Quality and Pricing



A flute made from a tree branch offers both the maker and player a more direct connection and relationship with the natural world.  The importance of such a relationship asks that a branch flute be thought of as something other than a novelty, or a quick and easy way to make a primative flute.  Rather, the challenge is to make it of the highest quality possible, without losing those characteristics that make a tree so beautiful to behold.  To meet that challenge, I'll use a combination of hand and power tools, whatever works best for a particular branch.  The most important tool, though, is a focused awareness and listening grace given constantly to the branch in the process of helping it find it's voice. 

Every branch flute will have it's own character, since every tree and each branch is unique.  But within that uniqueness, every Dryad Flute is designed to resist wet-out, be accurately tuned, have a clear sounding voice that's not too breathy, with a sufficiently loud volume and stable tone to accommodate the full dynamic range and moods of different songs -- for live performance as well as in the recording studio.  After boring out the air and sound chambers, keeping it whole and unsplit, with no glue seam to ever fail, every branch worked is kiln dried before voicing, ensuring that the wood has shrunk as much as it's ever going to, helping to prevent any degradation over time in tuning or tone.  On those flutes with the bark left on, I make sure it's tight to the grain before working it.  One of the advantages of working with green wood is that the natural adherence of the bark can be preserved by sealing the branch in the finishing process.  Many professionally made wooden walking staffs, or rustic furniture like bent willow chairs, leave the bark on for it character and beauty, with no danger of it coming off over time due to the curing and finishing process, a traditional process with decades of proven reliability.  And these willow chairs and walking staffs will survive more moisture, weather and rough handling than a Dryad Flute will hopefully ever see!  Nevertheless, every Dryad Flute is covered by a no-fault lifetime warranty.  If anything ever goes wrong with one, for whatever reason, I will fix or attempt to fix it for free, minus the cost of shipping the flute to and from my studio.  I offer this warranty because I want the flutes I make to be out in the world, in good condition, being played.  There is also a 30 day happiness guarantee on each flute purchase.  If not happy with your Dryad Flute, for any reason, please return within a month of first receiving it for a full refund or exchange. 



Special Orders

Pricing

keys: f#, f, e, d#, d, c
$210.00 - $245.00

keys: B, A#, A, G#
$260.00 - $300.00
keys: G, F#, F,    
$315.00 - $355.00

keys: low E, D#, D
$370.00 - $410.00


Forked Branch Harmony Drones:
$500.00 - $700.00

Prices include US shipping costs,
a quilted flute bag and a booklet
"Playing and Caring for
Your Dryad Flute".














Because of the unique nature of the process, unsplit branch flutes require individual attention every step of the way.  There is just no way to make them in batches, the way some standard flute makers can with store bought wood and assembly line production.  So my pricing has to reflect the time devoted to each flute. Time that honors the individual character and spirit of the tree and time needed to find the sweet voice within its branch.  The prices are ballpark figures, to give those interested an idea of what to expect for a special order flute.  Final price is determined by amount of stone inlay and size or rarity of the branch. 

Making branch flutes is what I most love to do, so deposit money is not a motivator and is not needed, just your word that you'd like a flute from me. The most important requirement is your patience.  Two to three months is the usual time it takes to actually make an unsplit branch flute, from gathering the branch, through the boring out and drying process, voicing and final finishing.  However, certain keys and woods may take considerably longer depending on my ability to find the right branch and take it successfully through all the steps to completion.  Also, I need to honor the requests in the order they come in and because of a growing list of special orders, the wait can now be up to a year.  As mentioned, this process simply cannot be rushed, another reason why I will not tie your money up with a deposit.  I feel it's worth the wait, however, as your completed branch flute will be one of a kind, bringing the joy of many new songs into your life, along with the strength, spirit and beauty of trees! 

Wishing you good health and many natural blessings,

~ Jon Sherman

   (760) 752-1735
   dryadflutes@gmail.com
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