When I first searched for a Native American flute, I discovered the prices for what was
available at the time to be beyond what I could afford. Those high prices led me to the
decision to attempt to construct a flute on my own made of bamboo. I had been using bamboo
as a wood medium for several years and had plenty of it around the workshop. It was already
hollow and was the perfect material to teach myself about the physics and the secrets of
these Native end-blown, block style flutes.
Through great effort, many mistakes and plenty of "constructive criticism", I
eventually managed to create a wonderful, 5 hole flute that was perfectly tuned to the
Native-style minor pentatonic scale in the key of "E". All I really knew was that
I could play an old Shaker hymn called "Simple Gifts" and I was thrilled. For the
first time in my life I was able to play an instrument and enjoy the sound it produced.
Over the next year or so, I must have made over a thousand of these instruments in all
sizes and keys, although not entirely without problems. The domestic bamboo I was using had
a tendency to split.
One evening while I was delirious with fever from pneumonia, I had a vision of making a
more traditional flute from a more traditional and durable material. That vision left me
with the knowledge of what to do. When the fever broke, I immediately started making a
flute out of a piece of western red cedar. This was my calling. This was my path with
heart. I still have that first flute and it presides over the work bench with every flute I
create.
I made a promise to myself to keep these instruments affordable. This is also my promise
to you. Most of my flutes are available for under $80.00 plus shipping and postal insurance.
Check out the price list to find out more. But make no mistake, Tsunami flutes are not
cheap. Affordable does not mean cheap. These flutes are tuned to recording quality in the
Native minor pentatonic scale of the fundamental note (the note with all holes covered).
Each flute will have its own voice. Every flute has its own character. Each is tuned to a
key. Not all higher priced flutes play as well as a Tsunami Flute.
My philosophy is to make the music available and affordable for folks like you and me.
If you have any questions about these flutes, please feel free to call me and ask. I have
very straightforward answers. If I don't have the answers, then I will connect you with
someone who does. If they can't answer your questions, then I suppose you should gather
some sage and cedar and find a place in the woods and pray for some answers.
If you would like, you can call me and I will play the flute for you right over the
phone. I will not amplify or alter the music in any way. What you will hear is what I will
play. Many recording artists use electronically altered sound such as reverb and echo.
While this sounds great in a recording, it is NOT the sound of a flute right out of the
box, or in the woods, or in a room with a carpet and a cat. Don't be fooled by .wav files.
Unless you own recording equipment or an amplifier, or unless you live in a canyon or a
concrete stairwell, your flute will not echo or reverb, no matter how much it costs.
