Poplar Branch Flute in D#
sound samples of this flute
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with reverb:
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The
recent
winter storms felled a Poplar (Populus)
tree
at
Discover
Lake, here in San Marcos, CA, where Lindy and I live, so we were
able to bring
back and work with, for the first time, several branches of this
wonderful tree species. They grew nice and fairly straight, a
helpful quality to have in the making of unsplit, solid bore branch
flutes. The wood is also one the easiest
and tool friendly I've worked with, so it was a joy making this flute. This particular branch had been carved a bit, in a few places, by wood borers, their work celebrated now with inlaid crushed malachite, adding some character and a nice color contrast to the exposed and finely finished wood grain. Much of the bark has been left on, though sanded down at the tone holes to make the wall thickness there under 1/4". The flute measures 23 1/2" in length, with a 1" diameter sound chamber, and is tuned to a sweet and stable low D# minor pentatonic scale, modes 1 & 4. It also plays the Gypsy scale as well as 2 upper octave notes. Elk lacing with malachite and horn bone beads holds the bird to the nest, the bird having been fitted with a redwood heartwood shoe to aid against wet-out. The voice on this flute is especially clear and sweet, with no breathiness. This branch, having grown in a park by a lake, overlooking children, adults and seniors, walking, running, skating, fishing as well as providing a roost for a wide variety of birds, has many stories to tell and songs to sing, now that it has a voice. It only needs to be filled with a loving breath. ~ Jon Sherman
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