Native American Flute

You can make and learn to play a Native American flute to satisfy requirement 4c of the Music merit badge.  There are many sites on the internet that give information on how to make a Native American style flute, but what follows is a very simple method that will result in a functional instrument. 

Materials

¾” SDR-21 PVC pipe

wine cork

electrical tape

Tools

Hack saw

(a power miter saw or table saw with miter works better, but have an adult to this part if you are going to use a power saw)

drill or drill press

¼” brad point drill bit, or sharp regular ¼” drill bit and an awl

file

sandpaper, various grits or green 3M scratch pad

pencil

scissors

scrap of wood for a straight edge

Directions

It is important to use thin walled SDR-21 pipe, rather than the more common thicker walled Schedule 40 PVC pipe.  SDR-21 is used for irrigation systems and I was able to find it at my local Lowe’s store at $2.28 for a 10’ length.  You can make a flute out of Schedule 40 pipe from instructions elsewhere on the internet.  It will probably sound better than the one I’m describing, but the process is much more complicated.

Cut a 2” piece and a 16” piece of the pipe.  On the 2” piece, cut a slit in it lengthwise and set it aside.  Take the longer piece and place it on a flat surface and place a straight board approximately ¾” thick along it.  Mark with a pencil so that you have a centerline to work with. 

Marking the centerline.

Centerline marked.

2" piece with slit.

Make a mark 2-3/8” from the end that intersects the center line.  Make a second mark 3-1/8” from the end, again intersection the center line.  Drill a ¼” hole at each mark.  A brad point bit works best, or you can make a divot with an awl for starting a regular bit.  Now make a few more holes between the first two, on the centerline.  Use a file to shape these holes into a rectangular slot 1” long by ¼” wide.  Now use the file to bevel the lower end of the slot (the end that is 3-1/4” from the end of the pipe). 

Marks at 2 3/8" and 3 1/8".

First two holes.

More holes.

Squared off with file and lower end beveled.

Cut the wine cork to ½” in length.  Wrap it 2 to 3 times or so with electrical tape until it fits snugly inside the pipe.  Trim off any extra tape with scissors.  Push it in with a dowel or other object until it is 5/16” above the beveled end of the slot.  Now place the 2” slit piece of pipe over the longer piece ,with the slit oriented opposite the slot.  Line up the edge of the short piece with the edge of the cork.  You should be able to play a note on the flute at this point.  You may want to adjust the cork and the 2” sleeve a little for optimal sound. 

1/2" cork in place 5/16" up from lower end of slot.

Now mark out your six finger holes.  Place marks at 4”, 5”, 6”, 7”, 8” and 9” from the end opposite the 1” slot.  Marks should intersect the center line.  Drill 6 ¼’ holes at these marks.

Finger holes marked.

Finger holes drilled.

Now sand your flute to clean it up.  Grit sizes are approximate.  Use 150 grit to clean off the pipe markings and pencil marks.  Use 240 grit to smooth it a bit more.  Use 400 grit with water for a final sanding.  Alternatively, you could use steel wool or a green 3M scratch pad with water for the final finish. 

Finished flute.

Now search the internet for some music to play.  Look for music made for the recorder, tin whistle, or Native American flute, that has a finger placement diagram accompanying the notes.  Start with something simple, like Mary Had a Little Lamb, Three Blind Mice, Taps, or Kumbaya. 

Mary Had a Little Lamb