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Hi all,
Sometimes it can be hard finding suitable bamboo for flutemaking, or at a reasonable price, but I recently was pleasantly surprised to find some at a Michael's crafts store, for about $7 a stalk (non root-end). One piece I picked out of the loose bunch was very dense and thick walled, with a nice larger diameter, and another I bought was a lighter weight bamboo and smaller diameter, but it had a nice solid feel to it, so it came home with me too.
Just be aware that they are about 7 or 8 feet long (mine are outside right now so I can't measure them), so bring a saw if you have a non-acommodating car!
These both have a colored wash on them, but it seems very non permanent-as it will come off on your hands somewhat. At least at this price, it's a fairly economical alternative to more expensive stock for practicing or just making an inexpensive flute, and you can pick and choose in the store.
Michael's routinely has a coupon in their ad in the Sunday paper (or you can find the sale ad at the store) for 40% off one regularly price item, so this can help make it an even better deal. Here's a link to their website, where you can use the store locator at the top of the page to see if there are any nearby. Happy flutemaking!
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home
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