Make Your Own Flute From PVC
Simple flutes sound beautiful and are easy to make from bamboo, wood, clay, metal, plastic, or almost any material that can form a tube. Mark Shepard, author of Simple Flutes: A Guide to Flute Making and Playing suggests a good "first" flute is one with six holes that can play a major scale in tune for two full octaves.
"Plastic plumbing pipe is nearly ideal for simple flutes," says Shepard. "There's no easier material to work with. It's waterproof, crack-proof, and nearly unbreakable." This is his design for a simple plastic flute that plays two full octaves in the key of G.
- Gather the supplies listed and make a template by marking out the measurements from the flute image (right) on a piece of paper or directly on the pipe. It specifies the size of each hole and the distance from its center to the top of the uncapped flute tube. Two holes in this design are slightly offset for easier fingering.
- Drill the finger holes using a very low speed to minimize grabbing (or use zero-rake drill bits). Flat drill bits should not be used.
- Stick the wooden dowel into the tube to break loose any plastic shavings. Smooth the hole edges with a sharp knife or apple peeler. To further smooth the holes, sand the tube at a sink using wet-and-dry sandpaper to keep the dust from flying. Sharp edges may cause a hissing sound when the flute is played.
- The end cap serves as a combination stopper and lip plate. Working outdoors, or in a well-ventilated room, apply pipe cement to the pipe surface only and glue the cap onto the mouth hole end of the pipe. Avoid pushing excess cement into the flute.
- After the glue on the end cap has dried, drill the mouth hole through the end cap and smooth its edges. Clean your new flute with baking soda and water and a scouring pad.
Your flute is now ready for making music! If you have trouble getting a sound and don't know a flute player who can help, you can find instructions in Shepard's book or on his website (www.markshep.com/flute).
Principles of Flute Making
The more flutes you make, the better you will become at it. As you become more skilled, you can experiment with making flutes out of different materials and in different keys. Here are some design rules to keep in mind.
A flute can be made out of any cylindrical material--bamboo, clay, metal, or plastic. The material the flute is made of does not affect the sound as much as the flute's dimensions.
The length of the tube determines the flute's low note, its key. The longer the flute, the lower the key.
The inside diameter of the tube should vary with its length. A wide tube favors low notes and a narrower tube favors high notes.
Wall thickness is important because it determines the depth of the finger holes. A thin wall helps volume, tone, range, and octave tuning.
Placement of the mouth hole is important for octave tuning and clear tone. A larger mouth hole and lip plate will improve volume and tone, while a smaller mouth hole improves range and octave tuning. For better fit use an oval shape.
The notes of the flute are determined by the size and placement of its finger holes. Larger finger holes give better volume, tone, range, and octave tuning. Smaller holes are easier to cover, and reach. Finger holes don't need to be the same size or in a straight line. Offsetting them makes fingering easier. You can raise a note by enlarging the hole or placing it closer to the mouth hole. You can lower a note by using a smaller hole or placing it farther from the mouth hole.
Mark Shepard's book Simple Flutes: A Guide to Flute Making and Playing, which is available from Amazon.com, offers more details about playing and making simple flutes of bamboo, wood, clay, metal, plastic, and other materials.
Supplies needed:
- A 15 9/16-inch length of 3/4-inch PVC or CPVC pipe used for water supply (do not use ABS pipes meant for drainage or gray PVC electrical conduit because of possible toxicity)
- A drill and pointed drill bits (zero-rake drill bits are preferred)
- A sharp knife or apple peeler
- A 20-inch long wooden dowel (small enough diameter to fit into the pipe loosely)
- Wet-and-dry sandpaper
- A standard endcap to fit the 3/4-inch PVC pipe
- Plastic pipe cement
Download the TEMPLATE here!
