| Flutetree : Songbook : | |
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for Flutes inspired by the old Hopi & Anasazi flutes |
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This is a prototype of a songbook for Hopi/Anasazi style flutes. The earliest references to the plains courting flute date to around the 1820's. After nearly dying out, the courting flute has undergone a renaissance in the last 20 years. Inspired by their beautiful sound, their simple design, and their ease of play, a new genation of flute makers has produced more flutes in the last 20 years than were made in the prior 150 years. In contrast, very few make flutes in the style of the Hopi flute. Partially this is because it is a challenging instrument to learn, but also the secretive nature of those how played such instruments. Because of the Hopi flute's peculiar 5-hole finger layout, it is easy to connect other examples that are dated to around 1253-1284 AD. And these show a link the 6-hole Anasazi flutes that go back at least as far as 620-670 AD. From a design point of view, these instruments are basically a hollow cylinder with some finger holes. Recently, some flute makers have rediscovered these instruments, and begun to evolve them in similar ways that the courting flute has undergone in the last 30 years. For instance, Michael Allen is slightly adjusting the finger holes of the flutes that he makes so they are tuned to modern pitches so they can be played along with other modern instruments. Through Michael's contemporary reflection of an ancient instrument, this songbook has been made possible. Melodies:
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