I’ve made a simple flute, following Doug’s instructions (what a top chap he is). It works ok, although I’m finding it hard to sustain notes. The sound is a lot nicer than the woodnote
How should I position my arms and hands? This flute is a monster, 570mm long, and I seem to need to cramp my hands a lot to seal the holes.
I’ve added a ‘lip plate’ bit to get a better embouchure, as my pipe was only about 2mm. That didn’t work very well until I undercut it a bit. Good thing I have a supply of whittling knives.
I’m glad that you have had some success with my flute-building instructions. I suppose that the low D flute made from 3/4" pvc pipe does feel like a monster if you are not used to holding a flute in your hands. It’s hard for me to remember what it was like to hold a flute for the first time. I think that everything will feel more "normal’ once you get used to it. Size is a relative thing. If you are accustomd to playing a high D pennywhistle, then the low D flute must seem very large in comparison, but the other extreme is also true. After I play one of the larger low flutes for some time, when I again pick up the standard low D flute, it feels really small. I also have an silver alto flute, which has low G as its lowest note. Just try holding that and playing it for while and then picking up the standard concert flute. Another analogy is that runners use weights in their shoes while they are training so that on race day, without the weights, they feel like they can run effortlessly. We soon adapt to new conditions.
I had a similar experience with cars. After having a wreck with a smaller car (Ford Escort), I decided that I wanted a little larger car with a little more steel around me. I remember when I first bought the Buick, it felt like a huge car to me. I had a hard time parking, etc. Now I’m so used to the Buick that when I get into a smaller car, I wonder how I drove a 1973 Honda Civic (smaller than the present Civic) for 20 years.
Wife has returned from holiday. She has a tenor recorder, so I decided that I should compare some notes on the flute I made with the recorder.
to my surprise, the notes on the flute were miles out. They sound ok, but aren’t the notes they should be according to the fingering chart on doug’s website. About 3 notes out I’d say.
I double-checked measurements, and the holes in the flute are in the right place.
Very odd.
Probably a moot point, as I’m going to try a friend’s keyed ‘concert’ flute and decide whether to get one of those or a keyless irish type.
The best way to make one of these PVC flutes is to do it gradually and with a tuner. My advice is this: Cut your main tube about 1/2" longer than the directions say and gradually cut rings off the end until you get the low D (with your tuner). Then drill a small hole where the directions say it should be and test for the E. If it’s right on (it won’t be) drill the correct sized hole with the top edge equal to the top edge of the small hole. If it’s sharp, do the same thing, but undercut the trailing edge (this is the worst situation). If it’s flat, drill your new hole centered on the old hole. This should get you pretty close. It will take a few tries to make one that’s “perfect”.The problem, I suspect, is that PVC is almost never exactly the same size, so any instructions are really just “guidelines”. Doug, correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t you turn the PVC inside and out to get a uniform size?
Pat
P.S. There are all kinds of undercutting and tweaking issues that you’ll run into as well!
Pat’s idea of starting with a longer length between the embouchure hole and the end of the flute than what is indicated is a good plan for your initial flutes. After finishing the embouchure hole, you can blow a test note for the fundamental pitch of the flute with no finger holes drilled. Because the length is longer than needed, the flute with play slightly flat. Then, checking with a tuner or other reference pitch as you go, start removing material (rings) from the end of the flute, little by little, until you approach standard pitch.
I wouldn’t try to compare notes between a tenor recorder (C) and an Irish flute (D). The fingering on the two instruments is different, and it is easy to get confused. Of course, if you get the fingering correct, a D on the recorder will match the D on the Irish flute, which goes without saying.
By the way, I have found that Pete Kosel’s flute calculator to be quite accurate if you enter all of the variables precisely. I give the link to this calculator at the bottom of my website page about making an Irish flute. To use the calculator, you need to know the inside diameter of the pipe. I use a dial caliper and measure the diameter to the nearest .001". Using the caliper I measure the wall thickness, also to the nearest .001". The finger hole diameters also need to be entered. I convert fractional drill bit sizes (3/8") to decimal equivalents (.375"). However, just because a drill bit says 3/8" on the shank of the bit, it doesn’t mean that it will drill a finished finger hole that is exactly 3/8". After I drill the finger holes I need to smooth them with hand files (coarse and fine), and I know from experience that the finished hole diameter for the 3/8" bit just mentioned will average around .381" rather than .375". So, when I use the flute calculator, I use the diameter of the finished holes rather that the exact decimal equivalents.
The online Kosel flute calculator will calculate the position of the finger holes and will express that in inches, if all of the other measurements were in inches. Needless to say, you can also enter all of the measurements in the metric system. To make it easier for me to layout the holes on the flute body, I use an online length calculator to convert finger hole postions from inches to milimeters. For example, 11.654 inches becomes 296 milimeters, an easier number to work with.
I tried that calculator, and it only gave measurements for 1 or 2 of the finger holes. Doesn’t seem to like working in millimeters.
The pipe I used was 17mm diameter with 2mm wall thickness. Could that affect the notes so much? I know you use thicker pipe with 22mm internal diameter.
Wife was blowing recorder and is fairly clear on her fingering. More likely for me to get it wrong
I might see if I can get a length of fatter pipe from plumber’s merchant. It’s sold by external diameter here, and common sizes are 15, 22, 28.
I could make a smaller flute, but then wife and daughter would play it all the time. They can play already, and I find it very dispiriting when they pick up and instrument and rattle off a tune, when I’m battling to get a consistent note out of it. Neither of them can reach the holes on the low D flutes, so it’s all mine, all mine. The Low flutes are also easier on the eardrums when played in a very confined space.
If the Kosel flute calculator doesn’t give an answer for a finger hole, it means that you have entered numbers that are not reasonable. Naturally, you need to make sure that all of your numbers are in the same units. You can’t mix metric and English units, as a lot of people who write me have tried to do.
Yes. There is a large difference in cross-sectional area between those two pipe sizes. Area is a function of the square of the radius. You need to use the flute calculator if you want to use a different pipe size. By the way, you can make a good low D flute with the pipe you mention, but the low D will not be as robust as on the larger-bore pipe.
I can reliably hit all the other notes in the bottom octave, but not the low D.
I’ll try that online tuner later, see what it says I have.
wrt to the calculator, I was careful to use the right units - just had a second look, didn’t realise I have to input the hole diameters. Got it working now.
