"How
the Native American Flute Has Impacted Our Lives"
Compiled by Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl
Compiled by Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl
| We
have all had our lives changed by many events and happenings over our lifetimes,
some good and some bad. The Native American flute and its music binds us all together
into a special family and has changed many of our lives for the better. The flute’s
calming and uplifting music brings joy to our hearts, peace to our minds, and
spirit to our souls. Below are words from various people in our flute community
concerning how the flute has affected their lives. They are displayed in the order
in which they were received.  |
Saggio:
“The Native American flute imploded my consciousness when I was 51-years-old. I heard the sound. I was compelled to play, and I have been playing ever since. I have come to understand over the last 14 years that the flute is a transformational tool for those who are ready. It is a primal sound that connects us to the wisdom of generations of Native peoples who preceded us. Its plaintive voice is part of the cellular memory of the race and it lifts us out of the normal sleep of life on earth, into an extraordinary celebration of Heaven on earth. For me, the Native American flute is about healing, about returning to the ‘truth of being.’ For this, I am grateful.”
Cryss Blackwolf:
“My relationship with world flutes, and especially the Native American flute, has been of utmost influence – if not a catalyst - with regard to how I have been able to express myself through the various avenues with which I have chosen to vibrate. I play the flute as a musician, but I also use it as a tool for exploration and healing. In my traditions, life-force is transmitted through the breath, and our waking dream is altered to our emotional expectations through the offering of the life-force. When I teach a firewalking seminar, for example, I play the flute as I walk across the coals as a way for my num - or ki, chi, prana, energy, etc. - to become equal to that of the fire. For me, the flute is as much a conduit for life-force as it is for music, which are often fine lines for many flute players.”
Susan Schuster:
“When we free the Native American flute from the burden of our own baggage, i.e., the need to see it as a spiritual tool and to always 'play from the heart,' the Native American flute begins to reveal itself as a wonderful instrument capable of rich tonal and melodic possibilities that rival any of the more traditional instruments of Western Europe. We seem to forget that the Native American flute, as we know it, is a relatively modern instrument of hybrid origins, and it is no more connected to the earth than a violin or a viola.
One of the characteristics that works against the Native American flute is how easy it is to play. The simplicity of the embouchure and the intuitive fingerings of the initial scales present few challenges to the beginning player. It is nearly impossible to play an unpleasant interval in the basic scale, and it is most forgiving of variations in breath control. Many players are content to stop at that level and deny themselves all that is possible. But, for those who are willing to move out of the comfort zone of long tones and backgrounds of birds and running water, the flute begins to unveil its rich and varied possibilities.
In recent years, composers have written symphonic and chamber music featuring the Native American flute as both a solo and ensemble instrument, using the instrument to extend the musical palette available to them. This is an important step in the legitimization of the Native American flute as a true musical instrument, which will guarantee its survival for many years to come. As a composer, I appreciate the flute’s ability to add new color and texture to my compositions. As a player, I enjoy the way it challenges me to discover all of its possibilities. Sometimes its good to let a flute just be a flute.”
Michael Bucher:
“The Native American flute has been a personal sanctuary for me for a long time. When I play, or listen to someone else play, it takes me to a place for which there are few words. There are not enough adjectives to describe the peacefulness it brings to me and that I receive from it. I know I am not the only one who feels this way. It has impacted my life so positively and profoundly that I honestly cannot imagine not having my collection of flute players to listen to when I am at the end of ‘one of those days.’ It also soothes me when I have a performance of my own to do. It is truly my fix and I cannot think of a better one to have!”
Jonny Lipford:
"Growing up, I dealt with issues of anxiety. The Native American flute has helped me to overcome those issues by learning to breathe not into the flute, but with it. I also had a bad case of stage fright, but the encouragement I received from other flute players helped me move on and overcome the social anxiety aspect of performing. Is the Native American flute a form of medicine? In more ways than one, I believe. Playing the flute for me is like insulin for a diabetic; I simply cannot live without it."
Dennis Hanna:
“My first exposure to the Native American flute came from seeing a program called Spirit, A Journey in Dance, Drum, and Song. Listening to the haunting qualities of this indigenous instrument totally enraptured me, and I knew then I just had to have one! It was not until a couple years later that I finally purchased my first Native American flute, which began my journey with this wonderful instrument.
The next step was the acquisition of CDs of some of my favorite players like Charles Littleleaf, Robert Mirabal, Kevin Locke, and, of course, R. Carlos Nakai, in order to listen to how the masters play this fine instrument. Since I acquired my first flute in 2001, my personal collection has come to number between 35 and 40 flutes.
The Native American flute has come to be a trusted friend to me since this time and it has been there for me through thick and thin. The flute has done much to help me through the transition of my father and other family members. In addition, through my volunteer work at the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (www.aiwc.ca), there are times when the flute helps me to express myself along with the joys of when an animal is released back to the wild, as well through the terrible sadness that arises when an animal spirit transitions to the other side when we are unable to heal its injuries.
Another wonderful event that happened as a result of the Native American flute is the many on-line flutin’ friends that I have made; this was quite unexpected. It is wonderful to have the support of such people, since up here in Canada Native American flute players are kind of few and far. My membership in the wonderful organization INAFA is very helpful to me in this way, as well! I look forward to the future and the many musical and mystical journeys on which my now trusted friend, the Native American flute, will take me.”
Craig Chan:
“I feel privileged to make and play the Native American flute, which has led me to a deeper understanding of, and respect for, nature and ultimately of myself. I have come to understand that the Native American flute represents the coming together of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) to create an amazing instrument that has both mystical and spiritual properties. I enjoy seeing the responses of people being introduced to the flute for the first time. This always takes me back to the place when I first heard the flute: I felt at peace, relaxed, somber, and centered. Most of all, I enjoy hearing the expressive songs and stories people get to share though the Native American flute; it is truly a connector of people.”
Mark Holland:
“Whether the Native American flute found me or I found it no longer matters - it has been a wonderful journey. There was something very familiar about it from the beginning; there was an unspeakable connection. Not only has it been a catalyst for creativity and the development of a new musical sound - discovering and utilizing its versatility - it has been most effective in bringing people together. It has been a true joy meeting people from all across the country. The Native American flute is friendship, communication, and communion; it has also meant unity, harmony, and peace. Hopefully, together we can continue to cultivate this unity, harmony, and peace inside the flute community, while at the same time sharing this with others outside of it, as well.”
Jeff Ball:
"The Native American flute has had a remarkable impact on my life. I had always wanted to play an instrument, but nothing ever really ‘fit.’ In the years that have passed, I have seen far more places than I would otherwise have, were it not for this remarkable instrument. I have met so many great people, each with a kind face and a story to share. I am awed by how far reaching our music is and its impact on the lives of those who hear it. Not just my music, but Native American flute music as a whole. The flute has brought me into a special and unique family. It is good to have such a place and I am thankful to all of those who went before me, paving the way for us to be here now."
Joseph FireCrow:
“The flute is more than an instrument or a way of life. It is our past, present, and our future within the present. The flute has taught me to walk with dignity, integrity, and beauty. It is a natural way to express thoughts, emotions, and even prayers. LOVE is what the flute represents!”
Leslee Tassie:
"The Native American flute for me has great healing and meditative qualities, and when I have a flute to my lips I am often not playing it, but rather I am praying with it. The flute has impacted my life in a number of ways, and one of those ways is how my playing has had a positive impact on the lives of other people.
One memorable time is when I played at a fundraiser for women's causes. A woman was there who had lost her son, a soldier, who had been killed in Afghanistan. She came up to me afterwards with tears of gratitude, hugging me and thanking me. She explained that, when I played, she was together once again with her son canoeing on a lake in Algonquin Park and then again at a beaver pond to which they used to walk. She said to me, ‘You can't imagine what you've just given me.’
This past May, I had the great honor of playing at the bedside of my husband's aunt as she lay dying. She had always loved hearing me play, and as I played a deep ultra low G-sharp in meditative prayer and with eyes closed, I was suddenly aware of Aunt Agnes's presence standing beside me and a tremendous sense of gratitude (without words) emanating from her presence. Before I even opened my eyes, I knew she had passed."
Dan Ricketts:
“As many have experienced for themselves, interesting, almost magical things, happen around this flute. In my nearly 10 year journey, it has taken me to places I never thought I would travel that have changed the course of my life such as being in front of audiences, on stage and back stage with many of my ‘heroes,’ and small one-on-one encounters. This instrument has brought to me a renewed interest in music, playing, composing, and learning about theory. It has provided endless hours of solace, comfort, and satisfaction, as I have pursued every aspect of its character and history.
The most wonderful thing of all is that the flute has brought friends into my life from around the nation and the world. Folks who I might not have anything else in common with ‘connect,’ as a result of our common bond centered around this indigenous instrument. I can hardly wait to see what new experience might await me just around the next bend of my journey. I do not know what it might be, but by now I am expecting the unexpected!”
Charles Littleleaf:
“The flute is a single object. It is only a stick, a fancy piece of fire wood. It is not a special or sacred thing. Should a good spirit decide to reside within a flute, then a conversion is started. Purpose finds its place.
When someone blows through a flute, they may or may not feel the spirits' presence. If these two spirits find compatibility, a special relationship is in the works. It is us, and our own spirit, which carry the special and sacred entity. Creator of life resides within our hearts.
We are gifted two sure things in this brief lifetime: intelligence and potential. We have the intelligence to do a good work and we have the potential to do a good job, every day and in every way.
The flute player has a date with destiny. It has been preordained hundreds of years ago that our special self would be here today. A job lays before us. Take in hand our flute and do all things in a good and positive way. We must discard the "I's" and "Me's" before we begin our flute endeavors. Erroneous habits will cause unbalance.
When breath is given to a flute, healing vibrations may begin. Earth cleansing is near upon us. The prophecy of the buffalo is showing itself. He is on his last leg.
Never before has there been a time in the world when all of our flute instruments have had the greatest need. Our Mother Earth, its people, and all of life is in this great need of our personal medicine in the way of healing vibrations that we call music.”
Francesca Reitano:
“The flute community has opened a door to a shared place of music, creativity, and magic that was alive in homes and gatherings in the 1960s and early 1970s. This is a different experience from attending a performance. This is interactive; this is ‘people's music.’ Flute circle folk are an extended family with an added dimension. Sometimes it is difficult for friends and family to fully understand why you are so excited about that twentieth flute, or how jazzed you are to have a song come through you, or to discover a new fingering or technique. We get together and the music flows like a river. We jump in and play, or float on the sounds that others are making. We dive into that place that is MUSIC – not for anyone or by anyone, but for everyone and in everyone. At a recent Northern California Flute Circle retreat, I was absolutely lost for several hours jamming with my flutes, my guitar, and my voice, delighting in the sounds coming from the drums, flutes and voices all around me. As I told my friends, "This is musical soul food. This is good for my soul. I needed this!"
Tim Blueflint:
“The Native American flute is a touchstone to my past, a grounding reminder for the present, and a portal to my future. It conjures memories of the loving smile on my Comanche grandmother Blackstar’s face on a sunny day by the river as I played for her, indelibly etching the memory on my heart. It reminds me of late nights talking to my soon-to-be wife and having her asking me to play to her, thereby sealing our connection and allowing our hearts to speak to one another on a level neither of us ever understood existed.
Each flute is a lesson in humility and patience, as the true voice is revealed in the making, by the Creator, through my hands. It is a gift when completed, admiring the beauty of the wood and the voice. It presents another gift, when someone gives this creation a voice and a song.
The Native American flute constantly shows me lessons that will be part of my legacy. Like those many before us who paved the way, preserved the traditions, and remembered the stories and songs, I choose to remember and honor those relatives’ memories and respect the paths that they traveled and the hardships that they faced to preserve this wonderful gift that we call the Native American flute.”
Bobb Fantauzzo:
“Like many others, I was seduced first by the sound of the Native American flute and then by the ease of playing it. I became lost in its sound and that somehow made me feel more connected to both myself and others. For the first time in my life, I felt free to play music, not just notes, not just an instrument. That is when I realized that I could truly express the music that I feel inside.
The flute enables me to have the courage to express ‘who I am’ through my music and not try to sound like ‘who I am not.’ For me, it is all about being as authentic as I can to my true being through my music. This instrument enables me to do so. And, it still seduces me every time I play it.”
Jan Seiden:
“What does the Native American flute mean to me? What is it in my life? The flutes indigenous to North America ask me to instead be in exquisite relationship with life and the grander universal flow. My first flute came to me in 1994 and led to that tranquil place so familiar to all flute players. Then came the phase of challenging me to deconstruct the life-paradigm by which I had been living which introduced me to a higher level of being. I thought that this was incredible and on the path
that I should be traveling.
Always full of surprises, the path of the flute soon presented me with another challenge – a two-barrel, double octave flute that had to be played left-handed in order to play in tune. Too much work for my mind to think logically about lifting the correct fingers in this unfamiliar configuration, the flute asked me to let it breathe. Breathe? The flute breathes with the air flowing through my lungs and, just as I exhale through my mouth, the flute must also exhale through those 10 finger holes on its 2 chambers. Allowing the flute to lift my fingers with their desire to breathe made me into the instrument and the flute became the player. The instrument breathes into the player which in turn plays the instrument through his or her fingers. Another level of releasing control to Divine creative energies flowing through me, the flute had become a means to further reshaping, redefining existence. Then, a much older and elusively simple flute beckoned to me. A challenge to “dance on the edge of life,” to play the rim. The reintroduced Anasazi flute requires me in each moment to be in balance on that edge. Finding that edge is a journey through the outer limits and into the shadows of the twilight zone. That edge asks in each moment, “Where is your mind? What you are you being? How non-self can you be? What realities are you willing or brave enough to venture into? Are you hearing the ancient voices singing on this rim?” Time and space warp on this rim, the edge has moved and I dance on its subtle change. Then I sat with those old flutes, the real ones in safe keeping in the Arizona State Museum, and I thought, “Wow, there really is no edge, only the void, the Great Mystery, and possibilities.”
William Hoshal:
“The Native American flute to me represents a connection, a connection between the seemingly distant words of my family’s past and my modern musical life. It is a bridge between an indigenous cultural part of my life that, due to societal pressures of the day, I was never allowed to explore, and to the indigenous art form of jazz to which I have dedicated my entire life. And, it was an important path back to myself when I had reached a critical point in my life.
A dear friend and teacher is fond of saying, “You’re in service to the music, not the other way around.” I believe all artists reach a point, a touchstone moment, where the true reason they began their journey has retreated behind the demands placed on their art by life. The desire for success, notoriety, financial stability, and familial responsibilities unintentionally has replaced the simple joy that first attracted them to the art and, equally important, the dedication that propelled them forward.
In such a moment, the Native American flute reminded me of that joy that I felt years before, at the sound of those first notes I played on my instrument. And, in turn, it reminded me of why I had ventured on that journey. The path to the music had been laid out for me to follow in the old 78s of classical music I found lying in boxes in the basement as a child; in the endless hours of Big Band music my father joyously listened to during long car rides; in the piano my mother insisted on buying, but herself never learned to play; and in my discovery of Jim Pepper, Jan Garbarek, and John Coltrane, all of whom followed their own music back to indigenous roots. The flute has connected me once again to the joy in music, to my responsibility and dedication, and to the role music has played in my family. It has brought me home, so that I may be ‘in service to the music.’ ”
Dr. Oliver W. Jones:
“I can sum up my feeling about the Native American flute in a single word: friendships. It is not possible to name all of the people, but friendships made through the Native American flute have been enduring. In the early 1970s, I made an annual trek to Indian Market each August in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Strolling the plaza with one or two flutes in hand would invariably result in a greeting from a craftsperson at the market. Friendships were formed that have continued to the present time. The flute led me to three men, all Native Americans, who generously shared their knowledge and enabled me to become a better flute maker. Finally, friendships made through the INAFA Advisory Board and INAFA membership would not have occurred without the flute. The flute has been a friend and has lead me to friendships. I am truly blessed.”
Peter Phippen:
"The Native American flute came into my life after I had been playing transverse and vertical bamboo/wooden flutes for more than 3 years. To me, the Native American flute represents a very interesting form of world flute. It is unique in that it has a very distinctive cry. I find this true for all Native American flutes, whether they are of ancient origin, antique, or contemporary. I believe that the flute in all of its forms represents and teaches humility. I greatly respect the instrument for the discipline required in order to play it well. I do not think there is a more powerful, yet soothing, sound on the planet than that created by a simple stick with a few holes burned into it, open at both ends.”
“The Native American flute imploded my consciousness when I was 51-years-old. I heard the sound. I was compelled to play, and I have been playing ever since. I have come to understand over the last 14 years that the flute is a transformational tool for those who are ready. It is a primal sound that connects us to the wisdom of generations of Native peoples who preceded us. Its plaintive voice is part of the cellular memory of the race and it lifts us out of the normal sleep of life on earth, into an extraordinary celebration of Heaven on earth. For me, the Native American flute is about healing, about returning to the ‘truth of being.’ For this, I am grateful.”
Cryss Blackwolf:
“My relationship with world flutes, and especially the Native American flute, has been of utmost influence – if not a catalyst - with regard to how I have been able to express myself through the various avenues with which I have chosen to vibrate. I play the flute as a musician, but I also use it as a tool for exploration and healing. In my traditions, life-force is transmitted through the breath, and our waking dream is altered to our emotional expectations through the offering of the life-force. When I teach a firewalking seminar, for example, I play the flute as I walk across the coals as a way for my num - or ki, chi, prana, energy, etc. - to become equal to that of the fire. For me, the flute is as much a conduit for life-force as it is for music, which are often fine lines for many flute players.”
Susan Schuster:
“When we free the Native American flute from the burden of our own baggage, i.e., the need to see it as a spiritual tool and to always 'play from the heart,' the Native American flute begins to reveal itself as a wonderful instrument capable of rich tonal and melodic possibilities that rival any of the more traditional instruments of Western Europe. We seem to forget that the Native American flute, as we know it, is a relatively modern instrument of hybrid origins, and it is no more connected to the earth than a violin or a viola.
One of the characteristics that works against the Native American flute is how easy it is to play. The simplicity of the embouchure and the intuitive fingerings of the initial scales present few challenges to the beginning player. It is nearly impossible to play an unpleasant interval in the basic scale, and it is most forgiving of variations in breath control. Many players are content to stop at that level and deny themselves all that is possible. But, for those who are willing to move out of the comfort zone of long tones and backgrounds of birds and running water, the flute begins to unveil its rich and varied possibilities.
In recent years, composers have written symphonic and chamber music featuring the Native American flute as both a solo and ensemble instrument, using the instrument to extend the musical palette available to them. This is an important step in the legitimization of the Native American flute as a true musical instrument, which will guarantee its survival for many years to come. As a composer, I appreciate the flute’s ability to add new color and texture to my compositions. As a player, I enjoy the way it challenges me to discover all of its possibilities. Sometimes its good to let a flute just be a flute.”
Michael Bucher:
“The Native American flute has been a personal sanctuary for me for a long time. When I play, or listen to someone else play, it takes me to a place for which there are few words. There are not enough adjectives to describe the peacefulness it brings to me and that I receive from it. I know I am not the only one who feels this way. It has impacted my life so positively and profoundly that I honestly cannot imagine not having my collection of flute players to listen to when I am at the end of ‘one of those days.’ It also soothes me when I have a performance of my own to do. It is truly my fix and I cannot think of a better one to have!”
Jonny Lipford:
"Growing up, I dealt with issues of anxiety. The Native American flute has helped me to overcome those issues by learning to breathe not into the flute, but with it. I also had a bad case of stage fright, but the encouragement I received from other flute players helped me move on and overcome the social anxiety aspect of performing. Is the Native American flute a form of medicine? In more ways than one, I believe. Playing the flute for me is like insulin for a diabetic; I simply cannot live without it."
Dennis Hanna:
“My first exposure to the Native American flute came from seeing a program called Spirit, A Journey in Dance, Drum, and Song. Listening to the haunting qualities of this indigenous instrument totally enraptured me, and I knew then I just had to have one! It was not until a couple years later that I finally purchased my first Native American flute, which began my journey with this wonderful instrument.
The next step was the acquisition of CDs of some of my favorite players like Charles Littleleaf, Robert Mirabal, Kevin Locke, and, of course, R. Carlos Nakai, in order to listen to how the masters play this fine instrument. Since I acquired my first flute in 2001, my personal collection has come to number between 35 and 40 flutes.
The Native American flute has come to be a trusted friend to me since this time and it has been there for me through thick and thin. The flute has done much to help me through the transition of my father and other family members. In addition, through my volunteer work at the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (www.aiwc.ca), there are times when the flute helps me to express myself along with the joys of when an animal is released back to the wild, as well through the terrible sadness that arises when an animal spirit transitions to the other side when we are unable to heal its injuries.
Another wonderful event that happened as a result of the Native American flute is the many on-line flutin’ friends that I have made; this was quite unexpected. It is wonderful to have the support of such people, since up here in Canada Native American flute players are kind of few and far. My membership in the wonderful organization INAFA is very helpful to me in this way, as well! I look forward to the future and the many musical and mystical journeys on which my now trusted friend, the Native American flute, will take me.”
Craig Chan:
“I feel privileged to make and play the Native American flute, which has led me to a deeper understanding of, and respect for, nature and ultimately of myself. I have come to understand that the Native American flute represents the coming together of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) to create an amazing instrument that has both mystical and spiritual properties. I enjoy seeing the responses of people being introduced to the flute for the first time. This always takes me back to the place when I first heard the flute: I felt at peace, relaxed, somber, and centered. Most of all, I enjoy hearing the expressive songs and stories people get to share though the Native American flute; it is truly a connector of people.”
Mark Holland:
“Whether the Native American flute found me or I found it no longer matters - it has been a wonderful journey. There was something very familiar about it from the beginning; there was an unspeakable connection. Not only has it been a catalyst for creativity and the development of a new musical sound - discovering and utilizing its versatility - it has been most effective in bringing people together. It has been a true joy meeting people from all across the country. The Native American flute is friendship, communication, and communion; it has also meant unity, harmony, and peace. Hopefully, together we can continue to cultivate this unity, harmony, and peace inside the flute community, while at the same time sharing this with others outside of it, as well.”
Jeff Ball:
"The Native American flute has had a remarkable impact on my life. I had always wanted to play an instrument, but nothing ever really ‘fit.’ In the years that have passed, I have seen far more places than I would otherwise have, were it not for this remarkable instrument. I have met so many great people, each with a kind face and a story to share. I am awed by how far reaching our music is and its impact on the lives of those who hear it. Not just my music, but Native American flute music as a whole. The flute has brought me into a special and unique family. It is good to have such a place and I am thankful to all of those who went before me, paving the way for us to be here now."
Joseph FireCrow:
“The flute is more than an instrument or a way of life. It is our past, present, and our future within the present. The flute has taught me to walk with dignity, integrity, and beauty. It is a natural way to express thoughts, emotions, and even prayers. LOVE is what the flute represents!”
Leslee Tassie:
"The Native American flute for me has great healing and meditative qualities, and when I have a flute to my lips I am often not playing it, but rather I am praying with it. The flute has impacted my life in a number of ways, and one of those ways is how my playing has had a positive impact on the lives of other people.
One memorable time is when I played at a fundraiser for women's causes. A woman was there who had lost her son, a soldier, who had been killed in Afghanistan. She came up to me afterwards with tears of gratitude, hugging me and thanking me. She explained that, when I played, she was together once again with her son canoeing on a lake in Algonquin Park and then again at a beaver pond to which they used to walk. She said to me, ‘You can't imagine what you've just given me.’
This past May, I had the great honor of playing at the bedside of my husband's aunt as she lay dying. She had always loved hearing me play, and as I played a deep ultra low G-sharp in meditative prayer and with eyes closed, I was suddenly aware of Aunt Agnes's presence standing beside me and a tremendous sense of gratitude (without words) emanating from her presence. Before I even opened my eyes, I knew she had passed."
Dan Ricketts:
“As many have experienced for themselves, interesting, almost magical things, happen around this flute. In my nearly 10 year journey, it has taken me to places I never thought I would travel that have changed the course of my life such as being in front of audiences, on stage and back stage with many of my ‘heroes,’ and small one-on-one encounters. This instrument has brought to me a renewed interest in music, playing, composing, and learning about theory. It has provided endless hours of solace, comfort, and satisfaction, as I have pursued every aspect of its character and history.
The most wonderful thing of all is that the flute has brought friends into my life from around the nation and the world. Folks who I might not have anything else in common with ‘connect,’ as a result of our common bond centered around this indigenous instrument. I can hardly wait to see what new experience might await me just around the next bend of my journey. I do not know what it might be, but by now I am expecting the unexpected!”
Charles Littleleaf:
“The flute is a single object. It is only a stick, a fancy piece of fire wood. It is not a special or sacred thing. Should a good spirit decide to reside within a flute, then a conversion is started. Purpose finds its place.
When someone blows through a flute, they may or may not feel the spirits' presence. If these two spirits find compatibility, a special relationship is in the works. It is us, and our own spirit, which carry the special and sacred entity. Creator of life resides within our hearts.
We are gifted two sure things in this brief lifetime: intelligence and potential. We have the intelligence to do a good work and we have the potential to do a good job, every day and in every way.
The flute player has a date with destiny. It has been preordained hundreds of years ago that our special self would be here today. A job lays before us. Take in hand our flute and do all things in a good and positive way. We must discard the "I's" and "Me's" before we begin our flute endeavors. Erroneous habits will cause unbalance.
When breath is given to a flute, healing vibrations may begin. Earth cleansing is near upon us. The prophecy of the buffalo is showing itself. He is on his last leg.
Never before has there been a time in the world when all of our flute instruments have had the greatest need. Our Mother Earth, its people, and all of life is in this great need of our personal medicine in the way of healing vibrations that we call music.”
Francesca Reitano:
“The flute community has opened a door to a shared place of music, creativity, and magic that was alive in homes and gatherings in the 1960s and early 1970s. This is a different experience from attending a performance. This is interactive; this is ‘people's music.’ Flute circle folk are an extended family with an added dimension. Sometimes it is difficult for friends and family to fully understand why you are so excited about that twentieth flute, or how jazzed you are to have a song come through you, or to discover a new fingering or technique. We get together and the music flows like a river. We jump in and play, or float on the sounds that others are making. We dive into that place that is MUSIC – not for anyone or by anyone, but for everyone and in everyone. At a recent Northern California Flute Circle retreat, I was absolutely lost for several hours jamming with my flutes, my guitar, and my voice, delighting in the sounds coming from the drums, flutes and voices all around me. As I told my friends, "This is musical soul food. This is good for my soul. I needed this!"
Tim Blueflint:
“The Native American flute is a touchstone to my past, a grounding reminder for the present, and a portal to my future. It conjures memories of the loving smile on my Comanche grandmother Blackstar’s face on a sunny day by the river as I played for her, indelibly etching the memory on my heart. It reminds me of late nights talking to my soon-to-be wife and having her asking me to play to her, thereby sealing our connection and allowing our hearts to speak to one another on a level neither of us ever understood existed.
Each flute is a lesson in humility and patience, as the true voice is revealed in the making, by the Creator, through my hands. It is a gift when completed, admiring the beauty of the wood and the voice. It presents another gift, when someone gives this creation a voice and a song.
The Native American flute constantly shows me lessons that will be part of my legacy. Like those many before us who paved the way, preserved the traditions, and remembered the stories and songs, I choose to remember and honor those relatives’ memories and respect the paths that they traveled and the hardships that they faced to preserve this wonderful gift that we call the Native American flute.”
Bobb Fantauzzo:
“Like many others, I was seduced first by the sound of the Native American flute and then by the ease of playing it. I became lost in its sound and that somehow made me feel more connected to both myself and others. For the first time in my life, I felt free to play music, not just notes, not just an instrument. That is when I realized that I could truly express the music that I feel inside.
The flute enables me to have the courage to express ‘who I am’ through my music and not try to sound like ‘who I am not.’ For me, it is all about being as authentic as I can to my true being through my music. This instrument enables me to do so. And, it still seduces me every time I play it.”
Jan Seiden:
“What does the Native American flute mean to me? What is it in my life? The flutes indigenous to North America ask me to instead be in exquisite relationship with life and the grander universal flow. My first flute came to me in 1994 and led to that tranquil place so familiar to all flute players. Then came the phase of challenging me to deconstruct the life-paradigm by which I had been living which introduced me to a higher level of being. I thought that this was incredible and on the path
that I should be traveling.
Always full of surprises, the path of the flute soon presented me with another challenge – a two-barrel, double octave flute that had to be played left-handed in order to play in tune. Too much work for my mind to think logically about lifting the correct fingers in this unfamiliar configuration, the flute asked me to let it breathe. Breathe? The flute breathes with the air flowing through my lungs and, just as I exhale through my mouth, the flute must also exhale through those 10 finger holes on its 2 chambers. Allowing the flute to lift my fingers with their desire to breathe made me into the instrument and the flute became the player. The instrument breathes into the player which in turn plays the instrument through his or her fingers. Another level of releasing control to Divine creative energies flowing through me, the flute had become a means to further reshaping, redefining existence. Then, a much older and elusively simple flute beckoned to me. A challenge to “dance on the edge of life,” to play the rim. The reintroduced Anasazi flute requires me in each moment to be in balance on that edge. Finding that edge is a journey through the outer limits and into the shadows of the twilight zone. That edge asks in each moment, “Where is your mind? What you are you being? How non-self can you be? What realities are you willing or brave enough to venture into? Are you hearing the ancient voices singing on this rim?” Time and space warp on this rim, the edge has moved and I dance on its subtle change. Then I sat with those old flutes, the real ones in safe keeping in the Arizona State Museum, and I thought, “Wow, there really is no edge, only the void, the Great Mystery, and possibilities.”
William Hoshal:
“The Native American flute to me represents a connection, a connection between the seemingly distant words of my family’s past and my modern musical life. It is a bridge between an indigenous cultural part of my life that, due to societal pressures of the day, I was never allowed to explore, and to the indigenous art form of jazz to which I have dedicated my entire life. And, it was an important path back to myself when I had reached a critical point in my life.
A dear friend and teacher is fond of saying, “You’re in service to the music, not the other way around.” I believe all artists reach a point, a touchstone moment, where the true reason they began their journey has retreated behind the demands placed on their art by life. The desire for success, notoriety, financial stability, and familial responsibilities unintentionally has replaced the simple joy that first attracted them to the art and, equally important, the dedication that propelled them forward.
In such a moment, the Native American flute reminded me of that joy that I felt years before, at the sound of those first notes I played on my instrument. And, in turn, it reminded me of why I had ventured on that journey. The path to the music had been laid out for me to follow in the old 78s of classical music I found lying in boxes in the basement as a child; in the endless hours of Big Band music my father joyously listened to during long car rides; in the piano my mother insisted on buying, but herself never learned to play; and in my discovery of Jim Pepper, Jan Garbarek, and John Coltrane, all of whom followed their own music back to indigenous roots. The flute has connected me once again to the joy in music, to my responsibility and dedication, and to the role music has played in my family. It has brought me home, so that I may be ‘in service to the music.’ ”
Dr. Oliver W. Jones:
“I can sum up my feeling about the Native American flute in a single word: friendships. It is not possible to name all of the people, but friendships made through the Native American flute have been enduring. In the early 1970s, I made an annual trek to Indian Market each August in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Strolling the plaza with one or two flutes in hand would invariably result in a greeting from a craftsperson at the market. Friendships were formed that have continued to the present time. The flute led me to three men, all Native Americans, who generously shared their knowledge and enabled me to become a better flute maker. Finally, friendships made through the INAFA Advisory Board and INAFA membership would not have occurred without the flute. The flute has been a friend and has lead me to friendships. I am truly blessed.”
Peter Phippen:
"The Native American flute came into my life after I had been playing transverse and vertical bamboo/wooden flutes for more than 3 years. To me, the Native American flute represents a very interesting form of world flute. It is unique in that it has a very distinctive cry. I find this true for all Native American flutes, whether they are of ancient origin, antique, or contemporary. I believe that the flute in all of its forms represents and teaches humility. I greatly respect the instrument for the discipline required in order to play it well. I do not think there is a more powerful, yet soothing, sound on the planet than that created by a simple stick with a few holes burned into it, open at both ends.”