In her rooted
determination and endurance through the changing
seasons, in the stillness and supporting
strength of her heartwood, in the
up-flowing life force of her sapwood sending an
earthy gratitude toward the sun and sky, in the
circle of life represented by her growth rings,
in the beautiful bounty of her flowers and fruit
and
in
her spirit as an intelligent, wise elder on
this living planet, there is much that a
tree can teach us. And we might learn, if we
quiet the human mind for a spell and open our
hearts in wonder to the language of leaves.
How then would the dryad,
or spirit of a tree, make a
flute? This question has inspired me since the
beginning of my flute making journey.
A quest ongoing and ever evolving, as
every tree and each branch presents a unique
challenge and teaching in the subtle details of
finding its voice. Yet some answers have come in
broad strokes. A dryad
would keep the natural beauty and strength of
the branch intact. A dryad
would voice the flute clear and bright as a bird
song. And a dryad
would make the flute a magical home for her own
continued habitation. Or so speak the trees to
me.
So in a
dryad flute
-- in her unique shape, in her solid bore
strength, in the beauty of her unsplit grain and
growth rings, in the color and texture of
her bark and wood, in the character of her
knots or crevices, sometimes inlaid with crushed
stone (a reminder of the rock and soil into
which the tree sent her roots) and in
the
clear, sweet timbre of her voice -- the spirit of the
tree is invited to remain, enchanting the
player to the natural world, inspiring a song of
the Earth.
~
Jon Sherman
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Dryad
Flutes are
handcrafted to reflect the unique beauty,
strength and spirit of the tree
from which they were made. Though natural
looking, each instrument is voiced and tuned with
clarity and precision to a
particular key.
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