And now...

Our very own Dan Ricketts, MC'ing the evening concert:

INAFA Happenings Day 2

I apologize. It looks like a lot of my pictures came out blurry today. I am disappointed. But I did capture a few moments from the day.

First off, Dr. Michael DeMaria starting the workshops this morning with a wonderful talk on the healing nature of the flute and being present in the moment when playing the flute for other folks. I come back to why this was significant for me later in the day.

This workshop was followed by an excellent workshop by Dr. Ron Warren which focused on singing with the Native American flute. Dr. Ron was accompanied by Janice, who has an incredible voice. Ron and Jessica would join Peter Phippen on stage at the evening concert for an awesome improve with Dr Ron on piano, Peter on flute and Jessica vocalizing.

Next was Gary Stroutsos. Gary had planned to do a workshop on improvisational playing with percussion along with Will Clipman, but Will didn't fly in, in time. So Gary did a solo workshop on what world music means and interpreting the vocal traditions of a variety of cultures on the flute. Here's a picture of Gary during his workshop:

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend any of the other excellent workshops today, as I had to go prep for the NCFC Welcome party. But I did manage to visit the vendor booth and catch Geoffrey Ellis playing this ultra low bass flute:

For the NCFC welcome party, we had all of the participants bring an "A" flute to the party. Dan Ricketts then got them to play a drone while the various recording artists played a solo at the mic. Here are a few shots of the participants and the artists jamming at the NCFC party:

R. Carlos Nakai at the mic:

Michael Graham Allen (coyote Oldman) at the mic:

The highlight of the party was the presentation by R. Carlos Nakai and the INAFA Board members of a special commemorative pin to Sherry Kuhl of the Oregon Flute Circle for her contribution over the years to INAFA and for organizing the very first flute circle. Here's a few shots of the presentation:

Mac Lopez had a birds eye view of the party from behind his booth in the vendor area:

Russ Venable plays Frankie Sierra's ultra large flute at the open mic:

Unfortunately, I didn't get any really clear shots of the evening concert. but let me tell you, Ash Dargan was awesome. He is an incredible didj player and story teller. He shared several stories about life in Australia and entertained the audience. Evren Ozan played a short set, but demonstrated his talent and potential. Finally, Peter Phippen and friends filled out the evening. Peter invited several folks on stage, including Dr Ron Warren and Jessica, Jake Hull, Jared Pool, Gary Stroutsos, Ash Dargan, Michael DeMaria and others. It was a great evening.

A Special Adventure

I had a special adventure today. It's difficult to describe in words, but I'll try.

During the dinner hours this evening, RuthiE Nielen and I escaped the INAFA conference to go spend some time at the hospice unit at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto CA. This week was the first time that I have had the opportunity to met RuthiE in person, but we've been connected in spirit for many years now. That connection comes through the hospice unit at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto. When I learned that RuthiE would be attending this years INAFA conference, I told her that we should sneak out and go visit the hospice unit at the VA. For those of you who don't know RuthiE, she is a hospice nurse in Tucson, where she lives. For those of you who do know RuthiE, she is a very spiritual being and commited to her work, both as a nurse and as a musician playing the flute for her patients.
RuthiE came into my life several years ago when she contacted me to see if I wanted to play flute for one of her patients and a fellow INAFA member, who was moving the hospice unit at the VA in Palo Alto. I accepted her invitation and thus my introduction to playing flute for hospice care was initiated.

During my time at the VA, I developed a great relationship with the chaplan, Penny. And I wanted to make sure that Penny and RuthiE had the opportunity to met. That happened today. The rest of our adventure at the VA was very touching, and again I've realized that RuthiE is an angel who once again has put me on the path to caring for folks nearing their transition.

I would only encourage any of you who have the opportunity to follow this path. It takes courage, strength and caring - something that I think we all can benefit from learning more about in ourselves. I learn something new about myself everytime I give a little of myself in this capacity.

Today, in the first hour of the INAFA convention, Dr Michael DiMaria said that when working with the flute in a healing capacity, you have to be "in the present"... I am thankful that I was able to exchange a day of my life "living in the present" today.

Flutes, Flutes and more Flutes

WARNING - reading this post will cause extreme flute envy. Do not continue reading until your wallet is safely put away.

OK, I warned you. I toured the vendor hall tonight during dinner when nobody was around. It was a chance to take some pictures of some incredible instruments. I don't think that I need to say much here as the pictures speak for themselves...

First from Whirlwind Studios:

From Russ Venable:

From John Stillwell:

Wonderful bags from Elenor Alden of the Denver Foothills Flute Circle:

From Oregon Flute Store:

From Michael Graham Allen (Coyote Oldman):

From Stellar:

From Utah Phillips:

Happenings from INAFA - Day 1

Well it's after midnight, and I am finally home from the event. Most of today was dedicated to the arrival of folks from all over. The only two events for today were the opening of the vendor area and the evening concert featuring Xavier Quijas Xyayotl and the Vince Redhouse Group.

First let's talk about the evening concert. Xavier (shown at the right) opened the evening with some awesome music. He played the drums, rattles and the flute all at the same time. Xavier is a gifted musician and a consumate showman. He completely entertained the audience. With his music and his stories of ancient Mexico and how he can to resurrect the Mayan clay instruments. The only downside was that the Belmont fire marshall refused to let Xavier play his trademark "fire flute". This is the first event at which Xavier was been restricted from playing the fire flute, and while he took it in good spirits, this event will go down in history.

Next on stage was the Vince Redhouse Group. Vince is a classically trained jazz musician who discovered the Native American flute late in life and in his musical career. Vince played classical and jazz music from the NAF which I've never heard played on the NAF before and his cross fingering was awazing to witness. Vince was backed up by a guitarist, a bass player and his brother on drums.
Vince definitely wow'ed the crowd with his vituosity for the instrument. A set which I'll long remember.

So make sure that if you have the opportunity, get down here to Belmont for one or all of the remaining concerts.

Radio Interview on KPFA today

We had a wonderful interview this afternoon on the Bay Native Circle program on KPFA radio in Berkeley. The show was hosted today by Lakota Harden, and I want to personally thank her for her positive energy.
We had Vince Redhouse on the air first (see Vince on the phone in the picture to the right). He talked about his time growing up in Monterey and how he didn't really discovery his "Indian-ness" until later in life when he discovered the Native American flute. Vince performed on stage tonight and he continue the tales there.
Next we had Xavier Quijas Yxayotl on the air. Xavier talked about his passion for preserving the Mayan instruments and the history behind these instruments. Xavier discussed his belief that we all have a mission in our lifes and it's our job to discover this mission and live.

Finally, we had Michael Graham Allen on the call, (see picture to right) and he talked about his passion for bringing back the Native American Flute. If you're not familiar, Michael was one of the first modern flutemakers to bring back the craft of the flute, and he is generally credited with the application of the "pentatonic" tuning to the modern NAF. Michael is now fascinated with the Anasazi flutes and he plans to include several songs on the Anasazi flutes in his set on Friday evening.

If you missed the interview, don't worry, you can download an MP3 file of the show here.

Happenings from INAFA Convention

This will be my first posting on the happenings at the 2006 INAFA Convention. I will try to post every evening (late) when I get from the convention. I'll post some stories and pictures from the day.

Today was a prep day. Dan Ricketts, Karen Boyles, Bill Timothy, Bob DeMattei and I met with Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl at the NDNU Campus in the morning to go over all of the last minute details. We also met two of Katheleen's interns, Jake Hull and Jarod Pool. These two guys are studing music as CNU and are promising young musicians. You can see them jamming with Dan Ricketts in this first photo.

There were several other folks who showed up early for the conference, including Utah Phillips, Angel Cruz, Sherry and Gary Kuhl. I went to dinner with Dan, Angel, Karen, Sherry and Gary. It was really fun to spend time talking to Sherry and Gary since they never travel far from their Oregon farm and this is the first time that Sherry has returned to California since 1963. After spending so much time talking to Sherry on the phone, it was great to finally meet her. We reminisced about the times we had individually spent with Hawk Littlejohn and also about Ward Stroud and others. If you don't know Sherry Kuhl, she organizes the Oregon Flute Circle, which was the first flute circle ever started. Xavier Quijas Yxayotl showed up about 10 PM after a long drive from So Cal.

We will be on the radio this afternoon 2:00-2:30 PM, on the Bay Native Circle progam on KPFA. If you are in the bay area, you can tune into 94.1. Otherwise you can catch the show live on the internet feed by going to their website: http://www.kpfa.org

If you miss the show live, you can download the MP3 file of the Bay Native Circle on their website.

Gary Kuhl (left) listens while Angel Cruz plays a tune

Beginning Native American Flute in the bay area

I excited to announce that starting this month, I will begin offering a drop-in Beginning Native American Flute class in Palo Alto on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
I will be holding the class at the Marhatis Enlightenment Center in Palo Alto from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM. Cost will be either: $60 for 3 months (6 classes) or $15 drop in.

Initially, (at least for the first 6 classes) I am starting this class as a "Beginner Class" since I know that there are a lot of folks out there who are anxious to get started on their path playing the Native American Flute. This class is actually open to all levels, and I'll work with whatever level of student attends, so that everyone learns. Overtime (or occasionally), I may evolve the class to focus on special topics/skills and I'll post the weekly topic here.

For more information check out this link. FLUTE CLASS

Following the flute class each week will be a new format of "Gentle Jam", 7 PM - 9:30 PM, hosted by Rev. Maxi Harper. This is a 'softer' drum circle featuring a variety of instruments to pull the improvized melody. Of cource Native American Flute players and the beginning flute class students will be encouraged to stay and play.

Share a story or a tune at INAFA

Duke Addicks, one of the presenters at the upcoming INAFA Convention, posted this message on the Montana Listserv:

"I’m Duke Addicks and I’m guiding a process at the conference of sharing stories and tunes. We’ll start at my general session entitled Kokopelli Story and Tune Swap, where, in the tradition of the Giveaway, and in remembrance of that traveling storyteller and fluteplayer Kokopelli, we’ll begin to give each other tunes to play and stories to tell without restriction, in the hope that the tunes and stories will be remembered, replayed and retold long after we are forgotten. Those who want to just listen are more than welcome!

I’m an eagle expert and the “official” storyteller for the Mdewakanton Indian Community of Mendota, and I’ll start off by giving you a true story you can retell about a Mdewakanton Indian boy who played his courting flute to catch a golden eagle. The story contains one of my All Nations Dance flute tunes you might like to learn (I’ll bring copies in tab, but you don’t have to do that for your tune). Then I’ll talk briefly about giving away stories and tunes and the similarities between tunes and stories. Then I’ll turn the mike over to you. Yes you!

Anyone who wants to share a flute story (a story involving a flute, a flute player or something about a NA flute) or give away a tune that others can play on the flute, will have an opportunity to do so. There will be a sign up sheet at the registration table when you arrive at the conference. Those who want to just listen are more than welcome!

Since there won’t be enough time for everyone who wants to participate to share their story or tune at the general session, we’re making arrangements to continue the telling and playing in a more or less organized but informal way at specific times and locations during the rest of the conference where we won’t conflict with other programs.

So bring a story: it can be anything from a traditional story about the boy who played the first flute to the dog who ate your flute. Remember a story is about conflict and resolution, about someone who discovered they had a problem and overcame difficulty to resolve the problem by themselves. And/or bring a tune. A tune is the same: tension is created then resolved. Just as you practice playing a tune, practice telling your story out loud a few times. Just as you recognize when a tune is over, recognize when your story ends. Then stop, and enjoy the applause.

Your story may be almost true but not necessarily. Your tune, likewise.

For more about my flute tunes see my web page where I recently posted my ideas about Metis/Model/Mdewakanton flute music in some detail (and would appreciate feedback) http://www.dukeaddicksstoryteller.com/

INAFA Concert Flyer Online

I just posted a flyer to advertise the INAFA concerts this week. Now we need your help to download, print, copy and post the flyer where ever you go this weekend and week. If you have the time, post 'em at the local coffee shop, music store, record store where ever you think you get attention for this event.

Here's the link to the poster: link

Looks like the weather is going to cooperate

Phew! It's been a hot couple of weeks in California. Luckily it looks like this weather is going to leave us and we'll get back to some nice weather before the INAFA convention starts next week.

NAF Playing Tip #25: Playing with Microphone

With the INAFA convention coming next week, there will be several opportunities to play in front of a microphone. The NCFC will have a sound system setup for "open mic" sessions at various times throughout the event.
With that in mind, I wanted to dedicated this week's playing to some guidelines for playing in front of a microphones.

Open Mic Sessions

A great place to gain confidence and experience playing for others is at the open-mic sessions either at a flute circle or at the local coffee shop. This is your chance to attempt to perform a new song that you have been practicing, to play a new flute, to try a new scale for improvisation.

Some tips on playing at an open mic session:

• Introduce yourself, this is your chance to let people know who you are and to help reduce your nerves a bit before you start playing. Connect with your audience and they'll be more attentive to your performance.
• Tell a story as an intro to the song you are about to play. How did the song come to you? Is it an intrepretation of a known melody? Describe the flute that you are about to play
• Take the time to adjust the microphone – THIS IS CRITICAL. Don’t think that you are wasting time, as nothing is more annoying for a listener than not being able to hear the performer. Listeners also hate to see the performer playing at an ackward angle, just to get sound from the microphone.
• Make any adjustments to sound level or echo/reverb before you play or give the sound person a quick sound check (a few notes) to test the mic placement, etc. Announce to the audience that you want to quickly test the sound level before you start. You might ask “Can you hear me now?”
  

Mike’s Simple Microphone Rules

Here are some tips for using a stage microphone with a Native American Flute.

• Most stage microphones only pick up sound within about 6”-12” from the end of the microphone (this may be different in the studio where the mic used can pick up everything). So make sure that you stay within this 6"-12" range.
• The strongest sound comes from the sound hole in front of the block/fetish on your flute, thus the sound hole needs to be in the sound field of the microphone. Adjust the mic up or down to put this part of the flute in front of the mic.
• Remain stationary during the song if you are using a stationary mic (don’t turn your head, or sway). Note: you can use this idea to actually "fade" the sound by moving away or to the side of the mic.
• NEVER, EVER cover the mic with your hand (this will cause the speakers to squeal or feedback). If it starts to feedback, stop playing for a moment. If you have a sound person, they will lower the sound volume. If there is no sound person, you'll need to jump to the volume control of the amplifier (a good reason to find this knob for the channel you are using, before getting on stage...)
• Did I mention: DON’T EVER cover the mic with your hand!
  

This Playing Tip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Nice Listing of Upcoming Flute Gatherings across the country

This was posting on Mary Youngblood's Listserv by Sharon. It's nice concise listing of upcoming events across the country:

INAFA Convention 2006 (http://www.inafa.org)
August 2 - 6
Belmont, CA (near San Francisco)

Flute Quest 2006 (http://www.flutequest.com)
September 15 - 17
Kenmore, WA

Silverhawk Native American Flute Gathering
October 7 - 8
Dade City, FL

Zion Canyon Art and Flute Festival (http://www.zioncanyonartandflutefestival.com)
October 13 - 15
Springdale, UT

Fall Flute-In
October 19 - 22 ???
Camp Bethel near Roanoke, VA
Contact Leonard McGann at caveratlc@aol.com

Armadillo Flute Retreat
November 16-19
Flower Mound, TX (Near Dallas/Ft. Worth airport)

Potomac Native American Flute Festival
February 16 - 18, 2007
Rockville, MD (near Washington, DC)
http://www.potomacflutecircle.net

Native American Flute Spring
early April 2007
Lebanon, NJ
Contact Jan Kirlew at jkirlew@att.net

Musical Echoes (http://www.musicalechoes.com)
April 27 - 29
Fort Walton Beach, FL

Haunted Flute or Good marketing, you decide...

Martin B. sent me an interesting link to a flute for sale on ebay. It's worth a look just to read the story associated with the flute that for sale. You decide if this is good marketing, since the flute already has over 20 bids...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Native-American-Flute-Australian-Lacewood-haunted_W0QQitemZ170008829055QQihZ007QQcategoryZ10183QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Group NAF Lessons in the Bay Area

I am considering starting a bi-weekly, on going flute group flute lesson at a house in Palo Alto. It would be on Tuesday evenings every other week. If this is something you might be interested in attending, drop me a line at: ncfc AT naflute DOT com

Playing Tip #24: Spanish Gypsy Scale

I wanted to post this scale for folks to learn, as it is a great scale for finding some completely different music on your flute. This scale has a very 'middle eastern' feel to it, and once you learn the basic notes for this scale, you soon be making up some new phrases/songs. I typically provide this scale (and many others) to my intermediate students who are stuck in their playing and looking for some new inspiration.

I first heard this scale on a specialized side blown flute. I immediately went home and looked it up online at a guitar scale website (I've played guitar for many years) and then I translated it to the NAF. One interesting issue with this Spanish Gypsy scale is that the first note should be a half step, but that's impossible to get on the typical NAF, so it's omitted from this interpretation.

One other caviet is that this scale (on the left) is designed for a six hole, Mode 1/Mode 4 flute (the typically 'hold down the third finger of your top hand' type flutes).

Here are the notes for the Spanish Gypsy scale in the key of A for the Native American Flute. This might help you find the right notes (trying playing this on a piano) if your flute is fingered differently. Note that the second note in parenthesis can not be played on a Mode 1/Mode 4 Native American flute.

A (A#) C# D E F G A

The actual interval spacing for the Spanish Gypsy Scale over an octave is the following:

H 1.5 H W H W W

Where: H - Half step; W - Whole Step: 1.5 - one and half step intervals.

This Playing Tip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Blogging During INAFA Conference

I am going to "attempt" to blog during the upcoming INAFA Conference (Aug 2-6, 2006). I am going to take pictures during the day and then post each evening, so that all of you out there in the blogosphere who can't attend live, will get the opportunity to experience some of the events and highlights of the events each day.

We'll see how it goes ...

Upcoming July Bay Clan Flute Circle

I wanted to pass this along, since I won't be able to update the NCFC Calendar until Friday this week...

EVENT: July Bay Clan Flute Circle (before INAFA convention)
DATE: Sunday, July 23rd, 2006
TIME: 1:00 to 4:00 PM
LOCATION: Los Altos, California (contact organizer for details)
HOST: Pat Scheid
ORGANIZER: Frankie Sierra 1-408-242-6464, f dot sierra at comcast dot net

SCHEDULE:
1:00 PM: Arrive, share photos stories from Mary Youngblood gathering. Also good time for flute introduction for new beginners.
2:00 PM: Open fluting time.
3:00 PM: Talk about INAFA convention (activities, volunteering, and miscellaneous).

NEW FOR THIS MEETING:
1. Share experiences and photos from Mary Youngblood gathering.
2. Talk about the upcoming INAFA convention (first week August).

WHAT TO BRING:
Pictures and memories from Mary Youngblood gathering. Also think about how to help make the INAFA conventiona success. And flutes, flutes, and more flutes, plus drums and other noise makers. In addition, some snacks and drinks to share wouldbe appreciated by all.

DIRECTIONS:Contact organizer for details

News from the Middle East

I wanted to take a moment and pass along an opportunity to share and experience what's going on in the middle east. I have corresponded with Elian Gilad on the frame drummers list serv. She is a musician/framedrummer who lives in Israel, not far from where all of the missles are currently dropping, and runs/maintains the www.inspirationalmessage.blogspot.com

NCFC Spring Gathering Photos onliine

I posted some photos from the Spring Gathering, online at: http://www.naflute.com/springgathering.html

Note that I posted the best of what I received so far. I am still looking for some photos of Mary and Michael Bayern during their class, and so more photos of folks at the open mic or other candids of folks throughout the day. Did anyone get a photo of Mary's Birthday Cake?

Thanks, enjoy.