Sax on the Web Forum banner
Cancel

My homemade flute

15114 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  markb, 
Hammertime
Hey guys!
I couldn't wait till I got enough money to buy my real flute, so I decided to make
my own flute out of PVC. I found this old pipe in my basement, and decided it was perfect. Easy to work with, light and cheap! I used a file to make the tone hole, sanded it a little,
and added a mark so I could feel where to put my mouth. I can get some sound out, although it sounds pretty "pipey" (duh :D ).
Now I was wondering, are there any formulas or charts that say where I have to make the tone holes? I would also like to add an octave hole. Now it makes an "E", I'll check it later on with a tuner.
The brown stuff is some rust from the file...
Also: I'll probably have to remove the tape, so I can smooth out the the inside, although I don't know if it has such a large impact on the sound.

Greets.

Pictures:






The inside, my camera didn't know what the hell was going on :)


Update
Added the tone holes. I don't know, something seems wrong. It doesn't sound very great. I can barely get a full tone out of it and it seems like the tone holes are not far enough from eachother. Anyone got some tips on improving it? By the way, I added some rubber at the top for easy removal.


See less See more
6
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 1 of 8 Posts
markb
hiya Hammertime,
As a general rule, I don't bother to much with filing the edges of teh embochure hole on a pvc flute, and I tend to make it ~3/8 round
cutting up to that with smaller drill bits til I get there. :)

The natural cut of the bit seems to do well for me in playing a pipe flute.
I take more care with Bamboo though.
By all means, experiment with flutomat, I have found it to be most helpful. :)
Schedule 40 pipe is usually what I use, btw.

Mark
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 1 of 8 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Sax on the Web Forum
A forum community dedicated to saxophone players and enthusiasts originally founded by Harri Rautiainen. Come join the discussion about collections, care, displays, models, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Misc. Saxophone Discussion Word games Sax Repair, Maintenance and Modification Tenor mpc SOTW Member Recordings & Reviews
Top