| Ever wondered how to make a flute? I'm not | | | | be 30.74 inches, or 70.08 centimeters long. |
| talking about something cut from a drinking straw | | | | The next step in how to make a flute is simple. |
| with scissors, or put together using a cardboard | | | | With an open ended flute, the body of the flute |
| paper towel tube... I mean make a flute that's a | | | | would actually need to be one half-wavelength |
| genuine quality, professionally tuned musical | | | | long to play the fundamental note (the lowest |
| instrument. Whether you use wood, PVC (flutes | | | | note possible to play, with all finger holes closed) |
| made from this material sound like blowing | | | | properly, in this case "A". Due to other variable |
| through glass - an excellent sound), or copper pipe | | | | factors in flute making such as bore diameter, wall |
| (also sounds just as excellent) in flute making, | | | | thickness and etc., the flute will actually need to |
| there are a few mathematical things to keep in | | | | be a tiny bit shorter - depending upon the |
| mind, but they all pretty much revolve around, | | | | thickness of the flute wall factoring in as well, this |
| and stem from, the one all-important | | | | is generally about 1/3 of the bore diameter. |
| mathematical formula involved in how to make | | | | Shorten the length little by little until the correct |
| flute type woodwind instruments, or even those | | | | note is achieved. How to make flute |
| of other types. Do you know what this | | | | embouchures, or the blowing edge hole, is to |
| mathematical formula is? Well, I'll tell you... | | | | make it half of the flute's bore diameter wide, |
| If you want to know how to make a flute, you | | | | measuring the center point of the hole to be a |
| first need to know two numbers. The first one is | | | | bore diameter's distance from the inner face of |
| the measurement of the speed of sound in inches | | | | the closed end. |
| (or centimeters, etc.) per second. In inches, that | | | | A very convenient part about knowing how to |
| would be 13526.5, and in centimeters, that would | | | | make a flute is in the fact that the above |
| be 34357.31 - this is how far in linear distance | | | | mathematical formula is also how you would find |
| sound travels per second, at sea level, at about | | | | the positions for the finger holes' center points, |
| 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or at about 21 degrees | | | | according to the notes they are to play. How to |
| Celsius. The second number to know in flute | | | | make flute finger holes is to start small, slowly |
| making is how many Hertz (frequency of | | | | making them bigger as you "creep" them up the |
| vibration) that a particular given note resonates at. | | | | length of the flute towards the closed end until |
| For a brief and simple example, let's say we use | | | | the right note is achieved. Finding the correct hole |
| the note "A". The frequency of "A", in Hertz, is | | | | placements along the length of the flute's body is |
| 440. Now we take the speed of sound in inches | | | | important, but anywhere around the body at that |
| (or centimeters) per second and divide that | | | | point along the length is fine for hole placements... |
| number by the note's frequency, in this case 440, | | | | this allows for the reach of different sized fingers |
| and we will then have the measured length of the | | | | and hands. |
| wavelength of the note "A". This would end up to | | | | |