Double Drone Flute
A look at the a
very unique flute from
Chasing the Sun on Lost Canyons
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CHASING
THE SUN -DOUBLE DRONE FLUTE There is
a lot of experimentation going on in the world of
Native American flute. Many makers are trying
different designs and combinations to come up with
some very interesting flutes. The history of flute
making is one of change spread over thousands of
years but recently the amount of experimentation
has been increasing at a tremendous rate staring
about ten years ago with the first bass NAFs made
by Hawk and Geri Littlejohn and continues today
with many makers. These new designs include bass
flutes, drone flutes and double flutes made from a
variety of woods and clay and other materials. My latest
recording Lost
Canyons
features one of these very unusual Native American
flutes on track #10: a triple chambered flute made
by Pat
Haran
which
is best described as a double drone flute. WHAT
IS A DRONE FLUTE? If we
look at the Pat Haran flute from just the top it
looks like a regular drone flute. We can
see two flutes running parallel to each other, one
with finger holes, one without. The one without is
the drone. On most Native American drone flutes the
drone is typically tuned to the lowest pitch or
root note of the playable flute. As you can see in
the photo above there are two blocks and two sound
holes denoting two flutes. The bottom flute has
finger holes while the top, the drone, does not.
Assuming there are no thumb holes, since both
flutes are the same length the drone is most likely
tuned to the bottom note, the root or fundamental
note of the playable flute's scale. Drone
flutes don't have to be tuned to the fundamental
note, they can be tuned to any note the maker
wants. Most often these include the minor 3rd or
5th. This is easily done by putting in finger holes
in the drone chamber that are not meant to be
played but only to raise the pitch of the flute. We
looked at a couple of these in an
earlier post,
one made by Rich
Halliburton
of Querencia Flutes. In the
photo above the drone chamber has three finger
holes that allow the drone to play on the 5th of
the scale. (The small holes in the middle are for
leather pads that you can cover the drone holes
with.) Take
a closer look at this flute.
CHASING
THE SUN The top
chambers are made up of one playable side just like
any six holed NAF along side a drone tuned to the
root. The bottom chamber is a drone with three
holes that tune it to the fifth. To allow for
easier playing Pat put the second drone below the
playable chamber and root drone giving the end view
of the flute a unique triangle design. The flute
is made from black limba with accents of redwood
and padauk. The blocks are made of redwood. Pat's
fine craftsmanship and attention to detail are
evident in all his flutes and this flute is no
exception. Pat has
given each chamber it's own mouthpiece allowing the
player to produce sounds in one, two or all three
chambers simultaneously. Lots of flexibility. As you
can see what makes this flute a Double drone is
that it has has two drone chambers tuned to
different pitches. As is typical the first drone is
tuned to the root. The second drone, on the bottom,
is tuned to the fifth. In
Chasing
the Sun
I tried to take advantage of everything this flute
has to offer. Playing the main chamber solo; the
main chamber plus the root drone; the main chamber
plus the fifth drone; playing all three chambers;
and even using my thumb to cover the top hole on
the bottom chamber to lower that drone from the
fifth to the fourth. About the only thing I didn't
do was play just the two drones together...
Lets hear
this flute in action. The following samples are all
taken from the song Chasing
the Sun. Sample
#1 Sample
#2 Sample
#3 A
LITTLE BACK STORY Recognizing
the symptoms and knowing the cure for "Flute Envy"
I called Pat and ordered a flute for myself. I
immediately felt better even though it took at
while until my flute arrived. Once it did arrive I
quickly began to delve into all it's wonderful
possibilities. I find that for me Flute Envy seems
to strike in clusters. If I can walk away from one
flute I can walk away from others. However, I am
considering starting a Flute Envy support group to
help other players... Flute
Envy or Flute Obsession Syndrome (FOS) 1.
A common condition of longing that strikes
Native American flute players quickly and
with great force. Envy
denotes a longing to possess something
awarded to or achieved by
another Flute
Envy is a subset of Flute Obsession
Syndrome (FOS), which is a subset of
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
(OCD). Symptoms
and Causes The
only known cure is to call up the maker of
the flute that caused the Flute Envy and
order one. Like many medical treatments
this cure can be very expensive, however
once an order is placed the afflicted
person returns to some state of
normality. Loved
ones should not attempt to interfere with
anyone suffering from Flute Envy. Victims
do not respond to sense or reason and are
known to act impulsively. Already owning a
NAF in the same key does not act as a
vaccine for Flute Envy. You
can find an index of all the articles including
maker and flute
profiles
HERE You
can also find a list of makers
who's flutes I play on my web site. MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE
NATIVE
AMERICAN FLUTE
Before we take a closer look at Pat's flute let's
take quick look at what a drone flute is. The
principle behind a drone flutes is fairly simple. A
drone flute is composed of two joined flutes in one
body. One flute looks and plays like any normal
NAF, the other typically has no finger holes and
therefore can only play one note: a drone. Think
Bagpipes.
Drones
A drone is a single note, or chord,
that is played throughout much or all
of a piece of music, usually defining
the tonality or key.
_
Pat Haran's Double Drone, or triple chambered,
flute
The Pat Haran F# double drone flute that I
played on Chasing
the Sun
on
Lost
Canyons
is made of Black Limba (not walnut as I incorrectly
called it in the liner notes). The flute is 22"
long and each chamber has bore size of 3/4". This
flute works on the same principle as a regular
drone flute but has two drones instead of just one.
There are two chambers or flutes on the top and one
below.
Two chambers on the top.
One chamber on the bottom
When viewed from the end you can see the
triangle
shape that gives this flute a very distinct
look.
Black limba with redwood blocks
Three mouthpiece
In the first sample the flute is being played with
the root drone. This is a chromatically descending
melody using a lot of crossed fingering.
This sample has the same tune as sample #1 but this
time all three chambers are being played. Again,
this is a chromatically descending melody and to
make it even more interesting I also cover and
uncover the top hole of the drone tuned to the 5th
to make it tuned to a 4th temporarily.
Here the main flute is being played with the bottom
drone on the fifth. Like sample #2 I'm once again
closing and opening the top hole of the drone tuned
to the 5th to change the harmony down to a
4th.
Drone Flutes vs. Double Flutes
Drone flute are not to be confused
with Double flutes or harmony flutes.
Like Drone flutes Double flutes also
have two chambers but each chamber has
playable finger holes, usually three,
and are made to be played
simultaneously, producing moving
harmonies. Another way to spot a double
flute is that the two chambers
sometimes are of different lenghts.
Many also have a thumb
hole.
We've
looked at a double flute in a earlier
post.
I got this flute from a fun encounter. I was
visiting a friend of mine in south Orange County
and he was showing me his flutes. He had one of
these Double Drones and after trying out his I was
struck by a common Native American flute player
affliction: "Flute Envy."
Noun
from Vulgar Latin: Flabeolum
Invidia
Exposure
to another player's flute or a flute for
sale that produces a strong desire to
possess that flute accompanied by light
headiness, anxiety, sweating and and urge
to relieve one's self of money.OTHER
POSTS IN THIS SERIES
How
to Buy a NAF, part
1
How
to Buy a NAF, part
2
How
to care for your
NAF
Playing
your first NAF
scale
Strengthening
your Fingers
Playing
from the Heart
Part-1
Playing
from the Heart
Part-2
NEW
Recording
your NAF, basic, easy Home Studio set
up
NEW
Starting
your Own Music Label part 1
NAF
History and Construction
Listen
to samples and purchase them online. |
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© 2008 Cedar Mesa Music. This article, all images and sound files sound files are the property of Cedar Mesa Music, BMI. All rights reserved. |
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