Saturday, February 7, 2009

My PVC Flutes

I've been trying out Doug Tipple's instructions on making PVC Irish flutes, and have tried my hand at 4 pieces so far with slight modifications on 2 of them. One of the flutes was made with a detachable lip-plate and additional end holes and a membrane hole for a flute-dizi conversion. The other one had a lip-plate and end holes to stabilize the upper register.

The tuning seems to be rather flat for me, and I just got myself some more PVC pipe to try some new stuff, namely making tunable flutes with some copper tubing for tuning slides, and spray paint for decor purposes. I also want to try making an E-flat and perhaps an E flute as well.

If you're wondering what inspired me to make my own flutes, it's actually very simple - budget. I spent less than 20 SGD on materials today, which would make me 5-6 flutes. I'd spend the 100 USD on one of Doug's, but that's gonna have to be after I secure a more stable source of income (perhaps from selling flutes??).

Will post some pictures of them soon once I finish the new ones!