Dryad Flutes

branch flutes made with the spirit of the tree

In its rooted determination and endurance through the changing seasons,
in the stillness of its heartwood, in the mandalic circle of life represented by
its growth rings, in the up-flowing prayer of its sapwood sending an earthy gratitude toward the sun and sky and in the wonderful bounty of its flowers and fruit, there is much that a tree can teach us.  And we might listen if we quiet the human mind for a spell and open our hearts in wonder to the language of leaves. 

How then, would a dryad, or the spirit of a tree, make a flute?  This has been the guiding quest since the beginning of my flute making journey.  A quest ongoing and ever evolving, as every tree and each branch presents a unique challenge in the minute 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 honor the spirit of the ancient inhabitants of the land.  A dryad would voice the flute clear and bright as a bird song.  And a dryad would make the flute a magical home for its own continued habitation.  Or so speak the trees to me. 

So in a Dryad Flute, in the sweet timbre of its voice, in its unique shape, in the unsplit strength and beauty of its grain and growth rings, in the color and texture of its bark, in the character of its knots or crevices to be inlayed with colorful stone (a reminder of the rock and soil into which it sent its roots) the spirit of the tree is invited to remain.  A spirit that might then entice you to open your heart to the natural world, sit with the trees, like the birds above, and sing a song of life.

~ Jon Sherman
dryadflutes@gmail.com

Dryad Flutes are handcrafted to reflect the unique beauty and spirit of the tree from which they were made. Though natural looking, each instrument is tuned and voiced with clarity and precision to a particular pentatonic key.