Native American Flute Tutorial
Introduction
Hello, my name is John Stillwell and I am going to help you get started playing on your new Native American style flute. I’ve been making and playing the Native American style flute for more than fifteen years. I am entirely (or almost entirely) self-taught. But I now realize that if I had been given a lesson or two along the way my playing would have progressed that much faster. So I thought that it might help you if I put down in writing what I have learned.
Now that you have learned how to make six different sounds (notes) on your Love flute it is time to start using these notes to make music. Our body, mind and soul enjoy new experiences. Our desire and capacity for learning new things is just amazing. And it’s fun too. We will now begin to build on what you have learned in lesson one.
Adding Variety to your playing
If you have gone through the first two lessons and have experienced the thrill of hearing real musical sounds come from your Native American style flute you will be more than ready to develop some new skills. In this lesson I will show you how to add variety and dynamics to your playing.
New Techniques
In this lesson we are going to add some new techniques to your flute playing. Remember, to master these techniques requires a certain amount of repetition. Don’t let yourself fall into the practice trap. Keep a sense of lightness and play in your heart. Then even the effort needed to attain proficiency will seem easy and even enjoyable. With that said, we will start with Pitch Bending on your flute.
Mode Four Pentatonic Scale
Up until this point you have be playing your flute in the Mode One pentatonic scale. While playing this scale you have kept the fourth hole from the bottom of the flute closed with your left hand ring finger. Now we are going to learn the Mode Four pentatonic scale. In this scale you will be opening up that poor little fourth hole. Refer to the diagram below to see how this scale is played.