A passion for flutes and rattles. My journey with these beautiful instruments or tools has moved through the early inspirations of my shamanic path, the self learned improvised playing of the native flute throughout the emergence of my own shamanic practice and ceremonies. Now, I am making both flutes, ocarinas and rattles from the beautiful indigenous trees of the UK. Join me as I humbly develop my playing, flute making and everything related to these captivating instruments that re-ignited passion and belonging within my soul.
Awesome flutes you have there!! and great video!!! I'm just starting out with making my own flutes....and I absolutely love it. It is so relaxing making a flute. I'm sticking with the 5 hole right now.
Horses for courses and it’s just my opinion but I can’t help but feel it’s just not what this flute was ever intended for. To me it just doesn’t fit. Thanks for your comment 🌳🙏
This was an excellent tutorial - just started my journey with the North American Style flute since Feb of this yr . I learned a lot in this video - watched the first 2 as well . But there was a lot of material here. You asked for suggestions - perhaps when illustrating the pop and bending - to do it in slow motion as well might be helpful . I will certainly be rewatching this video several times till I get it flowing . ❤ from Canada
Thanks for your great tips again Robert! Could you please make a video where you explain how in particular the NAF has healing capabilities. How does it work? I haven't been able to find anything more on this toppic than relating the different keys to the seven chacras. Would love to hear a more in depth explanation.
I can help here from a shamanic perspective one day, more so than a sound healing perspective but yes, different frequencies can effect different energy centres.
i have been learning an Anasazi flute from Erik the flute maker, it has a quena mouth piece, after practice my thumb would be in pain, so i can relate to how unsavoury tension can be
Sounds like an interesting flute you have. I think potentially, it’s even more difficult to relax when so much focus is also on creating the embouchure
@@Robert-Leons absolutely, i was like that with the irish whistle at first, the low whistle specifically, but only because the pipers grip was new, i can do it in my sleep now
@@pollyon yes, same. Now that I know pipers grip and I’m familiar with increased sensitivity of breath control on the octaves, I can explore my Low D whistle more. It takes just a little dedication. A few minutes a day, and patience but once you’ve cracked a new flute, it comes back around to becoming more relaxed I feel, to be able to truly express ourselves freely. I’m now looking to add circular breathing to be able to explore Kaval and Fujara, interesting times 😁
Thanks Robert for sharing your experience and thoughts. Happy Flutin ! Your tip of playing a bit of flute every day is spot on. When I pickup the flute I work on feeling the holes . And few breaths as well. Engaging the little finger seems to help to keep from raising the fingers too high .
Really helpful, I wasn’t aware how tightly I grip my flute, I can already hear and feel the difference. Would love to get your thoughts on playing with backing tracks and rhythms if you feel inspired🙏🙏❤️❤️
I’ll pop it on the list. However I haven’t really used many Rutgers or backing tracks in my playing as mainly I play in a ceremonial context, solo. So to cover this subject I’d like to first gain more experience of how it changes and shapes my own playing. That’s where I generally stand with it though, that it’s a positive move based on the fact that anything that challenges us to play differently is expansion and to be embraced as a learning, to take from the experience what you can, whether or not you decide it’s for you moving forwards. You’re welcome to share here, what backing tracks or Ruth end apps I might try?
@@Robert-Leons I don’t have any experience with apps either but would love to learn if there are any good ones out there, my flutes are in F#minor and D and I haven’t found any tracks in these keys that really match up or sound good. Also interested in tips for playing with drums and percussion instruments. 🙏🙏❤️❤️
@@SacredSoundss you could check out prana flutes…they offer some free tabs with metronome and some drums to play along with I think….might be a bit basic for you but might help.
Really like that style and tone of playing. Seeing your expertise on flutes, I'd like to see a comprehensive guide on finding good quality flutes and for the tone or style of playing a person is aiming for. I've only got one flute (16 years ago) which is wooden and very ornamentally painted, but not knowing much about them at the time of purchase, its probably not an acoustically quality one. Since then, having found all the information I could at the time and not been able to get any good sound, its a dream that has gone by the wayside.
How about a dedicated vid to “call and answer” technique (if there is one?) or “an idiots guide” (for me) to your awesome intro music….I think you have covered it in parts on your other vids but maybe a dedicated tutorial would be popular? Loving the work! 🤝
Hey, thanks for the feedback, I’ll look at my video at some point to remind myself of how I covered it. Maybe I can elaborate, expand or add to the idea but keep it focused on call and answer
My banjo practicing is suffering because of my current addiction to tin whistles and now Native American style flutes….like yourself, a few well known tunes grabbed my attention and I thought “how hard can it be” and the answer is harder than I thought! It is a challenge I will conquer in time though. Yes, cutiepie has great info and advice but also Chris Mcmullan . I learnt my first simple polka following his vid.. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8GwtPY0HkFg.htmlsi=WYnD770WjiJx2Vxj Personally I started with tin whistle purely cos of the cost…you can get high D for under £10 and the same instrument is played by pros. I thought a naf was out of my reach financially until I found the 3d printed styled ones and that allowed me to get one to try and it is love at first puff! I thought I liked the low d whistle until I blew that flute! Now I know an nasf is something I need in my life I may end up purchasing one of yours in the future….I spent over 10 years hand carving leather and creating custom leatherwork so know what a chore it can be to actually get paid for the hours it takes to create totally unique items. Loving the channel and thanks for your help with my flute journey 🤝
Dear Irish Boy is such a lovely air. It allows for great variation. Here's a cool version by master whistler Kevin Crawford, with John Doyle on guitar: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XFDtF-78rQ0.html
Thank for all of your comments, much appreciated. As for the subs, I’m not to worried about it tbh. The Chanel is new, or rather the content is recent, and it’s there just to help people, a growing library of helpful content. I don’t really have any major intentions for it but it’s nice to have somewhere to point people too. I think it supports my creations as a flute maker to be able to offer free content and knowledge of my own playing experience. 🙏☀️🌳
Thank you!..your guidance is much appreciated 🤝 I’ve just binged on your tutorial series without a NASF flute in hand….but next week my learning truly begins and I’m sure to be revisiting your vids on regular basis!
Hmmm, do I need to give up cigarettes to play the drone flute!….life is one big dilemma 🤔 Thanks again for the tutorials…you seem like a natural when teaching in your relaxed style 👌
After my comment on tutorial 2….you’re still not waffling, just sharing your passion ,feelings and thoughts for an incredible instrument….please just keep doing what you do! And thanks again for the tutorials 👏👏👏
Total newbie to flute and whistle here but thank you soooo much for making these tutorials…I don’t think you were “waffling “ at all. Really nice pace, simple, clear instructions and much appreciated! I think your tip on tutorial 1 is one of the most important which is to have your flute(or any other instrument ) easily accessible to grab and play when the moment seems right. I’m an intermediate banjo player but at least a banjo is easy to mute and still be in tuneish’ while practicing…..flutes and whistles seem hard to mute so a bit embarrassing to practice while victims are within earshot! 😂 Not sure how something with such beautiful sound can sound so wrong in my hands🤷♂️….but I will tame it and become one in the near future.👍 Thanks again and going to look at tutorial 3 now….
Soy músico guitarrista... Estoy viendo muchos videos de como hacerme una (Nada como conservar la madera lo más natural posible...) Buen trabajo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Saludos, éxitos y bendiciones desde Guayaquil-Ecuador 🇪🇨👍🏻
Wonderful to find your channel, I have been looking for some lessons in how to go further with my flute playing, that flute you are playing looks beautiful ❤️❤️🙏🙏
Thank you so much, I feel inspired. You are, in my mind one of the most accomplished musicians. It’s a honour to hear your advice, so from the heart, and humble. I am excited to hear your new recordings/ ventures and tunnel sounds. 🙏🏼
Hi Rob, if I was you, look at the Vox mini 5. It works off mains and 6 double A batteries. Which mean you can take it out in the woodland. It has Reverb and Echo. I got one and they are brilliant. I picked mine up on face book market place. £50
A great option to consider for people mate, thanks for sharing. Great if you’re performing for others outside. If wondering around on my own though, just the flute for me. Interested what mic you use?
Interesting video. I hope you don't mind some ideas from my journey playing simple-system (so called Irish flute). I would suggest ditching 'tab' and sheet music as much as possible. Try to learn everything by ear - having a better ear for melody and harmony feeds into every thing you play. As you're already very experienced in improvisation on the NAF I'm sure you'll pick tunes really quickly on the whistle and be able to improvise around the tune. I really think you should have a go with a non-fipple flute; maybe a keyless Irish flute or a Chinese dizi. You have control over the volume so you can play soft and sweet in the 2nd octave then blast the low notes! You also have control over the tone colour so you can play light and fluffy or hard and dark. The embouchure took me a little while - I got a reasonable sound in a couple of weeks but it's not something I think you ever master - every year I feel I'm getting a better tone, intonation and more control.
Thanks Allen, for your sharing your perspective. I am actually intuitive and improvised the majority of time but I think my message is to encourage everyone that it’s perfectly ‘okay’ to also learn in different ways and with whatever inspires you. With Irish whistle (and it’s scale) there are only a few pieces of written music that inspire me, and I’ve witnessed no improvised playing that does on this instrument. I was talking to a freind and fellow flute player last week who whenever learning any type of new flute, always at least explores sheet music to help him grasp a new scale. That’s more than I do really but I think each to his own. We all have different inspirations, ways of learning, hearing, feeling and expressing so where I myself agree with you mostly, I’m also here to inspire anyone to pick up and get going with any type of flute, however it’s easiest for them. I continue to play with this scale in an improvised way despite finding it not really to be my thing if I’m honest, perhaps that might change. But those few pieces of music really get me going and inspire me to pick the thing up😁 On the subject of end blown flutes, it’s actually the Shakuhachi and Turkish Ney that inspire me most, but I’m still progressing onto Romanian Kaval and Fujara as a priority and so I’ll reserve other flutes for sometime in future. I find that I need to deep dive with just one or two things of genuine inspiration at a time otherwise my focus, progress and then my drive for things is diluted. I’m sure others are able to learn more all at the same time and hats off to them. Thanks again for your comments and engagement
@@Robert-Leons Thanks for taking the time to reply. I know what you mean about needing to focus on a limited number of things - I think there's a balance between exploring new and different things and concentrating on the things that you really want to master (an impossible but worthwhile goal).
@@AllanTheBanjo you’re welcome. I’ll look into your suggestions at some stage. I love how we all resonate with different flutes, and that that can shift and evolve.
Brilliant, thank you. I get what you r saying and really appreciate you making this tutorial . My flute is very precious, going to keep her like treasure. Best wishes
