Thread: Tuning Flutes

Hi Spirit,

I agree with you about the challenge of tuning. I usually use a spreadsheet to determine the placement of the holes. There are a number of them out in cyberspace and they tend to give the same answers. What makes me giggle are the results in 3 decimal places, and as a player Im sure you will have noticed that you can easily blow a quartertone in either direction with very little effort...., anyway.

Once i have the numbers, I cut the fipple / blowhole and tune it, there is a book in that process, particularly for fipple flutes. I measure out from the fipple / blowhole and skew the bottom finger hole for each hand for comfort. I then drill holes to the smallest diameter suggested by the maths. Then the fun bit, using a chromatic tuner I open each hole from bottom to top to within 10 cents usually with rolled up sandpaper. I then put it away for at least a day and repeat the process. This eliminates variations in blowing pressure. I aim for +/- 5 cents. Most people cant play more in tune than that repeatably and as I give them away to kids most will have a hard life.

I then tune for the second / third octaves. I do this by undercutting the edge facing the fipple to sharpen the upper register or on the bell end to lower it. This can be tricky as usually i dont want to open the hole. Particularly with aluminium tube there isnt a lot of room. With straight bore flutes the upper register almost always plays flat so I aim for 5 cents sharp on the lower register and it usually balances. I have made about 20 high d pennywhistles using aluminium. The pattern is well established for these.

This procedure works for me for 6 hole major scale and 4 hole pentatonic instruments. I also works with free double reed instruments. I want to experiment with slightly thicker walls when i get the router table system you suggested working as there will be more room to tune for each register. I also want to get tapered bores going as it will improve the movement between the registers.

How do you do it Spirit?

My own experience on a two octave register with parallel bore is to aim to get the middle of the two octaves in tune and put up with the bottom being a little flat and the top a bit sharp. Start with the middle d and neighbouring c and work up and down from there, much the same as you describe, opening and undercutting.
It might be interesting to work with tapered bores from the tuning point of view. I have wondered about the process of tube tapering which is aparrently a form of metal spinning but have never seen a description of the method for small bore jobs. Power/light poles are common and the process is used for baseball bats but as far as I know, not for whistle or flute bodies.

Have you seen Daniel Bingamons new spreadsheet on the MIMF?

Originally Posted by Sebastiaan56

Have you seen Daniel Bingamons new spreadsheet on the MIMF?

No but post a link and I'll check it out.

I have meant to make a post about tuning but have been awfully busy. I posted it the night before I left to go on a Trip South and now I've returned I have not yet found the time to catch up here but will soon. Thanks for all the posts and for now Happy fluteing!!

SpiritFlutes

http://mimf.com/cgi-bin/[email protected]@.2cb6826c tonehole correction has been changed, Im building a whistle this weekend and will see how it goes.

Hi folks,
Just popping my nose in, some inetersting articles you folks have on tone hole placement and undercutting, well done, I actually repair woodwind instruments and have found your articles interesting.

Keep up the good work

Originally Posted by Sebastiaan56

Im building a whistle this weekend and will see how it goes.

Hey Sebastiaan, how did it go?

I havent got to it yet, Ive been in Mando land. Im going to put up a "in progress" thread on the Instrument Making forum.

I have however made a router table and acquired a drill press and cross cut sled, once they are installed I'll be getting in to it,

Sebastiaan

Originally Posted by Sebastiaan56

I havent got to it yet, Ive been in Mando land. Im going to put up a "in progress" thread on the Instrument Making forum.

I have however made a router table and acquired a drill press and cross cut sled, once they are installed I'll be getting in to it,

Sebastiaan

I've always wanted to make a mandolin, had some wood under the bench for years in the hope that someone might run a mando workshop. I'll be interested to see your progress!

Originally Posted by burraboy

I've always wanted to make a mandolin, had some wood under the bench for years in the hope that someone might run a mando workshop. I'll be interested to see your progress!

I have posted on a Mandola and a Tenor guitar. There are plenty of mando resources on the net but you cant beat Graham McDonalds book http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/themandolinproject.html Graham is a great guy,

I have always wanted to make a nice, low tone, mellow flute for my Brother-In-Law as he has played since he was small and has quite a collection. Are there a couple of good websites, or books that can get me started?

Ray

Hi Ray,

There are lots of resources on the web and it really does depend on what you plan on building. Your BIL has a collection so I suppose he is into transverse flutes? Here is a list for various flute styles, http://www.shakuhachi.com/L-FluteMaking.html but googling flute making will bring all sorts of delights.

Terry McGee is the Aussie side blown flute guru, http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/ he has plans for sale and encyclopedic knowledge. Luc Verhoven has a "how I do it" on his page http://users.skynet.be/fluiten/how.html There is a Yahoo Flutemakers group which has all kinds of goodies and seems to be the most active on the net. MIMF has a woodwinds section which has a lot of information as well.

Books I can recommend, The Amateur Wind Instrument Maker by Trevor Robinson great for basics but get some good plans, Air columns and Toneholes by Bart Hopkin, Simple Flutes by Mark Shepard.

PVC flutes are very playable and make flute making appear simple but there are many subtleties in this craft. Great flutes are the result of a lot of refinement. Go for it, the world needs more flutes!