I’ve read a few webpages on how to make PVC flutes yet I’m not clear on what the embouchure should look like. Since no one has gone to any trouble to describe it, I assume I just drill a straight hole. I thought that there
had to be a wedge somewhere for the air to pass over, but I guess I could believe it works like blowing over a Coke bottle. Could someone confirm this before I start hacking away ?
Thanks!
Here are some close-ups of some of Terry McGee’s embouchure holes. Scroll down the page a bit.
A straight-down round hole does in fact work. It is used
on several traditional instruments.
There are other cuts that probably work a bit better, but
which are hard to do in wood and not usually attempted
in PVC. You might try drilling so that the edge you blow
against is slightly sharper than the one you blow from.
Anything more is probably best done in wood.
– Don
The short and easy answer is that yes, you just drill a hole. A flute has no blade like a whistle - it’s side blown with the far edge being essentially the blade.
In reality, a good embouchure requires a significant amount of skill to produce consistently. Some flutes have a round embouchure hole, others more of an oval, still others a rounded rectangle or flat out square.
The sharpess of the embouchure’s edges, any angle you cut into it - both will change how the flute responds.
Since you’re making PVC flutes, it’s cheap to experiment away with embouchure design.
Eric
Doug Tipple talks about undercutting the embouchure to make a wedge (or blade) to blow against. Google his name and you’ll find the instructions on his website. I asked the same question when I first contemplated making a flute and got no good reply. Since then, I’ve made a couple of easy to blow (though way out of tune) flutes this way. I’m actually contemplating a trip to the hardware store to make some more. My big question is still how much of the hole to undercut. Is it just a small radii or 25% or half of the thing. Hopefully we’ll all know some day.