I love the feeling of playing my bamboo flute because it feels like I am truly expressing myself. All the different notes feel like they have been trapped inside me, and now that I have finally managed to let them out, it is such a liberating feeling.
The sound of my bamboo flute is very calming and serene. It makes me feel at peace with myself and in tune with nature. It’s as if I can hear the trees swaying in the wind or feel the sun on my face when I play my flute.
I assembled 11 free DIY bamboo flute plans below if you want to make your own:
How To Make A Bamboo Flute
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#2. Bamboozled- A Faux Bamboo PVC Flute
#3. Make 4 Easy Bamboo Flutes for Free!
#4. DIY Bamboo Jew’s Harp
#5. How to make a bamboo flute
#6. How To Make A Bamboo Flute
#7. How To Make Bamboo Flute Simple At Home
#8. How To Make A Strong Bamboo Flute
#9. How To Make A Flute By Bamboo
Tools And Materials Required
You will need these tools and materials to do the job:
- Drill
- Drill bits (2 mm to 1.5 cm)
- Rotary tool (Dremel)
- Cutting wheel
- Sanding and grinding bits
- General-purpose hand-held sander
- Sandpapers
- String
- Sharp knife/box-cutter
- Bamboo
Step-By-Step Procedures
Now follow the steps and procedures outlined and explained below:
Step I: Identify The Right Bamboo
You should kickstart the exercise by finding a nice bamboo for the job. The best bamboo for the job ought to have a moderate diameter and a smooth round body. Also, it should be devoid of any splinters, holes, and injured patches. That is to guarantee a reliable and easy-to-use flute in the end.
Step II: Prepare The Bamboo
Upon identifying the right bamboo, you should now go ahead to prep it. Eliminate all the branches by use of a hacksaw. Then, sand the notches down from whence the branches are cut so that you may create a sleeker instrument. Leave one node intact, close to the ‘blow hole’ to lay the role or a cork.
Step III: Incise The Cut
Follow the steps below to incise the cut:
- Mark out a 2 cm line from the node you have chosen to play the role of the cork using a pencil.
- Cut the bamboo carefully along the line using a hacksaw.
- Sand, the cut to make it smooth and pristine
- Take the final measurements of the cut and sanded bamboo
Step IV: Clean And Test The Flute
After cutting the bamboo, you now have to clean and test it all together. Scrape the white flaky skin that exits inside the cut bamboo. Then, go ahead and test the flute to find out whether the same is in tune or not. You may have to implement further scraping if need be to make them sound sharper and crisper.
Step VI: Finish The Flute
Once you have confirmed that the flute produces a flawless sound output, you now have to finish the exterior. This may require the use of a sanding bit or sander. Place the same on your rotary tool to work the blowing ends. Refrain from excessive sanding as this may compromise the tone output.
Then:
- Mark out the place behind the node on your flute using a pencil.
- While at it, you should clamp the bamboo and use a hacksaw to incise a cut at the marked position.
- Sand the cut to make it more pristine and smoother.
- Scrape the interior to eliminate any residual skins that may interfere with the tone output.
Step VII: Work The Embouchure
The embouchure is the mouthpiece of the flute. You should now work on it at this stage. Generally, the center of this embouchure ought to be “one inner-diameter length from the cork”. To work on it:
- Measure a segment of the inner diameter of the bamboo from the node
- Fix the bamboo firmly down while placing the embouchure mark upwards
- Drill the center by use of a small drill bit
- Maintain the drill perpendicular to the bamboo
- File and sand the cut to make it smoother
- Test the mouthpiece to ascertain its efficacy
- Make any adjustments if need be
- For more information, click here: https://www.instructables.com/Make-4-easy-Bamboo-Flutes-for-free/
Step VIII: Incise Further Cuts
You now have to incise one last cut. This is the length of space between the embouchure to the extreme end of the flute. To ascertain this distance, use the Flutomat app. It uses complex algorithms to find out the ideal measurement. Then:
- Mark this distance with a pencil after you have already identified.
- Go ahead and incise a cut along the line using the steps and procedures outlined in step III above.
- Sand the opening to make it smoother and more pristine.
- Clear up the debris from the gut using a file and sandpaper.
Step IX: Knock Out The Nodes
It could be that the wood you use has more than one node. You have to knock out all the additional nodes to enable the flute to make great sounds. Fix a piece of well-fitting rubber into the flute and tap it a couple of times using a sledgehammer. Repeat the steps a couple of times until the node is completely eliminated.
Step X: Drill The Holes
You now have to drill holes along the flute to allow for the smooth production of sound output. Mark out spots along the exterior portion of the flute using a pencil. Then, go ahead and drill holes atop the exact same spots using a drill bit. Be slow and meticulous to prevent damaging the flute. Clean and eliminate any debris and splinters.
Step XI: Play The Flute
At this last stage, you now have to play the flute. Place the embouchure end of the flute in your mouth and blow the air out slowly and gently. Use your fingers to regulate the outflow of the wind so that you may attain your melodies.
Conclusion
Flutes produce nice, soothing, and lulling musical sounds. The real flutes are very expensive owing mainly to the high value that the lovers of music place on them. For this reason, not many music enthusiasts may afford and leverage the benefits they potentially have to bring along.
If you are a lover of music but are cash-strapped, you need not fret. It is possible for you to enjoy the benefits of this wonderful musical instrument. To make this end a reality, you may choose to improvise one for yourself from the bamboo materials.
And making a bamboo flute is as simple as such! You need no extreme expertise to do a great job. All you may have to do is to practice severally using different bamboo woods. Please note that the instructions above are general and may not hold for all kinds of flutes.
For specialized flute-making, you may need to consult other similarly specialized books to guide you. Is it not amazing for you to spread this news far and abroad? Kindly help those around you who may be in need of the insight contained in this article.
