On the prowl...

One of the few things consistent in my life for decades now is my love of flute making. That means I'm constantly scouting out sources of suitable bamboo and reed. Bamboo is tricky because the species I prefer to work with for larger flutes does not grow in the U.S. It's always interesting tracking that stuff down!

But there is another type of reed that I love working with. It's readily available in many parts of the States and it's the species that I am most comfortable with. It's called Arundo Donax and it's the traditional material for ney, gasba and kawala flutes. This species of reed was brought over by the Spanish and quickly took root along the southern U.S. and can be found throughout the Gulf Coast and all the way across the Southwest into California.

It's a very aggressive plant and is hated in many areas because it takes over riparian systems with nothing to stand in its way. It's referred to as 'Devil's Reed' in some parts and I can't help but find that amusing considering the fact that many cultures use Arundo Donax to make the flutes for their most sacred music traditions.

Not discounting all of the troubles this plant may cause, I still love the stuff! I have worked with it for the past 20 years and it produces beautiful flutes. Arundo Donax grows all over Texas, my home state, and harvesting it is simple and straight forward. Finding patches of Arundo Donax out here in Nevada has proven challenging because, though it definitely grows out here, the dimensions are completely different because of the dryer climate and harsher conditions.

Now I'm happy to report that I have finally found a great reed patch here in Vegas! This is a big deal for me because I have been patiently scouring the landscape for a few years now and was getting quite frustrated. In fact, the day before I found this patch I literally prayed for it. No joke! I had gone to a little patch I noticed on the side of the road (with minor trespassing involved) the day before and as I left in disappointment I lifted my head to the sky and said:

"Please, Universe...I want to find the perfect reed patch...one that is conveniently located with total (free) access...one that has plenty of reed suited to the designs I need...one that delivers like Domino's!"

The next day my wife Missy and I were driving to yoga class and my head snapped around as I caught sight of the perfect reed patch! It was exactly what I had asked for!



It's interesting to note that as I begin drifting away from the specs of the traditional ney I am finding myself needing reed that has a very different node placement. As I fuse together elements of the kaval, bansuri, shakuhachi and ney, the reed I'm working with is more from the root end. Here the bore gets much thinner while the walls get much thicker. Aside from the freaky math this throws at the air column, it also means that the appearance of the flute will lean towards that of a shakuhachi - stout at the bottom and tapering towards the top. It also means that as I rework the bore for this new design I am freed from the normal restraints of the node constrictions found in traditional ney design. This is giving me a warmer, throatier sound...and I like that! I'm still playing with the tuning, though - haven't decided for sure where I want to take it.

I'll keep you posted...



Peace,
J


PS - Stay tuned for photos and clips of the new design; I'm pretty stoked about it!