My previous article discussed inexpensive plastic flutes: tonettes, song flutes, flutophones, and precorders. Those pre-band instruments are ideal for introducing children to music. They fit small hands and are easy to play. What makes them interesting is that they've also become popular folk instruments. So many have grown up playing them in school that they've become legitimate tools of musical expression. Millions enjoy them.

Today we'll look at four popular folk flutes: ocarinas, recorders, tin whistles, and Native American flutes. We'll answer basic questions about each. Which are easiest to learn? Appropriate for which kinds of music? What are their strengths and shortcomings? How do you get started with them? I'll provide simple answers.

All these flutes are fipple flutes -- you blow into a mouthpiece that directs your breath to make sound. That makes them much easier to get started with than traditional concert flutes or their wood equivalents, bamboo flutes. You won't spend days learning how to blow into the mouthpiece just to play a few notes. Folk flutes are easy, inexpensive, and portable. There are tons of how-to videos and free sheet music on the web.

If you play the concert flute, folk flutes are a fun way to expand your horizons. You'll be playing songs as soon as you pick one up. If you don't play an instrument, folk flutes are the perfect place to start. That's also why they're excellent teaching tools for kids. Let us take a close look at ocarinas, recorders, tin whistles, and Native American flutes.


Ocarinas

Ocarinas are vessel flutes: flutes that voice based on the resonance of sound waves within a closed air chamber. They do not have open-ended bores as do most other flutes. This gives them a unique sound.

Ocarinas date back thousands of years to the ancient Chinese and Mesoamerican civilizations. Italian Giuseppe Donati invented the modern oc in the 1850s. He standardized the instrument so that it could play western scales with simple fingering.

Ocarinas are typically made of ceramic clay, plastic, or sometimes wood. They come in many shapes but categorize into three: transverse, inline, and pendant.

The photo below shows two transverse oc's on the left, two rectangular inlines in the middle, and two round pendants on the right:

L to R: Yellow Plastic and White Ceramic Transverse Oc's,                          (photo by the author)
             Two Plastic Inlines, and Two Ceramic Pendants  

The bigger the oc, the lower its pitch. Bigger also means quieter and more expensive. Small oc's can be pretty loud, so sometimes people buy larger ones so as not to disturb others.

You finger transverse and inline oc's in the same way. (As folk instruments, different brands of ocarinas sometimes have very minor fingering differences.) The main difference with inlines is their shape. They're rectangular and extend straight out from your mouth when you play them.

The two round pendants on the right side of the photo have only 4 holes on top plus two thumb holes beneath. (Some pendants don't even have the thumb holes.) Pendants have an entirely different fingering system than the transverse/inline system. They're called pendants because most have attached necklaces so that you can wear them around your neck, like the black oc in the photo. Pendants are also known as seedpods.

Beware of pendants that aren't playable. There's a whole universe of decorative oc's -- many from Latin America -- that make dandy keepsakes but are not playable instruments. You can spot them because all their top holes are the same size. The holes in a playable pendant vary in size.

Which oc's are easiest to learn? Transverse/inline fingering is more intuitive. You progressively lift your fingers off the holes to ascend the scale, just as you do with concert flutes, recorders, tin whistles, and Native American flutes. You play sharps and flats by cross-fingering.

Most oc players start with a transverse Alto C. Some choose plastic because it's more durable and won't break or chip if knocked about. Others favor the more rounded tones of ceramic. Plastic or ceramic, oc's start at $10 USD. Good ones cost only $20 to $40. Be sure to read reviews before you buy. Listen to a sound sample, too. These are folk instruments, so be careful: some are not well tuned. My own recommendations appear in the table at the end of this article.

Let's listen to some ocarinas. To get you in the mood, here's an inspiring piece by a professional. (The musician plays a multichamber oc, an ocarina with more than one air chamber that enables a greater pitch range than normal single-chamber oc's. It's tough for beginners, unfortunately.) A better bet is the transverse Alto C I mentioned earlier. Here's a demo of the very popular plastic Focalink Alto C that retails for about $27 USD, and here's a review of a ceramic alto C from OcarinaWind that goes for $23 USD. Focalink and OcarinaWind products both boast excellent Amazon ratings.

So why is the ocarina considered a folk rather than a concert instrument? Its pitch range is limited at only 10 to 13 whole notes. Orchestral instruments span 2 1/2 to 3 octaves. And you can't tune the oc. So it's not always suitable for ensembles.

Ocarinas are incredibly easy to learn. Even beginners can produce their captivating sound. If you play concert flute, you will be playing songs the moment you pick one up.

You can get started for only $20 or $30 USD. Everything beyond the oc itself -- lessons, tutorials, sheet music, advice, and more -- is free on the internet. If you've never played an instrument before or just love their exquisite voice, try an oc.

Recorders

Recorders are end-blown flutes that trace their ancestry back to medieval Europe. When classical composers wrote for "flute" before the 19th century, they were often referring to what we today call the recorder. The modern metal concert flute wasn't perfected until the mid-1800s.

Like ocarinas, recorders feature simple fingering for whole notes. The most common fingering system is called baroque or English fingering.

Recorders come in standard sizes like sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. As with ocarinas, the bigger instruments are both lower-pitched and quieter. This presents an advantage if loudness is a concern where you play. Bigger also means more expensive. The tenor in a company's line will cost more than its alto and much more than its soprano.

Wood is the traditional material for recorders. It's more expensive, with prices ranging from $30 to $90 USD on the low end, up to hundreds for the mid-range and thousands for the top instruments. The less expensive ones are factory produced from woods like pearwood or maple. Craftsman create the more expensive ones from specialty woods. Keep in mind that price alone doesn't determine quality. Sound is subjective and personal taste differs. That's why I recommend starting with plastic and buying a wood recorder only after you have the knowledge and experience to know what you want.

In contrast to ocarinas and Native American flutes, recorders are tunable. Most consist of either two or three pieces. You tune the instrument by moving the mouthpiece in or out. This is a big advantage in group playing. Along with all the available music, it makes the recorder the superior choice for duets, trios, and quartets.

Let's listen to a few sound samples. In case you've never heard a recorder ensemble, here's a quintet playing Greensleeves. This solo performer demonstrates the soprano on several classical pieces. That's a $45 plastic instrument he's playing so don't let anyone tell you that you have to spend hundreds on an expensive wood recorder! Here's how the sweet alto sounds.

With its tunability and two-octave range, the recorder offers ensemble fun and musical possibilities beyond those of many other folk instruments.

Tin Whistle

Tin whistles are also called penny whistles or Irish whistles. Like ocarinas and recorders, they trace their heritage back to the earliest civilizations.

The modern whistle is a much more recent invention. Only in the 19th century did it standardize in its present form. The instrument's forte is traditional Irish, Scottish, and Celtic music. But it's versatile enough to play any genre you wish.

Top to Bottom: Clarke Sweetone in D, Plastic Whistle in D,                                                   (photo by the author)
                           Plastic Whistle in C

Native American Flute

Historically, Native Americans comprised a diverse group of related peoples with different languages and cultures spread over a vast geographic area. They invented many kinds of flutes and developed varieties of each. The Native American flute gives you access to this unique musical tradition.

What we call the Native American flute today is the result of a standardization process that occurred in the 1980s. This evolution brought Native American flutes closer to conformance with European musical concepts. For example, base pitches were standardized and the pentatonic minor scale, a five note scale, became predominant. This led to an explosion of interest in Native American flutes.

Take a look at these flutes:

 
Native American Flutes                        (courtesy of Problem Solvers Mentoring)

Most Native American flutes are keyed to the pentatonic minor scale. This gives them their unique sound. Practiced players can play other scales, too. The range of the instrument varies from 1 to 1 1/3 octaves. With some flutes you attain the highest notes by overblowing (just as with the tin whistle).

Native American flutes are diatonic instruments. Fingering whole notes is simple. Just progressively lift your fingers for higher notes. Sharps and flats are possible but fingering varies across flutes.

These flutes are crafted in every imaginable key. G is most popular. People are often attracted to the sounds of even lower-pitched flutes, but not everyone can reach their key holes. So if you want to buy an F#, F, or lower flute, make sure you can comfortably reach all the holes first! Most experts advise beginners to start with a six-holed flute in A, G, F# or maybe F. Listen to these sound samples to determine which pitch appeals to you. Of course, you'll also want to listen to any specific flute before you buy it.

Native American flutes are produced from woods like cedar, walnut, juniper, redwood, cherry or other more exotic choices. As with recorders, wood density affects tone (though not so much, perhaps, as the flute's design parameters.) Coloring often depends on staining techniques more than the wood used. Given that the instruments are handmade, prices reflect labor costs. As with wood recorders, many cost several hundred dollars. However, there are excellent flutes available for under $100 USD, as my recommendations show.

You might also consider a plastic flute. Plastic is more durable and could be preferable if you play your flute outdoors or travel with it. Some excellent plastic flutes retail for only $60 USD.

How do Native American flutes sound? You've probably heard them as background to TV shows or films involving Native Americans. This soothing music attracts tens of millions of fans on Youtube. Here's an example of Native American "sleep music", and here's an album by the superb Carlos Nakai. 

Part of the fun of the Native American Flute is socializing with other players in flute circles. You can share your interest and learn together. Search this list and this one to find a circle near you.

The Native American flute is incredibly easy to play due to its five-note scale. All the notes sound pleasing together, so you simply can't hit a wrong one. That's the big draw to this instrument. You can express yourself with it even if you lack musical training.

Ocarinas follow close on. If you can blow, you can elicit their soulful tones. Their limited range means you need learn few fingerings.

Tin whistles and recorders are easy for beginners to start with, too. But if you wish to explore all their possibilities, they require more effort. Whistlers sometimes progress into fast Irish tunes with fancy ornamentation. Some recorder players tackle ambitious classical music.

In the end, the old saw applies to each of these folk flutes: It's easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master.

You can get started with any these folk flutes for only $20 or $30 USD. Native American flutes are the exception, with their entry price of $60 to $100 USD. All other resources for these instruments are free on the web -- tutorials, sheet music, how-to's, peer advice, instructional videos, and more.

So what are waiting for? Grab a folk flute and begin your musical journey!

My Recommendations

Here are popular, inexpensive flutes for beginners. They're easy to start with and sound lovely.

Summary

* Multichamber ocarinas contain more than one sound chamber. This allows for a much wider pitch range. They require greater playing skill and cost more.     
 ** Double holes count as 1 with recorders.        *** See this discussion on scales and tuning.

Folk Flutes


(photo by the author)