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About the Flute Maker
Completed Pieces
The Birth of a Flute

This site has been created to share with the world my love for the Native American flute.  The pages within display photos of some of my finished pieces, as well as information about me and my flute building processes.  I have been playing and building flutes since September of 2006 and, since that time, I have gotten many great rewards from this new found avenue of musical expression.

To see more hand-crafted flutes and other instruments I've created, please visit my MySpace page.

Please Note: I am not currently accepting flute orders.  My flute making journey has taken me to many great places, both physically and mentally, but I have found over the years that I am not very good at fulfilling flute orders.  My mission in creating these pieces is to expand my own understanding of this beautiful instrument, and the time I spend in the workshop is vital for my own peace and tranquility.  There may come a time when I might have to depend on this skill for a living, but at this time, it remains a hobby for me, free of deadlines and any external pressures. 

Musical Echoes - 2007

I had the pleasure of attending Musical Echoes in 2007 and it was a great weekend!

Click here to see photos from the event!

Finding Inspiration

Along this path, I have been fortunate enough to speak to, listen to and play with some talented flute players and makers.  Among them is Joseph 'Z' from the Tampa Bay area.  It was Joseph's split-view of a Native American style flute that first got me interested in building them.  After studying the interior of that flute, I thought to myself, "Hmmm...I bet I could do that.".  Since then, his guidance and encouragement has helped me to create these beautiful instruments, and I feel that a part of him is put into every flute that I make.  Joseph also has some wonderful music available on CD for those who are interested in listening to his work.

My first CD of Native American Flute music was Sacred Dreams by Scott August, which won him a well-deserved Native American Music Award.  Scott's playing is wonderful and his CD's are very well produced.  Visit his website to learn more about Scott and his music.

Practice!, Practice!, Practice!

One way in which I've been able to improve my flute playing has been to take part in local Flute Circles.  A Flute Circle is a gathering of flute players for the sole purpose of playing the NA flute.  Occasionally, there are variations of the NA flute brought to the circle, but the main idea is to give all those in the circle a chance to play their flutes in the company of others, helping them to not only become more comfortable with their instruments, but to also learn from others in the group.  St. Petersburg has a Flute Circle that meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month, and occasionally, I join up with a small group of friends that gets together on a weekly basis to play together.  Playing in various flute circles has greatly improved my playing ability as well as made me feel more comfortable playing in front of others.

For more information about the Native American Flute or to find a Flute Circle in your area, please visit the International Native American Flute Association website.

Building Flutes

After learning the anatomy of the Native American Flute, and realizing that I already had most of the tools I would need to build them, I put together a shopping list of items I still needed and made my way to the hardware store.  Once I had the bare essentials, I began planning my first flute with the help of Joseph 'Z' and the good folks of Yahoo's Native Flute Wood Working Group.  The wealth of knowledge that is available from these fine flute craftspeople has helped me greatly in this endeavor and I am very grateful for their help and guidance on this journey.

I chose Western Cedar for my first flute, because it's readily available, easy to work with, smells incredible and has a very good tonal quality.  I was able to take pictures of my progress while building the flute and I've posted them on this site for all to see.  To learn more about the making of my first flute, follow this link to The Birth of a Flute.