Anyone here have instructions or at least dimensions for making a Fujara? Google that and find some sound clips if you’re not familiar with this fascinating whistle relative. I’ve seen Youtube how-to videos, but I want numbers on hole spacing, windway dimensions, etc. Thanks.
Hi Brewerpaul, welcome to C&F, and the exciting world of whistles. Most of the time people are asking questions that have been repeated many times here. I must say yours about a fujara is refreshingly new. 
Well check back in a while, and perhaps one of the whistle makers here will respond. 
Hi Tommy-- I checked one more place and came up with this:
For a folk instrument, I think he’s a bit finicky, but it looks like a good place to start. This summer, my neighbors may start to wonder about some mysterious new night time sounds in the neighborhood…
I found this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jkixy5sevg sounds cool kind of a cross between a bass whistle, and a dijarado.
Heres another site with several video samples http://www.overtone-flute.info/ The one at the bottom rocks.
New sounds in the neighborhood. Can’t wait.
Here’s a site, though I don’t know if it has the details you’re after:
There’s an amazing carved fujara on Ebay right now
Thing is, I don’t have any idea how to play these. I have one cut on a Romanian Flute album of somebody playing something like this, and it’s amazing, staying up in Irish whistle type register for most of the piece, and at the very end of the piece dropping down a couple octaves to an incredible bass flute sound.
What countries to they play these in? How different are the Romanian and Slovak ones?
To the best of my knowledge the fujara is Slovakian in origin. I’ve messed about with making them. But I have no real idea/experience at what I am doing. The sound is awesome though. If you would like to experiment a bit you can use a low whistle head on a long PVC or aluminum tube with about a 50:1 length to bore ratio to get the sound. It’s basically a long overtone flute - like a tabor pipe. Unless you fold the tube (or use a bocal/windpipe) though you can’t hardly finger them. Love the sound, really mesmerizing.
Feadoggie
This guy has made a “futujara”, a fujara out of plumbing pipe with interchangeable tubes in different keys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vv9OHA1lPw
Inspired by that video, a couple years ago I tried making my own out of 1" PVC. It turned out to be difficult to voice because the sch40 PVC was too thick. Recently I’ve come across a thinner-walled variety of PVC–maybe it’s time to try again?
I don’t know of any proper measurements, nor have I played or examined a genuine instrument, but from my experiments with making low D tabor pipes, and my reading into woodwind acoustics, I’d say that an overtone flute with a bore that wide and long will need BIG holes. I’d try 1/2" or so.
Good luck, and please tell us how it turns out!
[Edited to fix a typo.]
Yes, I’ve never encountered a real fujara either. I’ve had pretty good luck using either 3/4" (nominal) schedule 40 PVC or 1" o.d. aluminum shower curtain rod. Sounding length ended up between 4 and 5 feet depending on the bore. My fujara mouthpiece is based on that of my low D designs as far as the dimensions went. Notes as low as those on the fujara do not really require huge holes but well finished holes will help - they’re still pretty big holes.
I did a quick and dirty version using a Howard head on a shower curtain rod with flexible, clear vinyl tubing as the windpipe. Cool sounds!
Have fun!
Feadoggie
This video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIEu_YAFsJ8 ) mentions the 50:1 ratio (as Feadoggie said), and in the notes there is this:
Each finger hole is fine tuned by adjusting its diameter but these on average are 8-10mm. Positions are 83% 73% and 68% of the length from the fipple sharp edge to the end. Last hole is off centre to fit fingers in a comfortable position.
Paul Marshall and his Bing Bang Bong Junkdojo is probably what got me looking into the Fujara in the first place. I did not follow his design though. I was already familiar with the bugle scale on the whistle. So I rolled my own. But having followed some of his other experiments in the past I would think his measurements are quite good. I did borrow his hose windpipe mechanism rather loosely in my earliest attempts using flexible vinyl.
Cool stuff.
Feadoggie