Make your own flute!

Want to make your own bamboo flute? You can! 

On the 14th of June, I'll be putting on a workshop on flutemaking for beginners. This class will cover how to make a side -blown bamboo flute. 

There are no age restrictions, and all are welcome to attend! The class will take place at Beautiful Bamboo farm, a couple miles outside Groveland, Fl.

The address is 18404 State Road 19, Groveland, FL 34736.

The class will run from 9:30 am till 3:00 pm. Show up anytime between 9:30 and 2:00, and you can walk away with your own bamboo flute, made by you!

The cost per participant is $40, which covers everything you need including:

The bamboo itself, the tools and materials, and accessories such as bindings and beads. 

I will walk the participants through the process of:

-Choosing the flute blank they will use, according to which musical key they wish their flute to be

-Creating the embouchure (the tone hole which you blow into)

-Trimming the cane to the correct length, so the flute will be tuned correctly

-Finding where to place the finger holes (those used to actually play the flute)

-Creating the finger holes, and finishing the tone hole

-Sanding and oiling the almost finished flute

-Binding and decorating the flute!

Now it's done! The flute is finished and ready to play! 

If interested, please reserve a spot by shooting me an email at flutesbyryan@gmail.com

Or by texting 719-252-4485. 

Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

-Ryan

G Major Flutes For $35

Bamboo flute in G major - $35

These flutes come in the key of G major, which is one of the most common keys to play in. 
They have good volume, and a sweet voice! Being well-tuned to themselves, they are good for playing on your own, or with percussion instruments such as a drum!

I handpick each bamboo cane that I use to make my flutes with. Each one has to meet my standard, and specifications before I'll use it. The variety of bamboo I chose to use is called Baby Blue Bamboo. It gives me nice thin walls for good volume, and long sections between the nodes for ease of tuning.

Every flute is slightly different, making each piece unique. The color pattern will vary from flute to flute.

Each flute comes with a binding on the lower end, helping prevent the chance of cracking/fluctuating, due to changes in humidity and temperature. 
Coconut oil is used to finish the outside of the bore, which helps prevent damage from moisture.

These flutes may be purchased by contacting me at flutesbyryan@gmail.com. 

A little bit about me...

Hi! I'm Ryan! Budding Flutemaker/player, instrument craftsman and bamboo lover!

Welcome to my corner of the world! =)

My journey into the flutemaking world has been an awesome adventure. Not only have I learned and am always learning neat new things; I'm also meeting great people, and making great connections! 

My adventure started around late January/early February of 2013, and has since rocketed me into a hobby that is quickly becoming a lifestyle. When I started out, I didn't even know how to keep a flute in my hands, much less be able to get any sound out it. 

I originally got started by making big whistles called Low Whistles out of PVC piping, based on designs I had found on the internet.

Let me tell you, whistles are MUCH easier to play than standard "side-blown" flutes. 

They just don't compare though, when you consider the limited range and expression of a whistle; versus the versatility and strong, sweet voice of a side-blown flute. 

By summer of 2013, I had several low whistles, a side-blown flute and a rim-blown flute (of a special Japanese design).

Having made these, and wanting to learn more about PVC, I started really researching it on the web. What I found startled me: PVC is full of all kinds of toxins, none of which I want/need near my mouth and lungs!

Surprised, I sadly thought that my days of affordable flute-making were at an end. 

All those hours I had spent in the garage learning had been wasted. Or so I thought...

I started looking for a safe, non-toxic alternative to PVC. It needed to be of the right diameter, round, and hollow. 

Lucky for me, I stumbled across bamboo flutes during one of my online quests. 

The answer to my problem was clear! Bamboo! Of course!

Natural, non-toxic, the same general shape that I needed, and beautiful!

I found a place called Beautiful Bamboo Farm just a couple minutes down the road from where I lived. What luck! 

I made a call to the nursery, and set up an appointment. Next morning bright and early, I was out there checking out their setup. I was greeted by the manager, and after I explained what I was looking for, she pointed me right to what I needed! I took home some canes, and started figuring how to work with bamboo. So now, 11 months later, I not only know how to make beautiful flutes from bamboo, I also work at the nursery where my bamboo quest started!! :)

And the adventure is only starting.... =D