|
I want a Native American flute for chilling out after work. I don't know anything about flutes and it seems there are specifics you need to know when ordering a flute like keys and such. Could you recommend a good starter flute in the $50 range? I think I would prefer the drone flute if that helps.
|
#
¿
Jun 14, 2011 02:49
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 17:46 |
|
|
I just wanted to chime in that this thread finally made me pull the trigger on getting a musical instrument (NA Flute). The only experience I've ever had was playing the sax way back in elementary school so I am drat exited and my fiancee has ordered a box of earplugs. I was so intimidated by everyone I know owning a flavor of guitar that I thought I would say screw it and become the whistling guy, but after reading up on different instruments in this thread my physics sense got so stimulated I had to pick up something!
|
|
#
¿
Jun 21, 2011 01:35
|
|
|
Effort! As mentioned before, I have gotten myself a Native American Flute! I got the Butch Hall in Am. Due to my lack of a spirit animal I have selected a blank totem. Quality of flute: The construction quality is quite nice. I really like the finish of the flute especially around the mouthpiece. The mouth has been tapered down into a point which has been counterbored, making it comfortable no matter how I position it for playing (from what I gather this is personal preference). The flute is satin smooth and is coated in a light lacquer. The holes also have a very nice bevel to accommodate the fingers and there is a turquoise knubbin for indexing your hands. The result is a high level of feedback when positioning which helps a ton if you lose track of where your fingers are. The cedar actually smells quite nice too (is that gay?). The ID of the flute has not been sanded out which I could theorize would help tone and might be a feature on higher end flutes. Honestly the only thing that I am unimpressed with is that the little totem block was not made of the same wood which throws it off a bit visually which I’m pretty sure only I care about. Quality is totally worth the $50. Musicality: Overall I am quite surprised how easy it is to get a tone out. All my notes tend to have kind of a breathy backing to it save the low end which I think is my inexperience. There is an interesting characteristic of the flute in that I must increase my airflow as I progress higher to retain the same clarity. The flute fingering is not as straightforward as I thought, but I am adjusting. Breath regulation is quite important: if you are transitioning flow while changing fingers you will produce the dreaded “loon call”. You will learn to hate that goddamn loon. Overall it is quite relaxing to kick back and shoot some notes while watching a movie. Ease of learning: I don’t really have anything to compare it to, sorry. It is pretty easy and can make up some tunes that sound decent. I would recommend it. If anyone wants pictures you'll have to pm me on how the hell to do it.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2011 03:51
|
|
|
Thanks! This is my first musical instrument since I attempted the sax from 4th to 6th grade before my schools band lost our funding  . Know that I am over 2x as old I think I appreciate it more (the follies of youth).What I've been doing is working through fluteportals excellent eight part intro on flute playing and running scales before attempting anything. This also gives time for the wood to warm up which I find effects how it "holds" the notes. I usually zen out for about thirty minutes to let go of my work issues and try to make something that flows together. It is an excellent form of therapy. I'll work on the pictures! BEHOLD:  Tacticat is wary..  Overall I have no complaints and totally worth $50. TurdBurgles fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Jul 12, 2011 |
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2011 04:05
|
|
|
She's much more relaxed now that she has heard it. The NAF is also pretty easy to play quietly, which is nice. The cat is on the fence, though 
|
|
#
¿
Jul 13, 2011 03:33
|
|
|
EEWWWW that sounds bad, but maybe I don't know exactly what blues scale is... For my scale I do XXX XXX XXX XXO XXX XOO XXX OOO XXO XOO XOX OOO OOX OOO I play up the fact that flutes were originally played as part of the courtship process. Gets me doe eyes approximately 25% of the time.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 13, 2011 04:03
|
|
|
TapTheForwardAssist posted:For the last three, are you sure you're not doing this on the top hand? Positive. It sounds a bit sharp or flat if I do it your way. IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PEOPLE WHO BUY A NAF: Outline where that stupid block goes the second you pull it out of the box! When I play for over an hour it gets full of spit so I pull the block off to let it rest/dry. The first time I did this it took me a full half hour to find the sweet spot again. On mine it is not exactly centered WRT the hole. There are also a few different ways of tying the leather with various suggestions on which way is right. I just copied the way I received it; If a guy who builds flutes chooses that way, its got to have some backing, right? edit: I can spell! TurdBurgles fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Jul 13, 2011 |
|
#
¿
Jul 13, 2011 04:34
|
|
|
PRO TIP: Don't drink a bunch and play NAF flute, you'll get it full of spit and sound like rear end. Diddly Bows are a better drunk instrument. Edit: What are instruments that would pair well with NAF? I've got the gf interested now that she sees I enjoy it even whilst imbibing. TurdBurgles fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Jul 20, 2011 |
|
#
¿
Jul 20, 2011 03:49
|
|
|
We ended up going to an art and wine festival and the guy from highspiritflutes was there. He was a super chill hippie who let me play on all his flutes for about 30 min. I finally got to try out some drones as well as a big rear end bass flute that took all of my lungs to get going. The wifey liked the way the E sounded the most so that will probably be the next purchase. The flutes were of varying materials like cedar and walnut with a lot of extra work done to make them pretty like adding turquoise inlay and leather finger rests as well as massive totems. Not really my style but some may like it. Overall the stuff was pretty expensive but I felt indebted to the guy so I picked up their intro book and a bag for the flute for $20. They also have a ton of videos online for others who are interested.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 10, 2011 03:46
|
|
|
Nuggan posted:Reading this thread over the past two days, I have found myself ordering a NAF and ocarina, and wanting to start collecting as many instruments as possible now and learning to play them. Its not very exotic, but I've decided that today I'm going to go out and buy a violin and teach myself how to play it. Congrats on buying a NAF! I love mine and had no issue learning basics on my own.There are some excellent forums mentioned in this thread that can help you with any issue you run across. I did pick up a book (mostly to learn songs): http://www.amazon.com/Native-Spirit-Song-Book-CD/dp/B00546N8BI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325959522&sr=8-4 It seems to be out of print, but I know the guys over at High Spirts Flutes are still in business. You could probably shoot them an email. What key of NAF did you pick up?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 7, 2012 19:09
|
|
|
Stoca Zola posted:If you're not a mellow meditational NA flute kind of person or not interested in traditional Irish music either then this could be the right instrument for you. Oh, you son of a bitch. If I hadn't been drinking tequila and showing a friend this thread I'd let this slide. Harmonica now ordered! I'm also going to learn to NAF this roll line for retribution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXj4V_lgvdE :edit: Wow, that came out a lot more aggressive than it sounded in my mind, sorry about that. Anyways, NAF is indeed great for the slow meditational type of style that Stoca references, but don't discount the ability to get bright notes out of it! It may not be the sharpest sounding instrument, but not everything you do has to be a solemn sounding hymn. I'd liken it to a church organ. You have to believe every once in a while after vespers a bored monk would get funky with that thing. TurdBurgles fucked around with this message at 02:59 on May 5, 2012 |
|
#
¿
May 5, 2012 02:47
|
|
|
Arsenic Lupin posted:Triplett Sierra 30-string lever harp, in maple. That is amazingly beautiful. Congratulations!
|
|
#
¿
Jun 2, 2012 01:56
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 17:46 |
|
|
I just wanted to say that the instruments I picked up from this thread over the two year span it has been going made my Thanksgiving great. A friend of mind who I never see had picked up a banjo, another friend had a guitar, and I had my NAF & harmonica which led to a super chill night of bullshitting and playing each others instruments. Good times, thanks thread!
|
|
#
¿
Dec 2, 2012 22:58
|
|