Having said that, always keep an open mind and try many different
methods and music. Be well-read and do as much research as you can.
You must never stop learning and trying new ideas on your Native
American Flute. This will help you find and refine your personal
music. Your music doesn't have to be any particular style or played
at any specific level. All it has to be is what you are about, and
you don't have to live up to anyone else's idea of what it should be
or sound like.
I personally like to go out to the woods, far from anybody, and
play and create songs with only the birds and the animals as my
audience. You will find they are a great audience that never
complains or judges you. This also gives you time to find your songs
and develop your skill and understanding of the
Native American Flute.
The Native American flute sounds quite natural in the forests and
wilderness. Unlike a trombone, the Native American Flute (singing
wood) blends into nature's wonderful sounds. The birds seem to
respond and sing along as other animals scamper around doing their
usual things after awhile, thinking you are just a very large ugly
bird.
Where do the songs come from? The Native American Flute is a very
user-friendly instrument. Basically, you simply blow in it and it
makes a sound like a bird whistle, and, as you put more and more
fingers over the holes in different combinations and with different
amounts of breath, it makes different tones. I often say that the
flutes write the songs. You just have to listen and try to remember
what and how you played something when the flute plays something you
like. Be as free and creative with your music as you can.
As far as rhythms go, I recommend playing the flute with the same
rhythm you speak. When you speak it has a certain rhythm, pauses and
accents. Traditional
western music is written in
time signatures
like 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 2/4, etc. One of the wonderful things about the
Native American Flute and the tradition of
Native American music is that they do not use these conventions
and the songs have more of the rhythm of how one would speak. In
other words, there is no specific
time signature or
metronomic tempo. Not that you can't use songs that are written in a
certain time signature,
but you don't have to, and are not restricted to using one style of
thinking.
There are no mistakes, or right or wrong notes or music. This is
some of my favorite music, an when I feel the best part of the music
is taking place, many people consider this part a mistake or do not
consider this music at all, just noise. So find what you like in
melodies, rhythms and sounds. Remember beauty is in the ear of the
beholder.
