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| For ethical, as well as aesthetic reasons, I do not make instruments from animal bones. I much prefer making flutes from bamboo, hence the following instructions. Obtain a piece of bamboo about three quarters of an inch in inner diameter and an inch in total diameter. These specifications are approximate. For our purposes, we will consider a piece of bamboo one foot long. You may want to make flutes longer, as I have. A few of my quenas have been two to three feet long. Nodes are unnecessary in this case. If you have a piece without them, you are lucky. Use a round file to create a U-shaped notch at one end. Sand and bevel the notch, as well as the rest of the top edge of bamboo tube all around. Then sand about an inch of the bamboo around and below the notch so the surface is fairly flat and free of bumps and other irregularities. If an airstream is disturbed by any obstacles, the sound will be distorted. Making a quena is not an exact science but with trial and error, you can tell the difference between an instrument which will sound good and one which will either not sound so good or not sound at all. This is especially true when it comes to forming the mouthpiece. You might end up shaping the notch until the optimum sound is produced. Before adding finger holes, test the quena by holding the mouthpiece against your lower lip and chin. In this way, the space between your lips is pointed toward the bottom edge of the U-shaped notch. Blow gently. If you hear a loud, clear and pleasant tone, you've made the notch properly. |
| Rather than using a drill bit, you might want to cut finger holes into the bamboo with a knife or burn them in with a hot iron . Using a drill can cause the bamboo to crack and split, thus ending the life of your instrument. I prefer to use a soldering iron or a wood-burning tool. Space the finger holes so they are far enough away from both ends to produce clear tones. I positioned the top finger hole one hand width from the notch and the sixth finger hole one hand width from the bottom. The thumb hole on the bottom is either behind the top finger hole or between the first and second hole. Place the other finger holes either according to how your fingers fit comfortably on the instrument (thus making it an especially personal craft project) or according to proportions. The holes can be one inch apart uniformly or some other proportion, e.g. one tenth of the total length of the flute (1.2 inches). You also might want to vary the diameter of the holes, say, between 3/8 of an inch and 1/3 if an inch. The odd numbered holes can be smaller than the even numbered ones. |
| Once you have finished making the quena,be sure to sand it down completely--inside and out-- to remove sawdust, rough edges and splinters. You may want to apply one or two coats of shellac as finish but this is not really necessary. Also, you can leave the quena unadorned or use a wood-burning tool to decorate it. If you decide to apply finish, do so after you have finished decorating the flute. The quena has a range of more than one octave. You can probably discover the increased range by partially covering various finger holes and changing how you hold the quena against your mouth. Once again, listening to music featuring this instrument will help you appreciate its versatility. |
| Shakuhachi: The Japanese shakuhachi is made from Madake bamboo. The process is elaborate and time consuming. We will consider making a working model here. You will need a piece of bamboo about twenty-three inches long, with an node at one end. The bamboo needs to be about an inch in diameter again. Be sure to clear out the pith. Use sandpaper inside and out. Although the outside of the node serves as a sort of bell, the inside is unnecessary, particularly since the shakuhachi is hollow throughout. Use a pointed object such as a round file to clear out the partition inside the node. Be sure all rough edges are sanded smooth. Make a notch at the mouthpiece end. The notch can be either a rectangular groove or a rounded lip. In the latter case, the lip itself is shallower and wider than the U-shaped notch described in the section about quenas.The rectangular notch can be one quarter of an inch high and half an inch wide, approximately. Either way, bevel these surfaces so they are in the form of slightly rounded wedges. Also, bevel the rest of the mouthpiece, inside and out. To some extent, you are rounding the blowing surface, so it feels more comfortable when you hold it against your mouth. Again, sand the mouthpiece smooth. As before, test the mouthpiece before going further. Block the mouthpiece piece end of the flute with your lower lip and chin and blow across the bottom of the notch. A clear tone means success. Else, continue sanding and shaping (carefully) until you hear a consistently distinct tone. Use a soldering iron or similar tool to place finger holes. Traditionally, these are spaced according to proportions: one tenth of the length of the flute, or 2.3 inches. On a 23 inch long bamboo shakuhachi I used to have, the finger holes were a uniform one third of a inch in dameter. The thumb hole in back was nine inches from the bottom and the bottom finger hole was 2.3 inches above it on top. Also, note many shakuhachis (andthe one I had was no exception), have four finger holes and one thumb hole. Some newer models have four finger holes and no thumb hole; others have five or six finger holes, with or without thumb holes. |