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I have a pice of bamboo I picked up in a grove in California a couple years ago and have held off making a flute with it because it is very oval shaped. The farther away from the root end of the bamboo the more round it gets but it is still very pronounced. I decided to make start working on it about a week ago and the sound is surprisingly nice. I cut the mouthpiece and finger holes into one of the flatter sides of the bamboo. The mouthpiece is wider than I'm used to and I have set two utaguchi inlays in so far because they keep cracking right in the center. I am using fossilized ivory for the first time and it seems very delicate so I might have to switch to Abolone or black plastic (the rock shop locally doesnt have any water buffalo horn).
I was wondering if anyone else had made any nice flutes out of flattened bamboo and what issues I might run into as I work on tuning it.
Eric
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Hi, Eric...
There are those that say an oval bore sounds slightly better (and there are those that don't). In the case of the former, it could be attributed to the necessary process of hand-tuning the bore versus a perfectly cylindrical, exact taper (possibly mandril based)? In many cases, the holes are drilled on the tall side, though having it flatter in the hands is not uncommon.
Nonetheless, the above differences, if they exist, will be subtle. In your case, the taper will be the big determining factor, and not the shape of it, be it oval in one direction or another. I seem to remember talk of a square bore hereabouts, at some point?
Mejiro sells buffalo horn, as well as pre-shaped acrylic. If you can't find any, I have both, plus real ivory, tagua nut (vegetable ivory), acrylic, and other misc. goodies one can do an inlay with; just shoot an email if needed.
Derek
Last edited by Derek Van Choice (2008-08-07 20:31:02)
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Are you putting the holes on the flat side of the oval or the oblique side? Holes on the flat side is a very desirable thing for some people. It's my favorite configuration. I got a demented flute from Perry recently that had holes on the oblique side and that is also interesting. Anyway it's a common thing, hope the flute comes out great.
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I put the holes on the flat side of the bamboo. The fit of the bamboo in my hands told me to put them there. It also fit my face better that way. I'm glad to hear that it isnt totally unheard of and the sound really is pretty nice.
Ro plays between A and B flat depending on meri and it sounds quite flexible compaired to my other flutes even with the cracked mouthpiece.
Would it be better to fit the inlay when the flute is warm or cold? I've never had them crack like this and ive done 8 or 9 nother inlays so I'm a thinking it might have to do with the way the wider inlay is expanding in relation to the bamboo.
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EricSwain wrote:
Would it be better to fit the inlay when the flute is warm or cold? I've never had them crack like this and ive done 8 or 9 nother inlays so I'm a thinking it might have to do with the way the wider inlay is expanding in relation to the bamboo.
You can get input from the makers on this, but my preference is NO inlay and doesn't that make life easier? The utaguchi is one of the main problem areas on a flute. Especially if it's jinashi you might want to just play it for a while and see if it's nice without one. Many of the top makers are now not putting inlays in.
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I havent figured out how to uncut the utaguchi so as its already cut I need to make sure I put something in there that isnt as likely to crack. I was also thinking that maybe the grain of the ivory needs to go sideways instead of up and down so thats my next attempt.
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OK wait to hear from the makers on this one. Good luck! It'll be cool. Some people use wooden inlays, that's an attractive option.
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EricSwain wrote:
I havent figured out how to uncut the utaguchi so as its already cut I need to make sure I put something in there that isnt as likely to crack. I was also thinking that maybe the grain of the ivory needs to go sideways instead of up and down so thats my next attempt.
Eric,
Are you making the utaguchi something like this?
You may be doing it like this already but inserting it at a sharp angle gives it more surface area and therefore more strength. Brittle material is more likely to crack.
Like Tairaku says, one option is to avoid it altogether. We're all different and do what we do. I still insert an utaguchi occasionally, but I've found that once I got some distance from the attachment to an utaguchi, it was liberating.
Your flute. Your call. (Just realized you already cut the bamboo!)
Good luck!
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EricSwain wrote:
I have a pice of bamboo I picked up in a grove in California a couple years ago and have held off making a flute with it because it is very oval shaped. The farther away from the root end of the bamboo the more round it gets but it is still very pronounced. I decided to make start working on it about a week ago and the sound is surprisingly nice. I cut the mouthpiece and finger holes into one of the flatter sides of the bamboo. The mouthpiece is wider than I'm used to and I have set two utaguchi inlays in so far because they keep cracking right in the center. I am using fossilized ivory for the first time and it seems very delicate so I might have to switch to Abolone or black plastic (the rock shop locally doesnt have any water buffalo horn).
I was wondering if anyone else had made any nice flutes out of flattened bamboo and what issues I might run into as I work on tuning it.
Eric
Hi Eric, I have made a lot of flutes from flattened bamboo. I like them because they feel better on my hands than round ones. Each piece of bamboo presents unique challenges. Cutting the flatter side does make the utaguchi wider as you stated. That affects both the technical facility and looks. I would have done the same thing you did. I like a flat wide utaguchi.
I have found that on some flattened pieces, the bore taper may not be as even as with cylindrical pieces. The bottom is less tapered (larger). Is this the case with your flute?
As for your inlays cracking. It sounds like the material is too brittle. Horn is hard but has some give, unlike stone or shell. It would probably be a better choice for this one. Horn can be found in knife making supplies stores. Or, as I have often done, get a horn button off an old flannel shirt and grind it to shape. Some of these old buttons are quite big.
Let us know what happens.
Namaste, Perry
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I had actually been putting the utaguchi in without the extra tab down the inside of the flute. I can see how the method you described Mujitsu would give more strength to it and I will certainly add that extra tang. Thank you.
I also think I will switch back to a bone that I have used in the past. It has more flexability to it that i think is needed in this case. I installed a bone one that bowed up just a hair on an older flute I made and it ended up being my favorite. The notes are smooth and mellow. It is soo easy to play i can get Ro to sound clearly for almost a minute.
Thanks
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I'm a big fan of oval bamboo too.
It just feels better in the hands.
I've also found it easier when it comes to tuning.
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Hey Eric,
Make sure to post some pics when you're done.
BR
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