Lew Paxton Price
Secrets of the Flute: The Physics, Math and Design of the Non-Mechanical Folk Flute

This volume is the culmination of years of research on traditional folk flutes by Lew Paxton Price, an engineer by trade and a flutemaker by passion. Chapters cover the fundamental aspects which underlie an understanding of flute acoustics. The significance of important parameters such as wavelength, pitch, resonance and factors which effect them in the design of the flute are discussed.

The focus of this edition is upon flute design and bore configuration. Price analyzes the relationship between length and area of the bore, the structure of the embouchure, air motion within the flute and positioning of the playing holes as they effect performance of the instrument. He considers the many different types of folk flutes in terms of their construction, acoustical dynamics and evolved design. Taken up are the panpipes, whistles, nose flutes, diagonals, and end-blown flutes like the kena and native North American flute as well as transverse instruments used in traditional cultures throughout the world.

The book is supplemented with an outline illustrating the essential steps in flute design, an explanation of symbols and formulae used in acoustical physics, illustrations of embouchures and blocks of many traditional instruments, a frequency chart for tempered scales and a genealogy of the simple folk flute. This guide combines an understanding of basic algebra with a love for hand-craftmanship to aid those who desire to make their own quality instruments. 82 pages. CM-6 

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