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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.
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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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