Pottery: Ceramic Flute Tuning & Playing Tips

Please subscribe! Thank you for watching. View on 1080 setting for best quality. I have a bunch of videos on making ceramic flutes. Here's a wrap up with tips for accounting for clay shrinkage when you tune yours and some helpful guidance on how to get your flutes to make sound. These don't sound as airy as they do on cell phone or laptop speakers. They have a really pleasant tone in person.
Here's my video on making a hollow ring to make a circular flute.
• Pottery: Throwing a Ho...
Here's how to make a straight, handbuilt flute. • Pottery- Making a Tran...
Here's how to make a circular flute without the sound bell (the blue one).
• Pottery: Making a Circ...
Here's how to make a circular flute with a sound bell (the green one).
• Pottery: Making a Circ...
The tuner app I used is called CarlTune. It's free on Android.
I'm using a cone 6 white stoneware from Highwater Clays called Little Loafers. It's my standard clay of choice for functional ware.
5 Note Scales
MAJOR
C pentatonic: C, D, E, G, A, C
C# pentatonic: C#, D#, F, G#, A#, C#
Db pentatonic: Db, Eb, F, Ab, Bb, Db
D pentatonic: D, E, F#, A, B, D
Eb pentatonic: Eb, F, G, Bb, C, Eb
E pentatonic: E, F#, G#, B, C#, E
F pentatonic: F, G, A, C, D, F
F# pentatonic: F#, G#, A#, C#, D#, F#
Gb pentatonic: Gb, Ab, Bb, Db, Eb, Gb
G pentatonic: G, A, B, D, E, G
Ab pentatonic: Ab, Bb, C, Eb, F, Ab
A pentatonic: A, B, C#, E, F#, A
Bb pentatonic: Bb, C, D, F, G, Bb
B pentatonic: B, C#, D#, F#, G#, B
MINOR
A minor pentatonic: A, C, D, E, G, A
Bb minor pentatonic: Bb, Db, Eb, F, Ab, Bb
B minor pentatonic: B, D, E, F#, A, B
C minor pentatonic: C, Eb, F, G, Bb, C
C# minor pentatonic: C#, E, F#, G#, B, C#
D minor pentatonic: D, F, G, A, C, D
Eb minor pentatonic: Eb, Gb, Ab, Bb, Db, Eb
Em pentatonic: E, G, A, B, D, E
F minor pentatonic: F, Ab, Bb, C, Eb, F
F# minor pentatonic: F#, A, B, C#, E, F#
G minor pentatonic: G, Bb, C, D, F, G
G# minor pentatonic: G#, B, C#, D#, F#, G#
Major Scales overview
C: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
C#/Db: C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#, C# / Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, Db
D: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D
D#/Eb: D#, E#, F##, G#, A#, B#, C##, D# / Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, Eb
E: E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D#, E
F: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F
F#/Gb: F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E#, F# / Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F, Gb
G: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G
G#/Ab: G#, A#, B#, C#, D#, E#, F##, G# / Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab
A: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A
A#/Bb: A#, B#, C##, D#, E#, F##, G##, A# / Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb
B: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, B
For my clay, the tuning shifts 1 half step higher after being glaze fired. All notes shift the same amount, so the flutes are still in tune with themselves. If I wanted to make a finished flute in the key of D I would start in C# so that after it's fired it would be in D. You will need to experiment with your own clay.
Cool book on clay instruments - From Mud to Music by Barry Hall
Cool book on general musical instrument construction - Musical Instrument Design by Bart Hopkin
Hope this helps! I welcome the use of this video in classrooms. Please send me a note to let me know if you're using it.
I have a website. It's www.evolutionstoneware.com
Connect with me on my Facebook page Evolution Stoneware Pottery.
You might also like my video on making ocarinas. • Pottery: Ocarina Clay ...
and my videos on making clay drums www.youtube.co....
and my ceramic guitars • Ceramic Body Guitar De...
Here's my texture roller making video
• Pottery: Making Cerami...
To learn how to make and use a whole bunch of different pottery tools check out Amazon.com for my 3 hour "Custom Clay Pottery Tools" video series and my “Making Groovy Mugs” course. You can also download the Instant Video versions to any of your devices through purchase on Amazon.com (search Janis Wilson Huhes).
Please like Evolution Stoneware Pottery on Facebook for my latest updates at www.faceook.com/EvolutionStoneware & like JanisHughesMusicMuse (search Janis Wilson Hughes Musical Musings on FB) to see all my latest musical explorations from building drums and cigar box guitars to playing handpan instruments.
I try to answer questions posted here on RUclips, but you might reach me more quickly through Facebook or emailing me through my website. I'm not a flute expert, but I can try to help.
Virtual tip jar paypal.me/espottery

[@aleksandrsmaijers]

Lovely circle flutes, nice tutorial, thank You!

[@heyykooky]

I never knew I could make my own flute and seeing your collection and tutorial videos inspired me thank you sooooo much 🙏🏾 ❤

[@terriejohnston8801]

My very 1st flute was straight Ceramic...a gift ive cherished for yrs...Many yrs.later got another ceramic flute. Thinner walled @ much easier to play. Love the sound. TY SO much for sharing your Time @ Talent.

[@premkumarsahu90]

Nice sound, thank you...

[@Caribbeanpiratesrule]

Do you at all have some flutes for sale?
I really like these but I honestly have no interest in attempting to make one ... :p