 Most of the
branches that I'll use to make a flute, I will have
gathered green. Some, newly wind-felled or trimmed
by arborists or gardeners, await the steel jaws of a
wood chipper to be mulched into soil again under the
leaves of other trees. Life is cyclic in that way,
for all us. But it's nice sometimes to "rescue" a
branch from the chipper and repurpose it as a
flute. In those still green branches the life
force of the tree is still present, still protecting the
branch from those wood chippers of nature ~ insects,
fungus and the forces of biodegradation. This
is
when
I
like
to gather a branch for a potential flute.
 In a
green branch, the unique colors
of the specific tree are still clear and bright and the
bark is still tight to the sapwood. The branch has
not cracked or checked on her surface or ends. Her
original
qualities
have
not
yet been lost. Qualities
that
will
remain
after
drying in a kiln, as long as the branch is sealed
properly.
Any
lichen
growing
on the branch can even be preserved, as in the English
Walnut branch flute pictured to the right. By
starting with a green branch the finished flute can
still radiate signs that the dryad,
spirit, or life force of a tree is inhabiting it, though
now the leaves of that branch be music. Once her life
force has been given back to the ground, other "spirits"
will start to inhabit the branch. The elements and
the critters of biodegradation are the good earth's way
of laying claim to the branch again. And I have
made, on occasion, some wonderful flutes from downed
wood already claimed by the soil, inlaying the worm
holes or surface checks with colorful stone. If
the branch has been "dead" long enough, I won't have to
worry about drying it, since the elements will have done
that for me. The intent here is not to state that
working with a green branch is a better way of making a
flute. Just another way, with its own advantages,
that honors the spirit and natural beauty of the
tree.
I am very grateful to those flute makers and green woodworkers who've been willing to share their knowledge. These pages are a way of giving something back. But more than anyone or anything, the trees themselves and their branches have taught me, listening to them over the many years of experimentation. Those years of learning what works and why, cannot be taught by me. It must be learned from the trees themselves. Each branch presents a unique challenge in finding its voice and without the experience of trial and error, no matter how many hard won "tricks of the trade" I give to you, it wouldn't be enough. Even if I divulged every tool and technique I currently use, making high quality unsplit branch flutes would still be one of the most difficult ways to make a flute. But if you're bound and determined ~ and inspired ~ you'll find a way. Your own way that works for you, taught to you by the trees and by your passion to help them sing. I would not deprive you of that adventure. Or that inspiration!  next page > Green Branches 2 Green Branches 3 Green Branches 4 Home Page  |