
* Flute Quest
References
Global Music Awards
External links
Flutopedia
— an Encyclopedia for the Native American Flute.
FluteCast videos
FluteTree Foundation
World Flute Society
Basic Music Theory for the Native American Flute
The Native Flute Handbook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Native American flute
American Indian musical instruments
Fipple flutes
Bamboo flutes
Five tone hole wind instruments
Six tone hole wind instruments