Overtone flute

An overtone flute is a flute without finger holes , in which tones of the natural tone series are created by different blowing pressure . By overblowing, the musician produces a series of overtones above the fundamental with the lower end open and, if he closes the lower end with a finger, another fundamental and its overtones. According to the type of sound generation, end-blown longitudinal flutes are differentiated from core gap flutes and transverse flutes. Flutes without finger holes that only produce one tone are single-tone flutes .

Origin and Distribution

In South America , long pipes are used as blowguns for hunting, ceremonies, and also for making music. In its simplest form, a pipe cut at an angle at the top, for example a plant stem; without finger holes, which is blown diagonally over the edge, it was and is common all over the world.

In Europe, the plant stem flutes were especially widespread among children, elaborately crafted wooden flutes, often with a core gap similar to a recorder , were played and made by the elderly, especially by shepherds who passed the time on the pastures and for the upcoming festivals practiced their melodies in the village.

The change in culture and way of life in Western Europe has made the overtone flute disappear in traditional music, in Eastern Europe you can still find it sporadically today: as tilincă in Romania , as tilinkó in Hungary and as koncovka in Slovakia . In Norway there is the seljefløyte ("willow flute") made from willow bark. The ludaya in Uganda , made from a plant stem, is just as short-lived .

Today the overtone flute is experiencing a rebirth in the West, so it can be found in meditative music, but also in rock music and the electronic music scene. With her easy to learn and deeply moving natural harmonies , many people find easy access to the world of flute playing.

Design

The handhole-free overtone flutes come in many types.

The end edge flutes (plant stem and metal flutes) and the cold cuts flutes, which are divided into flutes with a tongue gap (hemlock and oblique flute) and with a core gap. The latter are in turn divided into flutes with a straight blowing end (gorale and lower flute), flutes with an outer core (lower and elliptical flute) and flutes with a beak-like mouthpiece ( willow bark and goral flute ).

The simplest and oldest design is the already mentioned plant stem flute. A hollow plant stem, approx. 250 - 500 mm long, with a diameter of 8 to 11 mm is cut at an angle of approx. 60 ° at the blowing end, and it is finished. This type of flute can also be made from other pipes ( willow bark , plastic, metal).

In Eastern Europe, the old designs such as the ellen flute, the lower flute and the goralen flute are still known. They are all structured similar to the principle of a classical recorder. A dried wood, mostly elder , maple or hazel is either cleaved, hollowed, then glued and with vegetable fibers or birch bark wrapped, or with a, previously customary for carpenters, elongated auger drilled out (except for the ulna flute, as these strongly conically converges at the end ). The pipe is manufactured with a length of 300 to 1000 mm and a diameter of 10 to 18 mm. Now you carve in the labium (the blowing edge), the core gap and air duct are carved and then the core (made of dogwood or hazel) is fitted. The air is thus directed through the fissure to the labium, where the clay is created. The preparation requires a lot of practice and a good knowledge of the angles of the air duct and the labium.

Style of play

Due to the different designs of the flutes, one has to distinguish between different blowing techniques.

The end edge flutes, like those made from plant stems, are blown at the blowing end at an angle of approx. 40 ° , similar to the Arabic ney . The angle of attack and the air jet (through tongue and lips) can be varied, resulting in a wider sound spectrum of the played tone than with the flutes with air duct, but the fundamental tone is usually not playable and the higher overtones cannot be played either, the material ladder is therefore relatively small.

The flutes with an air channel have the great advantage that little practice is necessary, as this ensures that the air jet is directed cleanly onto the gap. The keynote is easy to play and, with a well-built flute, also the high overtones. There are several ways to hold the flute. For example, you hold it between your thumb and middle finger so that you can close the end hole of the flute with your index finger.

In order to be able to play the hacked notes (closed flute) well, it is important that the hole is really well closed. By closing slowly, the tones can be drawn. If you now blow very lightly, a deep note will sound. If you blow harder, the next higher note on the overtone scale sounds. To play the very high overtones, you need a lot of air pressure. This can be built up by placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth and making a "t" sound. If you close the hole at the lower end of the flute, you get a second overtone scale, which is woven into the ladder when the flute is open. A broad repertoire of melody tones is available as a material manager.