SCF Flute Book

Southern Cross Flutes A Native American Style Flute Guide By Todd Chaplin

WWW.SOUTHERNCROSSFLUTES.COM

Southern Cross Flutes

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Published by Southern Cross Flutes LTD

Copyright © 2010 Todd Chaplin All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

www.southerncrossflutes.com


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PREFACE Dear Reader I am delighted that you have chosen one of my flutes and/or this book. The inspiration comes from knowing that I would not be crafting if I didn‟t feel a sense of devotion to those who play the Native American Style Flute (NAF), or are curious about it. Southern Cross Flutes is the name I gave to the spirit behind these flute creations; the constellation that captivates my imagination under the stars in the Southern Hemisphere. The flute captivates my heart and spirit. Having returned to New Zealand in late 2010, after a year of fulfilling an apprenticeship under two amazing craftsmen, Matt Shooting Star and Guillermo Martinez, I feel the time and place now fitting to write this guide and craft these instruments, in my home back-yard of New Zealand under the Southern Cross. All of what I have learned has been due to the devoted guidance of my two mentors; kind and compassionate men who opened their lives to share their craft. It is to these two great people, I offer my greatest respects, for the fruit of what lies in front of me comes from their willingness to share. The Native American Style Flutes I craft are played by many people, for many purposes. Some play for heartfelt expressions or musical outburst; some for the deep resonating tones that soften the mind and bring peace, and some play for the healing and well-being of others. Whatever the reason, these flutes move the heart and mind. In this book I have outlined some of the historical, cultural, and contemporary aspects of the flute, a beginner‟s guide to flute playing and maintenance, and a limited amount on music notation for flute. I have chosen to provide resources online for more detailed music notation and songs. This is also in an effort to reduce printing and paper usage, and support those who have undertaken efforts to bring information to the community already.

Always, with dedication and respect,

Todd Chaplin



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CONTENTS CONTENTS Preface............................................................................................................................................. 3 Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Origins............................................................................................................................................. 5 Kokopelli ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Today‟s NAF World......................................................................................................................... 9 Your Flute Starter Guide ................................................................................................................10 Flute Care ....................................................................................................................................... 17 Flute Tuning...................................................................................................................................18 Flute Music .................................................................................................................................... 19 Write Your Own Music ................................................................................................................. 23 NAF Resources.............................................................................................................................. 27



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ORIGINS As much of our world‟s antiquity rests in the past, without a means of being accurately documented, we come to rely on accounts of oral transmission, legends, myths, rock art, and intuition. As Native American tribes orally passed down their stories, their teachings, and myths, and with the assimilation programs and reservation system for their cultures, a significant portion of the truth of the past remains there, in the past. What we have however are some legends, some fascinating stories, some rock art, and a present day popularization of a flute that is based, to some degree, on its historical ancestor. Traveler‟s journals from the 1400s tell tales of flutes being played by tribes, but no specifics of materials or design is mentioned. We do know that woods such as ash, box alder, and cane were widely used, but cedar was the most commonly wood used to craft a flute. What stands firmly in place is a similarity between various tribes, and that is that the flute was a gift from the “Great Spirit”, or “Creator”. We learn a legend concerning the flute from a Cheyenne tribe. It goes: “It is told that the first flute came to us by way of a young Indian boy who was lost, wandering alone in the forest. It was there, deep in the forest, that the Great Spirit saw him. Having pity on one so young, he decided to give him a gift so that he would not be alone. From the heavens he sent a small bird to sit upon a hollow branch of a large tree. Underneath the shade of the tree sat the young Indian boy. As the brisk northern wind blew through the hollow branch, it produced a sound which he had never heard before. Looking up he saw a bird perched high in the tree. Soon the bird began to peck holes into the branch and with each hole that the bird made, it changed the pitch of each note as the wind continued to blow. The young boy realised that the beautiful sound came from the hollow branch and that it was a gift to him from the Great Spirit. He carefully climbed the tree to reach the branch and gently broke off the branch. He blew into it, imitating the northern wind, thereby making the beautiful sound. Later he would find his people and tell them about his wonderful gift. This is how the first flute was brought to us by the Great Spirit, and also why the small bird sits atop each flute.” As told to Jim McDonald by Bushy From the Sioux tribal arts we learn of a flute used in „courting‟, and unfortunately this is a tradition that has not continued to develop into the 20th century by the succeeding generations. However, what I feel is that through the discoveries a person makes with their flute, they themselves can relive a tradition, and experience its beauty in the present day.



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This legend is from [Deloria 1961], pages 1-6, transcribed here from Edward Wapp's thesis ([Wapp 1984]). I read this account from Mr. Tim R. Crawford‟s, “Flute Magic”, listed on the Flute Music page. The origin of the courting-flute is thus, they say. Among the people there was a youth who wished to court girls, but alas, he loved only one maiden, they say. It came to pass that he met her at the watering-place, but the maiden only laughed at him and said: "Who do you think you are? That I should marry one such as you, a dweller among the tents without a home, is absurd!" And with wicked words she reviled him and caused him to feel much shame. For, indeed, this maiden was a chief's daughter; and looked with abhorrence upon the poor boy. It came to pass that the youth thought: "She has brought me great shame; it would be just as well if I died immediately." So at dawn he shot an arrow northward and walked following it. In the evening as he was about to stop to rest, he found a fat deer impaled by the arrow which he shot. He took a piece of the flesh, roasted it and ate. After he had eaten, the ache in his heart was somewhat eased; and being very tired he soon slept. So it was for four days: at dawn he would shoot an arrow and at dusk he would find a deer killed by the arrow. He would butcher the animal, roast the meat and eat, until finally he felt a little more cheerful. As he sat alone on the fourth evening he thought, "I guess I might as well go home," but suddenly he heard human voices coming from a grove of trees. Expecting the worst he thought, "Even if they kill me, what of it! It is death that I seek." But as they drew near and their voices grew clear he heard that they were speaking Dakota. One of the two said, "Friend, you give it to him," but the other replied, "No, friend, you give it to him." Again the first spoke: "Friend, you properly tell him." Again the other refused, "But, no, friend, you tell him." At last they stopped just within the circle of fire light, and wonder of wonders, the boy saw that they were unsurpassably handsome young men, and as they stood there, their bodies seemed to emit glimmering light. Finally one spoke saying: "Boy, to be sure we know that you have much pain in your heart, but a second time this will never be so - listen well!" They had with them a long flute and one began to play. From the mouth of this flute, which was made like that of the gar, came a sweet, piercing sound. Then they said to him, "Take this along with you, boy, and go home. At midnight when the people are sleeping, walk through the camp playing this flute, and it will surely happen that all the women will get up and follow you." Then the two handsome young www.southerncrossflutes.com


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men turned around and, lo and behold, the boy saw two elks disappear among the trees. The boy returned home, and as the people slept, he walked among the tents playing on the flute. As the music filled the air, the women all arose from the beds and, dragging their blankets, began to follow him. They crowded around him, but he ignored them all, so entranced by the wonderful music was he. One girl accosted him repeatedly saying, "Say, don't you remember me? I am the chief's daughter." But he heard only the sound of the wonderful music which came from the mouth of the flute. One girl, however, didn't join the throng. She only sat alone quietly in her lodge. And it was she that the youth sought out and married. It is said that this boy was the original elk. Among the Dakotas the elk is symbolic of masculine beauty, virility, virtue, and charm. It is sometimes said of a man that he is an elk. This is a great compliment.

i Sioux Courting Flute. Pipestone. The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889 (89.4.3371)

For more definitive text and serious musical research, I suggest reading up on Frances Densmore, and Natalie Curtis. This chapter has served to shine some factual and legendary light on the subject of these flutes, keeping the spirit light and easy.



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KOKOPELLI “Known as a fertility god, prankster, healer and story teller, Kokopelli has been a source of wonder throughout the country for centuries. Kokopelli embodies the true American Southwest, and dates back over 3,000 years ago, when the first petroglyphs were carved. Although his true origins are unknown, this traveling, flute-playing Casanova is a sacred figure to many Southwestern Native Americans. Carvings of this hunch-backed flute-playing figure have been found painted and carved into rock walls and boulders throughout the Southwest. There are many myths of the famous Kokopelli. One of which is that he traveled from village to village bringing the changing of winter to spring; melting the snow and bringing about rain for a successful harvest. It is also said that the hunch on his back depicted ii scstainedglass.com the sacks of seeds and songs he carried. Legend also has it that the flute playing also symbolized the transition of winter to spring. Kokopelli‟s flute is said to be heard in the spring‟s breeze, while bringing warmth. It is also said that he was the source of human conception. Legend has it; everyone in the village would sing and dance throughout the night when they heard Kokopelli play his flute. The next morning, every maiden in the village would be with child. Whatever the true meaning of Kokopelli is, he has been a source of music making and dancing, and spreading joy to those around him. Even today, Kokopelli, with his hunchback and flute, is always welcome in our homes.” (Sourced from kokopelli.com) The first known images of him appear on Hohokam pottery dated to sometime between AD 750 and AD 850. Kokopelli is also seen on ancient petroglyphs in the South West, USA, the earliest dating back to 1000AD.

iii western-wall-art.com



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TODAY‟S NAF WORLD As a New Zealander, I had never met another „fluter‟ until I went to Australia in 2010. Matt Shooting Star, my first teacher, was also my first flute friend. It wasn‟t until I left for the U.S.A. in April, 2010, that I entered into a fabulously vibrant and open NAF community. How lucky and excited did I feel! I met my NAF hero, Mary Youngblood; I camped in the desert and for weeks played music with great friends and we climbed in the mountains where the wild bears listened, and canyons echoed our sounds. It was a dream and only now when I reflect back on this life, do I feel such a deep sense of happiness for the NAF flute world. Today the NAF is played widely throughout the world, but mainly in the U.S.A. where NAF communities exist in most States. Fluters gather monthly at flute circles, where people share their new flutes, their new songs, where they play together and experience the beauty of their flutes and their souls. There are also many professional recording artists, all whom are caring and open people, who often teach flute workshops and give one-on-one lessons. You can visit the NAF Flute School, camp in the desert of Utah and play flutes with great fluters, and develop your flute and drum skills. If Utah is not an option, they run a week workshop in New York State. Clint Goss and his partner Vera, two amazing musicians, flute lovers, and facilitators of great times and musical wonder, run this program. I recommend jumping on their ship if you‟re in the U.S.A. Here in Wellington we have our own flute community and flute circle developing and growing, be sure to check in on my website for updates. Visit worldflutes.org to see a list of NAF communities and flute circles.

iv Zion Flute & Drum Festival



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YOUR FLUTE STARTER GUIDE Grab your flute and let‟s get started. This guide will soon have you producing beautiful sounds with your flute. Let patience and sensitivity be your guide. When you finish playing, remove the totem to allow the air chamber to dry.

FLUTE ANATOMY

TOTEM SETUP

Adjust the totem chimney up to edge of the true sound hole to create clear sound, there's a sweet spot, so have a play around to get it right, and tighten the leather strap. When condensation develops under totem (can be after 5 minutes of playing), remove totem and wipe clean, and blow out excess. Blow excess using sharp and powerful exhalations via the mouth piece, this will blow the spit out of the air hole (the round hole that the totem covers).

Incorrect totem placement. Totem too far back from true sound hole. sound hole. www.southerncrossflutes.com

Correct totem placement. Totem about flush with edge of true


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HOLDING TECHNIQUE Left hand up, right hand down. No use of little fingers or thumbs to cover holes. Little finger and thumb can be used to „brace‟, or grip/hold the side of the flute. Keep the flute held at roughly 45°; this will lift your chin to provide an open air flow from your lungs, through the neck region, and out your mouth. Keep your lips over the mouthpiece of the flute.

FINGER POSITION/HOLE COVERING Be sure to use the pads of your fingers to cover the holes, as this allows for greater and accurate hole coverage. Relax your fingers :) Feel the vibrations underneath your fingertips.

Incorrect finger placement. Uses tips of fingers over holes.


Correct finger placement. Uses flat pads of fingers over holes.


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YOUR FIRST SCALE – THE BASIC SCALE This fingering pattern will give you a great start to playing your own beautiful harmonies. Start with all fingers down, and one by one, following the pattern, to a slow and consistent timing, remove your fingers. Get the feel for your breath, the deep tone of the flute, and the connection your fingers have in producing the sound. You can play up and down this scale, one finger or more at a time. Your left ring finger will stay on all the time while playing this scale. Experiment, you‟ll discover its simplicity and beauty quickly. v Basic Scale Fingering: Black holes covered, white are open. Practice and repeat...

YOUR NEXT STEP WITH THE BASIC SCALE Play one note for the duration of one full breath. Do this up and down the basic scale. This will help you listen to the quality of the note, and feel the quality of breath required. Play while repeatedly lifting one finger up and down slowly. Repeat the same finger a few times, and then move to up the scale to the next finger. This will help create finger coordination and rhythm. Remember to stop and breathe often. Play the above exercise, lifting two fingers off each time. This will help coordinate movements of more than one finger. Practice the first exercise, but do it while increasing and decreasing the pressure of your breath, thus changing the volume of the sound produced. This will give you a sense of the effect of varied breath pressure, and how changing volume can be used to create effects and beauty in your playing. Keep your fingers hovering close to your flute, don‟t flick them off and lift them high. It makes it harder for that finger to find its hole to cover when it comes back down. I recommend practicing like this for 5-10 minutes, cleaning out your flute if condensation develops. Explore with these activities and develop your own practice skills and techniques. The above exercise will serve you in „feeling out‟ your flute. I recommend highly the art of just sitting and playing randomly, according to your own disposition. This will serve you in finding your www.southerncrossflutes.com


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„intuitive‟ player, which lies within you. Playing the flute need not be complicated, nor should it require written music to follow. If you‟d like help we can SKYPE and play together. BASIC SCALE PRACTICE - FINGERINGS Practice the following scale, at a moderate to slow tempo. Arrows indicate convenient inbreaths.

Follow the beat, 1 & 2 & 3 & 4. Practice accurate note changes when using two fingers at a time. Develop your own rhythm to this melody. Experiment. Be mindful of your breathing.



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BEYOND THE BEGINNINGS Playing your environment. Look at the hill/horizon/ or tree line. Start with a low structure and play a low note, as the hill line ascends start playing high pitched notes. The higher your get up the hill the higher the note you play. And as the hill line descends, start playing lower notes again. This will help you read your external environment and play what it tells you. You can be the judge for how long to spend on each note. ADVANCED TECHNIQUES AND EMBELLISMENTS Over Blowing: Over blowing allows you to jump an octave, which is going from a low pitched tone with all fingers covering the holes, to a higher frequency of the same note, still with all fingers covering the six holes. On your flute it‟s likely that you can over blow only two notes: with all fingers down, and with five fingers down. To over blow, gain a steady tone while covering all the holes, then slowly increase the volume till you hear your flute jump up an octave, to a higher pitched note. Practice this to maintain this pitch for five seconds or so. Practice removing your lowest finger while over blowing. To do this you must maintain the same breath pressure. Once you have learned to Trill, combine this technique with over blowing, trilling the lowest note (with you right hand ring finger). This is a nice embellishment. Lift Off: A lift off is a common technique used by many flute players. It creates a sudden „pop‟ or burst of sound, particularly at the end of a song. It really defines the end of a song, and of course can be used at anytime while playing. To do so requires a sudden burst of volume, similar to exclaiming „WHAT‟, while removing two or more fingers simultaneously. Practice as follows. Blow steady with all fingers down. Give a blast of breath and remove your bottom two fingers. Once you‟ve the hang of this, try with three fingers, and then, with all fingers while keeping your left ring finger down (the latter exercise has the greatest effect). Listen to your favourite flute music again to identify this sound. Mary Youngblood‟s “Within My Heart” has an exact example at the end of the song. Vibrato: This effect is common with singers and most wind instrument players. By creating vibrations in your breath pressure, you produce a note itself that is vibrating, from high-low tones. This embellishment effects music beautifully.



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To do so, there are a few methods, the best being by using your diaphragm to create pulsations in your breath. Put your hand on your belly, and laugh quickly “HA HA HA HA HA”. Can you feel the pulsated exhalations? Much practice is required here. Secondly, you can use your lips or checks to create pulsations of air that produce the same effect. Not the best method, but I like it. Listen to your favourite flute music again to identify this sound. Mary Youngblood‟s “Within My Heart” is a good place to start. Trill: Trilling is the rapid fire raising and lowering of one or more fingers. Practice first trilling with your bottom finger, then practice the Basic Scale with this technique, moving up and down the scale. Practice trilling with more than one finger, and also by alternating the volume of breath while trilling. Listen to your favourite flute music again to identify this sound. Flutter Tonguing: This technique uses the tongue to produce a rapidly alternating sound on one note. The tip of your tongue will quickly touch the roof of your mouth. Remember seeing kids making machine gun sounds with their mouths? It‟s a bit like this „ta-ka-ta-ka-ta-ka‟, just wickedly fast! Practice by blowing steadily with all holes covered, and quickly flutter you tongue against the roof of your mouth. Practice removing fingers one at a time while fluttering. Bending/Sliding: This embellishment is created by peeling one or more fingers off, or back onto, their respective holes, very slowly. It gives the sound of the note „bending‟ to the next note. It is important to achieve a smooth transition between notes. I like to think of my finger rolling over onto the hole, and peeling off.



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A NEW SCALE Below is another scale I enjoy playing. Practice this and enjoy improvising by changing the fingering pattern within the scale and making your own rhythm.

MORE SCALES If you feel like exploring with more scales, Clint Goss has a great Scales page at: http://www.flutopedia.com/scales.htm My website has a PDF version of the above: http://www.southerncrossflutes.com/fluteinfo.htm PLAYING WITH OTHERS I love playing with other people, it helped me expand my flute skills, get out of playing ruts where I‟ve been stuck on the same melody forever, and also, it brings so much joy to everyone. Flutes play so well with piano, guitar, drums, and…other flutes! When playing with other fluters, select flutes in the same key or in keys that harmonize well together. These generally are flutes that have a fundamental note that is 3 or 5 steps apart. That is, your “A” flute will play well with their “E” flute, or “D” flute. The flute wheel will provide you with this information regarding matching flutes that harmonize well. Clint Goss has a chart for matching flute and guitar chords too.



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FLUTE CARE Caring for your flute is simple. There is no need to oil or wax your flute, however you are welcome to if you so choose. Keep your flute out of hot environments and especially prolonged direct sunlight, as this will cause splitting in the wood joins and can potentially warp the wood. The main care required, you will notice, is „wetting out‟ our flute. Wetting out is required as condensation builds up under the totem. This is because warm air from your lungs mixes with the cooler air in the environment, and as the flute is cool, condensation develops within the slow air chamber. This can happen after 3 minutes of playing or sometimes 15 minutes. As you improve your playing you will notice less condensation develops. To wet out, I recommend removing the totem, wiping dry the underside of the totem, then giving 4-5 powerful blows into the mouthpiece. This will blow the condensation out the air hole. You can also shake your flute, grab hold over the finger holes and really swing it so the condensation will fly out the mouthpiece. After playing I recommend removing the totem and allowing your flute to dry.

With Dan DiCicco from Loping Wolf, Grass Valley, CA.2010.



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FLUTE TUNING Your flute is tuned to the Pentatonic Minor Scale, to the concert standard 440Hz. Your flute cannot change its tuning, it‟s in tune with itself. Changes in your environment, temperature, and your breath pressure will alter the pitch, as it was tuned while in a 72F room playing to my breath pressure. So the Pentatonic Minor Scale…why this scale you wonder? Well I think flute makers and players in the past just found a scale which seemed to „fit‟ the mood of the flute. That is, this scale plays a deep, haunting and harrowing sound, which seems to be what a lot of people enjoy experiencing with their flutes. The notes of your flute progress up from the fundamental in the following steps: 1 ½ - 1 – 1 – 1 – ½ - 1. The fundamental is the lowest note you can play on your flute, which is with all 6 holes covered. We select the notes from the Chromatic Scale, which contains the 12 notes: C-C#-D-D#-E-F-F#-G-G#-A-A#-B-C So if you have an F # flute, the notes you can play up the scale will be: F# - A – B – C# - D# - E – F#

Robert Gatliff of Flute Tree writes here on the tuning myth: http://www.flutetree.com/nature/MythPentatonic.html



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FLUTE MUSIC I‟m sure you‟re wondering, “so is there written music for this flute of mine”? There sure is, plenty of it, and also there‟s a simple way of reading and writing this music too. The following music has been legally reproduced from Flutetree (www.flutetree.com), for personal use only. Please visit Flutetree for an understanding of their policy on content. For more great arrangements, visit Flutetree, as you are also able to listen to recordings of some pieces. Enjoy 

http://www.flutetree.com/songbook/contemporary/CherokeeMorningSong.html




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http://www.flutetree.com/songbook/contemporary/AmazingGrace.html


http://www.flutetree.com/songbook/contemporary/DakotaLoveSong1.html


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http://www.flutetree.com/songbook/contemporary/PokarekareAna.html


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WRITE YOUR OWN MUSIC The following table provides you with blank flutes for which you can „fill in the dots‟, as done on the previous pages in the songs Amazing Grace etc. This is a great way to record your melodies, songs, or practice routines. The blank line below each flute is useful to write the „time signature‟, that is, how many counts (1, 2, 3, or 4) you want to hold each note for. Have a look at the songs on the previous page to get an idea. When I started out playing the flute I carried a blank sheet like this everywhere, just incase I wanted to record a melody down. The following 2 pages contain more blank sheets, useful to print out.




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The following will give you some more pointers about playing, listening, and reading flute music. a) Learn about Nakai Tab online and how to read and play it, then go to: http://www.flutetree.com/songbook/contemporary/IntroTab.html b) Quickly find a song to play from the www: http://www.flutetree.com/songbook/contemporary/index.html c) Find a book with plenty of flute music & exercises written in Nakai Tab: Flute Magic: An Introduction to the Native American Flute, by Tim.R Crawford. The Art of the Native American Flute, by Carlos Nakai. http://oregonflutestore.com/home/of1/multilist_26/song_books.html d) Find another simple way to record/write down songs you play: http://www.flutopedia.com/snaft.htm e) Learn about Song Composition: http://www.flutopedia.com/comp_techniques.htm Flute Magic: An Introduction to the Native American Flute, by Tim.R Crawford. f) Find online exercises to make your fingers really play: http://www.flutopedia.com/dexterity.htm g) Play along to video tutorials of mine: http://www.southerncrossflutes.com/playingvideos.htm h) Jam along with tracks made especially for NAF players  :These are amazing – I love all four albums  http://www.naftracks.com/ As I love the music of Mary Youngblood so much, I recommend listening to her music, and if you wish, selecting one of her song books to buy. You‟ll have no problem reading and playing along to her incredible fluting. The album that has touched my heart and life more than any other is The Indian Road: Best of Native American Flute Music. I wish you all a wonderful life full of prosperity, and trust that your flute brings you great joy, and you follow your heart.



NAF RESOURCES NAF COMMUNITIES http://www.nativefluteschool.com/ http://www.worldflutes.org/ FLUTE PLAYING RESOURCES http://www.flutopedia.com http://www.flutetree.com/ http://www.southerncrossflutes.com NAF HISTORY AND ORIGINS http://www.flutetree.com/links/Essays.html http://www.flutopedia.com/dev_flutes_northamerica.htm http://www.kokopelli.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokopelli

FLUTE PLAYERS & MUSIC MAKERS http://www.maryyoungblood.com/

Coyote Oldman

http://www.rcarlosnakai.com/

Lawrence Laughing

http://www.cedarnsagemusic.com/

Robert Mirabal

http://www.cornellk.com/

Bamboo Cedar Oak

http://www.clintgoss.com/

FLUTE SELLERS http://www.gandharvaloka.co.nz/ (Lovingly displays and sells my flutes) http://www.oregonflutestore.com/ (My favourite online flute store) http://www.quetzalcoatlmusic.org/ (My teacher Guillermo Martinez)


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SCF Flute Book

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