If you've come looking for a quality, concert tuned, affordable Native American
Indian
flute, made by Richard Maynard, (Laughing Crow), Click Here.
The Native American Indian flute or
love flute is a traditional musical
instrument. These Native American style flutes are handmade personally
by myself (Richard). I hand select each piece of wood, cut shape, tune
and finish each flute. No laser machines, no CNC (computer numerically
controlled) machines, no imported labor, also no dyes or stains are
used. My Native American Indian Flutes are not mass produced .These
Native American flutes are created by a musician,
for the musician. (Of course, you don't have to be a musician to
make beautiful "noise" with the NAF!)
The Indian Flute made by Laughing Crow is easy to play, has a big voice and is very forgiving to the novice as
well as being great performers for the experienced player. My flutes
have a wide dynamic range. Whether one wishes to play softly and in a
meditative style or if one wishes to play "out" for an audience, these
flutes will perform for you.
I've decided to share one of my newest Native American Flute songs
recorded at Kokopellistudios.com as a "Thank You"
gift for visiting my website. This is a complete song called "Saturn's
Night by Laughing Crow". The only catch is that you have to visit my
"Flutes" page and scroll
down to the bottom to find the link. I hope you enjoy this freebie and
come back to visit my site. Thanks for visiting!
Note: I'm back in the Taos, NM area for the summer creating flutes at
our solar powered Earth Ship.
Laughing Crow working at the belt sander shaping a new drone. Yes,
that belt sander can take the hide off in a hurry. That's why I'm
wearing those heavy gloves.
Want to see more photos?
Click here. Also, this just in. Extra, Extra! Read All About It!
I've made the Big Time here in Tucson with this
Arizona Daily Star Article! 4/10/2008 You can read about the Tucson
Native American Flute Circle and it's members in this piece.
It has been brought to my attention that Native American style flutes
are now being mass produced in China, Pakistan and other third world
countries. I've had people in China try to order my flutes for dubious
reasons. They're even counterfeiting the Jonah Thompson flutes!
Strangers sometimes come by my booth with their video cameras and do their best to take
pictures sometimes using a double team. One person tries to distract me
while the other films away. I know that they want to "knock them off"
and sell them cheaply. Ask yourself this question. "Do I want a flute
made by some prison slave laborer or poor woman who is being paid ten
cents a day, or do I want a Native American flute that is made in this
country by someone who really cares about the instrument and the Spirit
in which it was conceived?" The time is here that if you want certain
products, you have no choice but to buy Chinese. Let's not let that
happen to the Native American flute. I encourage you to "Buy American"
when it comes to this instrument.
Click Here to go to the flutes.
If you'd like to see me and
sample my flutes, check out this page with all my show dates and
locations.
To find instructions on how to make a
Native American flute go to
www.cherrycows.com.
To find accessories for your flute such as deer hide bags, stands and
cases go to
www.juniperflute.com. Be sure and tell them Laughing Crow sent you!
Richard,
I just received your cedar flute in F#. It's a stunning instrument
to
look at and moreso to play. I don't have much to compare it to
besides
my penny whistle, but the fingering is almost as tight even though
it's
in a lower key, making it a breeze to play. Breath control is much
easier than people seem to talk about - the flute is very forgiving
on
volume and has quite a range as far as that's concerned. The tone
is as
gorgeous as the instrument itself - really everything it should be -
and
I have to say I'm in love. As soon as I got it I sat down and
played
for two hours! I'm just amazed with how
clearly it was made by a musician for a musician. Flats and sharps
and
pitch shifting and the lot are just so easy - it's hard to get a bad
sound!
When I branch out into other keys or look for something fancier, I
definitely know where to go! Thank you for making these beautiful
instruments!
Gary
This site uses PayPal for ordering
flutes. If, for some reason, you don't want to use PayPal you can use my
Secure Order Form or, better
yet, call me toll free (888)778-3688 to place your order over the phone.
Below are some unsolicited testimonials from happy customers. (These are what
really makes it all worthwhile.)
From Scotland:
HI RICHARD
THANKS FOR THE FLUTE IT IS PERFECTO THE SOUND IS BEAUTIFUL, THAT'S WHY I
HAVE
ORDERED 4 MORE FROM YOU.
THANKS AGAIN
KAY & MARCO
It has been a delight to do business with you. Thank you for having
such a wonderful website and offering magical instruments and music
to people. I believe things like this are very valuable tools that
will help us to heal ourselves and our planet. I admire what you are
doing.
Take Care,
Judi Maresca
(From Australia)
Hi Richard
Just wanted to let you know how popular your
flutes are here. Angela is currently doing
Stella Benson’s Healing Musician Course that I
completed and took her flute to play for some
people in a hospice. One man was of Asian
nationality and when Angela played the flute he
was totally stunned – it took him back to his
childhood and he loved the sound.
Stella is currently here in Australia and
Angela borrowed our other Laughing Crow flutes
and played them with Stella playing the harp –
the number of people that commented on the sound
of the flutes was amazing. Today we had a full
day workshop on healing music and David played
your flutes in different settings – the comments
were lovely - the sound quality is very
different to what we are used to here and it
really touched people very deeply.
Thanks again – take care
Julie
Hi This is Kevin......
Thank you Laughing Crow for the flute! The resonance
is
breathtaking. Everyone that has heard and viewed the
flute
has complemented on how beautiful this instrument
is. The tone
and beauty are one. Words cannot describe the
feelings as I
weave my way through the notes as a windrider. I
thank you
from the deepest part of my heart for creating this
wonderful
instrument. The melodies echo along the prairie.
Although I am
new at playing this instrument, I feel that the
melodies that I have
created are becoming more beautiful as each day
passes.
Again thank you for the flute and I hope to start
recording music
soon among the prairie fields.
Kevin
Hi!
I picked up my flute today, the birds-eye maple drone. It arrived in
perfect
condition. Thanks!
You know, it's not very often where something inspires you to the point
that
all you can say, over and over again, is "wow!". What an incredibly
beautiful flute. Your phrase "musical works of art" fits perfectly. It's
equally enjoyable to play, ask my neighbors, I haven't stopped since
taking
it out of the box! I particularly like the way you've crafted the mouth
piece. I was concerned that it would be difficult to control the
dynamics of
air to the second chamber but your design makes this all very natural.
I really can't thank you enough. Perhaps the only way I may, is by
sharing
the gift of your art with others!
I hope the joy your instruments bring
to others does more than peek through
from time to time. I think that they don't stop giving from the moment
they
leave your hands (and probably long before!)
Music of any kind elevates the soul, but playing music, even more so. In
my
limited experience, playing a wind-blown instrument bonds the player
with the
instrument, with the music and with the spirit like nothing else (OK, I
don't
play drums, they could be an exception).
I have a couple of wonderful flutes. A crow flute from Odell Borg in F#
and
a bass C flute in cedar from Colin Peterson. They each play so sweetly,
and
they are well made and beautiful. But this flute... this birds-eye maple
drone from Laughing Crow, well, wow! It's easily the finest flute I've
ever
seen.
I'm extremely fortunate to touch the culture that has borne these
instruments. And I greatly appreciate that you've not only kept this
tradition alive for future generations, but that you've elevated this
craft
to such a high degree of art and function. You inspire me to do more in
my
life and career to bring joy to other people. Thank you, thank you,
thank
you!
If you'd like to use any of my words in any way, I'd be honored.
And if you ever want to peek into that joy, just close your eyes and sit
quietly. I think you'll hear us all out there making glorious, if not
always
so beautiful, music.
My deepest gratitude,
Michael
Hi Richard,
For More
Testimonials, you can go here.
Go
to the Flutes.
Lots of people see and hear these
beautiful instruments and say "Boy, if I had talent, I'd get one of
those!" Most think that if one is not already a musician, there's no
chance of being able to create the soothing, inspiring, meditative moods
that the Native American Flute is capable of. I try to say, "Oh, they're
easy to play!" They reply, "Easy for you!" I have to tell you that
almost anyone can evoke the inspirational tones from this instrument
with a minimum of effort and practice.
I think it's important to know that
the Native American Flute requires almost no effort. One does not need
to hold one's mouth any certain way. What I mean is one does not need a
special embouchure, such as a clarinet or trumpet player or even someone
who plays a concert flute. "Just kiss it and blow" is the short, sweet
way to get the point across. The fingering is elementary. The pentatonic
scale has no wrong notes. You can play the notes in any order and your
song will be "right". The goal is to learn to express yourself with your
own song. Play what you see, play what you feel. Look at a tree and play
the tree. Watch a hawk circling overhead and play the circles in the
sky. Play the clouds.
I offer seven CDs that I have created with the Native
American Flute.
These are almost entirely improvisation. They are all done using the
Native American minor pentatonic scale. This is the scale this flute
does best and the scale that is illustrated on the instruction sheet
that comes with the flute. I, personally, have never excelled with a musical instrument
in my past. I played drums for twenty four years because I couldn't fit
in with the standards, the norms which were dictated by the music
teachers. (Translates to my being "hard-headed"). When I found the Native
American Flute, I found a way to express myself musically. This is why
the Native American Flute is so popular. It can be used creatively by
non-musicians as well as by musicians of all capabilities.
You will also find a powerful tool to
develop creativity and confidence in this site; "Understanding the Gift"
by John Vames. This method book is probably the best source one can find
for properly learning all the techniques for playing the Native American
Flute. There is no better resource available, in my opinion, for
learning the Native Flute. John is a music educator. He has been teaching
for over thirty years. This man knows his business. His book,
which is available here, teaches everything from how to place your
fingers on the flute, to learning all the embellishments, or "little
tricks" that enable you to play like the major players. It takes you all
the way to learning how to read tablature, the form of written music
created by R. Carlos Nakai for the Native American Flute, with songs in
the back you can learn, if you so desire. My favorite aspect of this
book is that it comes
with a CD in which John explains and performs all the lessons. I highly
recommend "Understanding the Gift" available at this site.
Explore the flutes here. Download and
listen to some of the examples by clicking on the pictures of the
flutes. I hope you like what you see and hear.
Thank you for stopping in. Namaste,
Laughing Crow
What is a Native American Flute? I've taken
this section of an article from Wickipedia which explains it very well.
Native American flute
Main article:
Native American flute
The Native American flute has achieved some measure
of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of
New Age and
world music recordings. The instruments origins are
unknown, but the theory that it was developed by the
Ancient Pueblo Peoples based of
Mesoamerican designs is the most common solution.
Its music was used in
courtship,
healing, meditation and spiritual rituals.
The late
1960s saw a
roots revival centered around the flute, with a new
wave of flutists and artisans like
Doc Nevaquaya and
Carl Running Deer. Of special importance is
R. Carlos Nakai (Changes,
1983), who has achieved some mainstream renown for
his mixture of the flute with
New Age and
ambient sounds.
The Native American flute is the only flute in the
world constructed with two air chambers - there is a
wall inside the flute between the top (slow) air chamber
and the bottom chamber which has the whistle and finger
holes. The top chamber also serves as a secondary
resonator, which gives the flute its distinctive sound.
There is a hole at the bottom of the "slow" air chamber
and a (generally) square hole at the top of the playing
chamber. A block (or "bird") with a spacer is tied on
top of the flute to form a thin, flat airstream for the
whistle hole (or "window"). Some more modern flutes use
an undercut either in the block or the flute to
eliminate the need for a spacer.
The "traditional" Native American flute was
constructed using measurements based on the body - the
length of the flute would be the distance from armpit to
wrist, the length of the top air chamber would be one
fist-width, the distance from the whistle to the first
hole also a fist-width, the distance between holes would
be one thumb-width, and the distance from the last hole
to the end would generally be one fist-width.
Modern Native American flutes are generally tuned to
a variation of the minor pentatonic scale (such as you
would get playing the black keys on a piano), which
gives the instrument its distinctive plaintive sound.
Recently some makers have begun experimenting with
different scales, giving players new melodic options.
Also, modern flutes are generally tuned in concert keys
(such as A or D) so that they can be easily played with
other instruments. The root keys of modern Native
American flutes span a range of about three and a half
octaves, from C2 to A5.
Native American flutes most commonly have either 5 or
6 holes, but instruments can have anything from no holes
to seven (including a thumb hole). Various makers employ
different scales and fingerings for their flutes.
Some modern Native American flutes are called
"drone"
flutes, and are two (or more) flutes built together.
Generally, the drone chamber plays a fixed note which
the other flute can play against in harmony.
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