First I worked out the 4 * 466.2, getting 1864.8 then did 13830 / 1864.8, getting 7.416 inches, which is close to the 7.23 inches in your tube length calculator but not close enough. The letters going across the top are the names of the notes. Could you build a pan flute on a larger scale? Start with the longest tube at 17.5 cm and the shortest at 8.5 cm. A "virtual" pan flute made using those length and laying all tubes on a table is shown in the first pic. We need to arrange them in a practical way, so we start by taking all "white" tubes, e.g. Make an easy straw pan flute using a few drinking straws and tape. Take one tube. Speaking of the formulas, there are a total of four symbols: the lenght of the pipe L, the speed of sound v, the frequency of the note produced f, and the distance of the note from the central A n, measured in half-tones. The inner diameter of the tube influence the speed of blow needed to make the sound audible: smaller diameter means less blow, greater diameter means more blow. The tuner (or a good trained ear) can be useful to test each tube once cut and cleaned. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 1. Share it with us! Since it seems there is a shortage of willingness about find out the tubes length on your own (it sounds bitter, right? Make minor adjustments to your embouchure and the flute's positioning so that you achieve the sound you want. It's just a pinch of sarcasm), I made this simple spreadsheet in Google Drive. A key feature of the authentic Romanian style Pan Flute is that the pipes are slatted or flattened on their lateral sides and fastened together by gluing; this provides the player with a smooth, contiguous surface along which his or her lips can effortlessly glide from pipe to pipe. However, this step, this process of slatting and fitting the pipes to prepare them for gluing or assembly is also the most laborious and time consuming of the twelve steps involved in making a Pan Flute. For this reason, someone who wants to make a quick and dirty version of a Pan Flute will usually find an easier, quicker alternative to slatting, fitting and gluing, which is usually rafting the pipes together by tying them to splints. Although such instruments are perfectly playable, they are not the authentic Pan Flute, and do not have the potential for efficient playing or virtuosity that the true Pan Flute has. Slatting refers to the initial process of cutting the lateral slats in the pipes, whereas fitting refers to the process of getting the slats you have cut down to their requisite depths, and of precision fitting them to their neighboring pipes. So I would had to bend it very much to do it. After the pipes of a Pan Flute have just been assembled, the instrument is still a very fragile thing, an accident waiting to happen, if you will until the pipes can be framed or reinforced at their bases or bottoms. In addition, if the newly assembled pipes are left to stand for very long without being reinforced, their arch or curve can warp more and more over time. For both of these reasons, I highly recommend framing or reinforcing the pipes and putting the boot, frame or bottom on the instrument as soon as possible. Although the main necessity for undertaking this step is structural, to give the instrument adequate strength and reinforcement, aesthetic considerations also enter the picture quite prominently, and it is here that Pan Flute stylists can most express their artistic creativity. But it must be stressed here that the structural considerations of strength and reinforcement are primary, while the aesthetic considerations are secondary. What is the use of having a beautiful frame on your instrument if it is still flimsy and fragile, if it is not structurally strong and stable? The formula for calculating the length of a pan flute pipe is L = (c / f) / 4 (the "theoretical length" L equals the speed of sound c = 343 m/s, divided by the desired frequency in hertz f, that quantity divided by 4; this simplifies and rearranges to: Length of pipe (in centimeters) Frequency (in hertz) = 8575). Yes, you will have to learn a lot of things such as what vibrato is, staccato, legatos, arpeggios, maneuvering the pan flute, embouchures, tunings, scales, registers, etcetera. File slightly the end surface of the tube to create something the glue will adhere to. The disposition of tubes, in my opinion, is not so good, because of my lack of memory. When the glue is dry remove the external carboard with a knife, a scalpel or a pair of scissors. Take the 8-tubes and the 2-tubes pan flutes and lye the latter on the first (see first image), lowering the accidentals by 1-2 cm. Putting a quality Pan Flute together is a lot like putting together a jigsaw puzzle you always want to be able to reach for, and find, a piece that is just the right size and shape to fit. This requires having a good supply of bamboo pipes, of all assorted sizes and bore diameters, ranging from the very largest that you will be using, right down to the very narrowest, and every conceivable size and diameter in between. You definitely dont want to come up short, so its always better to have a supply of bamboo in excess of your needs than to be wanting in any way, or having to make do with a pipe that really isnt everything that youre looking for. Besides having a wide selection of pipes of every possible diameter available, the basic qualities desired in a bamboo pipe for making Pan Flutes are straightness, roundness or cylindricality, and hardness and denseness. A bamboo pipe doesnt have to be perfectly straight in fact, few are but it cannot be too crooked; slight bowing is permissible, with adjacent pipes selected to be congruent in the direction of their bowing. You'll also need a general purpose hand-held sander, masking tape, a saw, a ruler or measuring tape, and a box cutter or sharp knife. Take the 8-tubes and the 2-tubes pan flutes and lye the latter on the first (see first image), lowering the accidentals by 1-2 cm. But we can take advantage of physics! Stylistically and aesthetically, there are several possible variations in the designing of Pan Flute frames. Although Basswood is the traditional material for making Pan Flute frames, a flexible tree branch, of Willow or some other soft, pliable wood, can also be used for the front and back strips for those who want a very natural feel and look. Or, the front and back strips can be eliminated altogether, just reinforcing the instrument with successive laminations of thin Basswood, hardwood veneer or thin plywood on the instruments bottom surface. If the right pieces of bamboo or sculpted wood should be unavailable for the end pieces, then molding them out of epoxy putty and rasping or sanding them off smooth later is also a possibility. The styling variations are virtually endless, and the aesthetic possibilities of using exotic woods and other materials can also provide great artistic and creative possibilities. Just remember that structural considerations of strength and reinforcement should be satisfied before you start to consider aesthetics. I love sharing crafts, science, STEM and STEAM activities, free printables and more! Any ideas? If you want to know how to retrive all measurement, or even to customize your pipes, then proceed with next step. Lay them out next to each other, with the top edges lined up. This post contains affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you I can make a tiny bit of money to help support this blog. Add 1/4" to 1/2" to these lengths when cutting your material. With each of the pipes thoroughly rounded off on their outer rims, on both their front and back sides, what I then do is to further file off or round off the pipe rims on the players side, in a unilateral direction straight toward the player. This will create a slight scalloping of the pipes inner rims, exposing a bit of the inner bore surface on the far side of each pipe. To do this, you can use either a small half round file or a small flat file wrapped with sandpaper of medium grit. Then, using a small flat rasp with medium grit sandpaper wrapped around it, I will then round off the far rims of the pipes in a similar fashion to what I have just done with the near rims, only much more slightly just enough to create the slightest dip in the profile of the far rims. Then, using the small flat file wrapped in medium grit sandpaper yet again, I will set a slight inclination downwards towards the players side in the space between the near and far rims of the pipes, effectively tilting or inclining the original level playing field ever so slightly towards the player. Then I will round off, again in a unilateral direction directly towards the player, even more deeply than I did at first, scalloping the near rims even more and revealing more of the inner bore surface of the far end of the pipes interior. I will then test the tone and playing response of this basic beveling pattern or shape by blowing on some pipes, and if I am satisfied with the results, I will then sand the surface even smoother with finer grades of sandpaper. The last step is to use medium fine sandpaper to gently round off the inner edges of the pipe rims so that everything is left smooth, and no sharp, harsh edges remain. Blow a steady, strong stream of air through your embouchure into one of the pan flute's tubes. 6 years ago, So if you look at the general theory, L = v/4f from standard physical principles. Instructions: Use the scissors to cut the straws so they are all different lengths. Then repeat for another tube, until you have no tube open. Although bamboo can be harvested in the wild, from the grove, for most people, ordering bamboo from a bamboo dealer, or going there in person to buy the bamboo or select the poles, is the way to go. Bamboo poles in the diameters usually used for Pan Flutes generally comes in lengths of 6 to 8 feet long. For a standard size Alto Pan Flute (G to g), select poles from inch in diameter down to 5/8 inch to inch to 3/8 inch. For the lower pipes of a Tenor Pan Flute, you will have to buy one inch diameter poles as well, and for the lowest pipes of a Bass Pan Flute, you may even need to go to 1 inch or 1 inch. Some bamboo dealers will let you select individual poles to buy if you go in person, whereas others will deal in bamboo by the bale, which is anywhere from about 25 to 50 poles or so. To be sure, you wont be able to use all the bamboo you buy, but if you can use even half of it, you are doing well usually its more like a third of the bamboo you buy that is usable for quality pipes. Only a really good ear can sense a difference of a few cents. Copyright 2023 Buggy and Buddy. Does the width of the straws affect the sound they make? The result of those operations should be similar to the one depicted in the last two images. Step One: Buying and Selecting the Bamboo Practice making sounds with your flute byresting the tops of the straws on your lower lip and blowing across them. Pretty simple, uh? - How to make a CATAPULT - https://youtu.be/rv16MGSfmsoHow to make a FLIPPIN FLYER - https://youtu.be/u5akHnwyPosHow to make a KAZOO - https://youtu.be/sMBgme_npRAHow to make CARDBOARD CONSTRUCTORS - https://youtu.be/8P9B3--80e0How to make a PAN FLUTE - https://youtu.be/q1fcmvOioBEHow to make an ORIGAMI HEART - https://youtu.be/HGRS-PWB-swHow to make a LIFESAVER LAMBO - https://youtu.be/eyNAurHdmRQHow to make a PAPER PUPPET - https://youtu.be/PyfNF5hIedoHow to make a RAINSTICK - https://youtu.be/cYH6KegK_j8How to make a NATURE DISPLAY - https://youtu.be/PN7q73ga_2gHow to make a LAVA BOTTLE - https://youtu.be/6E4ldbu90V4 Making a Pan Flute a Labor Intensive Process on Step 10, Hi, I am doing a project for school where we need to make pan flutes. It needs to have one end open, and the other end closed by a joint. Blow air into the pan flute. Try to play some notes. Step Twelve: Oiling and Finishing the Pipes Theoretic lessons are gone, now let's do something more practical! The more beeswax or other tuning material that you pack down into the bottoms of the pipes, the higher the pitch gets; conversely, the more you remove or take out, the lower the pitch gets. Tuning the pipes with beeswax actually serves a dual function; in addition to tuning the pipes to the desired pitch, it can also seal the bottoms of the pipes so that no air escapes, if this has not already been done by another method. Since sealing the bottoms of the pipes can also be done in the ninth step of framing the pipes, there can be some overlap here between the ninth and eleventh step of Pan Flute making, especially in achieving the first objective, which is sealing off the bottoms of the pipes. The tuning of a pipe generally proceeds in three stages: 1) sealing off the bottom of the pipe; 2) rough tuning of the pipe; and 3) fine tuning the pipe. I will now proceed to discuss each one of these stages and objectives in turn. panflute. This should be down with a small saw or knife. Fa = 12.5 cm A sharp knife/boxcutter. All the pan pipes start out here. This straw pan flute is so easy to make that kids can make it all on their own! So what you are actually hearing is the air inside of the straw, not the flute itself. Simply blow air through the straws and discover what melodies can be created! Encourage children to measure and cut their own straws. (You can also make noise blowing right into the straw. A short straw produces a high note. If you cannot print a life-size plan or you don't have a caliber with a tolerance of 0.01 (and big enough to measure 32 cm), you can round to the first decimal digit, but make sure to round properly (for example, 31.69 will become 31.7, 29.91 will become 29.9. You can change the pitch by changing the length of the straw. So, the image of this step is from my previous instrument, a six-holed pennywhistle made of aluminium, wood (juniper), and electrician tape. First, the single slat of the bottom pipe receives a layer of glue as it is placed onto the end of the Pan Flute Mold, with the right tilt to it. Then, the second pipe up from the bottom is firmly placed next to it, and, after placement, its uppermost slat receives a layer of glue, with the third pipe up placed firmly on the mold adjoining it. This process repeats on up the scale, until you get to the top pipe, which receives no glue of its own, but is merely adjoined to the glued upper slat of the pipe below it. The coat of glue that the uppermost slat of each pipe receives is to be moderate not too thick, and not too thin, for the best results. My preferred method of applying the glue is the old fashioned way with the fingers although you are free to try other methods of glue application. It is also pretty much essential that all the pipes be glued together in one sitting, because there is bound to be at least a little warping of pipes as the glue dries, and gluing all the pipes together in one sitting, within the space of a half an hour or so, assures that a consistent, uniform warping will occur throughout the instruments entire span. The possibility of excess or undue warping can be reduced or eliminated by a thorough and precise fitting of the slats of all adjoining pipes before assembly, so that all slat surfaces are thoroughly flush and flat to one another. Let the glue dry for at least 12 hours before proceeding further. Later I will explain how to dispose everything even better. We can calculate the distance of the hole center from the open end using the same formula I've shown in previous step (see first image). Wait, don't take your driller too soon. This is the first EVER tutorial on making a Pan Flute by Blue Bear Flutes! So we'll drill only one hole. Please check this carefully and don't wear your pipes since although this is a cool representation of wave physics, I don't want you ruining your panflute :). A general purpose hand-held sander with various sandpapers ranging from at least medium to fine String. Compare the various pan flutes you discover. OK, if you're reading those words you want to know more. Also on a side-note, I found an online free tuner for flutes and similar woodwinds, also works great for fine-tuning panpipes ;) Link is: http://www.flutetunes.com/tuner/, Seems I ran into a snag of some sort when calculating the pipe lengths, I'll work the formula step-by-step for the pipe above the A @ 440, hopefully you can spot my screw-up. Art:The pan flutes can be decorated to express your childs creativity! In this STEM / STEAM activity, kids will make a homemade pan flute using straws! Step Nine: Framing or Reinforcing the Pipe Bottoms Bamboo is quite hard as far as woods go. However, it has one primary weakness, which is a tendency to split or crack easily along the length of its grain. And so, bamboo dealers will not and cannot guarantee that the bamboo poles they sell you will never crack. That is mainly because the poles you get at a bamboo dealer are not perfectly cured or dried and its the drying process, particularly if it happens unevenly throughout the pole, that creates the torque and tensions that lead to cracking. Moister, more humid climates are generally the most friendly to bamboo, because they allow the natural drying process to proceed at a more gradual, even pace, whereas dry climates are notoriously hard on bamboo, provoking cracking. Wind is another pesky environmental factor that can provoke cracking in bamboo. To prevent cracking in bamboo, I have found that thoroughly drying the bamboo by baking it slowly in an oven at carefully controlled temperatures is the best way to go. This process is similar to the kiln drying of fine hardwoods. After the bamboo is well baked, it virtually never cracks. It is commonly known in folk music but originates from South America, where ancient Amazonic tribes made the instrument from bamboo to provide melodies to their traditional tribal songs. on Introduction, Hiam working on a similar project for school where i will be needing the varying length for the notes Is it possible to get some help from youMy tubes have a diameter of 10mmI am having difficulties to get the lengths for the notesThanksDevesh, Greetings :) I've been wanting to make a set of panpipes for ages, but had no clue where to begin. Place a 7 inch strip of double-sided tape onto the inside of one piece of cardstock strips. Place the remaining two straws onto the tape. If your nose touches the open end of the C, D or E tube when you try to play a C#/Db or a D#/Eb, then raise the 2-tubes group. I made my pan flute from 1/2" diameter PVC water supply pipe. 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