Re: [tuning] Flute Carving

Keenan,

I would try the musical instrument makers forum and start a topic on fipple
carving. www.mimf.com

Or you can create fipple pipes ala Denny Genovese's invention. He used
removeable plastic recorder fipples ( I guess you could cut them off if
needed) on the the ends of various lengths of metal pipe.

A fipple pipe usually only had one fingering hole, toward the far end of the
pipe. By closing the hole you could easily get harmonics 4 5 6 7 8, by
opening the hole you would get a parallel series starting on 16/15 deriving
your "middle eastern" scale. I believe the length of the pipe influences
which harmonics were most easily derived, although I do not remember if
shorter pipes allowed you play higher or lower in the series.

You would have to experiment with hole position as I am not sure that
theoretical postion of the hole necessarily derived the exact pitch desired.

There is a middle eastern sounding piece on the tuning punks site at MP3.COM
of Denny's that extensively uses the fipple pipe tuned. I am not sure which
piece it is though. Check it out.

Darren Burgess
Gainesville FL

> I'm thinking of carving a fipple (duct) flute out of wood or bamboo to
play
> my favorite scale: 1/1 16/15 5/4 4/3 3/2 8/5 16/9 2/1 (sounds Middle
> Eastern). Does anyone have any experience or suggestions with this sort of
> thing? Since it would have only harmonic partials and the pitch would be
> determined solely by the length of the air column, the calculation of the
> hole positions would be much easier than the infamous wind chimes.

> I would try the musical instrument makers forum and start a topic on
fipple
> carving. www.mimf.com

Aha!

> Or you can create fipple pipes ala Denny Genovese's invention. He used
> removeable plastic recorder fipples ( I guess you could cut them off if
> needed) on the the ends of various lengths of metal pipe.

I found an old recorder that actually has a detachable fipple section, so
I'll just have to make a hollow cylinder with some holes through it, and
maybe grease the end that fits the fipple. It'll still work as a recorder as
well.

> A fipple pipe usually only had one fingering hole, toward the far end of
the
> pipe. By closing the hole you could easily get harmonics 4 5 6 7 8, by
> opening the hole you would get a parallel series starting on 16/15
deriving
> your "middle eastern" scale. I believe the length of the pipe influences
> which harmonics were most easily derived, although I do not remember if
> shorter pipes allowed you play higher or lower in the series.

Yes, but I can only get harmonics 1 through 3 on the recorder without
sounding shrill and squeaky. If you lengthened the pipe it would obviously
lower the fundamental, but would the range stay the same, giving more and
higher harmonics, or would the harmonics stay the same, giving simply a
lower pitch? In other words, if I made the pipe four times as long (making
it three feet!), to lower the fundamental from c" to c, would the range
change to c-g' or would it stay c"-g''', adding harmonics at e", bb",d''',
and f+'''? Or something in between?...

Stay Tuned,
Keenan P

> Yes, but I can only get harmonics 1 through 3 on the recorder without
> sounding shrill and squeaky. If you lengthened the pipe it would obviously
> lower the fundamental, but would the range stay the same, giving more and
> higher harmonics, or would the harmonics stay the same, giving simply a
> lower pitch? In other words, if I made the pipe four times as long (making
> it three feet!), to lower the fundamental from c" to c, would the range
> change to c-g' or would it stay c"-g''', adding harmonics at e", bb",d''',
> and f+'''? Or something in between?...

I am not sure how it would behave. I suspect longer length means you can go
higher in the series, and it would also make it more difficult to play lower
as well. I would suggest using inexpensive metal conduit to experiment as
this would be quicker than bamboo. Denny's fipple pipes range from about 2
or 3 feet to over 5 feet, if my memory serves me correctly.

Darren