Jam time!

I was searching around on the internet for Jam tracks as part of an upcoming project that I am putting together. (Make sure that you're planning on attending the upcoming Loping Wolf / NCFC Winter gathering in December!). While checking out various sites, I stumbled on this cool site with various jam tracks in what they call the "Jam Machine". So grab your flutes, and don't plan on going to bed until late tonight! (becuase I guarantee that you'll be up late playing with this...)

Key G: http://www.jamcenter.com/jammachineg.html
Try the "Rock" or "Ballad" settings with a E flute
Try the "Funk" or "Blues" settings with a G flute.

Key C: http://www.jamcenter.com/jammachinec.html
Try the "Ballad" or "Major" settings with an A flute

Key A: http://www.jamcenter.com/jammachinea.html
Try the "Jazz", "Blues" or the "Cool" settings with an A flute

Key E: http://www.jamcenter.com/jammachinee.html
Try the "Rock", "Cool" and the "Blues settings with an E flute

If you find other sites, please let me know.

NAF Playing Tip #29: Native American Flute Pairings for 3rd and 5th Harmony

Barry Higgins (White Crow Flutes) has a really nice representation of minor 3rd and 5th harmonies listed on his website.

Here's the link: http://www.whitecrowflutes.com/duets2.htm

The diagram on Barry's website is one more way to look at the pairing of flute keys when preparing play a Native American Flute duet in harmony with another flute player. In musical terms, the the "3rd harmony" and the "5th harmony" are the most pleasing to the ear (at least in western musical theory). A "3rd harmony" is actually 3 half steps/semitones (i.e. adjacent keys on the piano) from the primary note. A "5th harmony" is actually 7 half steps/semitones from the primary note. The 5th harmony is also known as the "perfect fifth".

Related musical theory articles:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_third
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_fifth
  

Related blog posts and duet exercises:

• http://naflute.blogspot.com/2006/04/naf-playing-tip-15-compatible-flute.html
• http://naflute.blogspot.com/2006/06/playing-tip-23-flute-keys.html
• http://naflute.blogspot.com/2006/04/naf-playing-tip-16-echo-canyon.html
• http://naflute.blogspot.com/2006/04/naf-playing-tip-17-follow-leader.html
• http://naflute.blogspot.com/2006/05/naf-playing-tip-18-butterfly-exercise.html
• http://naflute.blogspot.com/2006/05/naf-playing-tip-19-catch-up-exercise.html
• http://naflute.blogspot.com/2006/05/naf-playing-tip-20-tag.html
• http://naflute.blogspot.com/2006/06/playing-tip-21-composition.html
  

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

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Native American Flute How-To Articles

I made a change to the blog template this week. All of the "How-To" article archives are now linked on the left side nav bar (just below the subscription section) so that they are easily accessible without searching for them in the blog history. As I publish new articles in the future, they will immediately be added to this "How-To" archives link list.

If you're a beginner, start with article #1 and work your way up the list as you master each lesson.
If you're more advanced, browse the list for interesting article which are relevant to your skills.

If you have a question that you'd like to have answered here in a "How-To" article, send your question in an email to:

mike DOT oitzman AT gmail DOT com

NAF Playing Tip #28: Guitar Chords to accompany the NAF

I've gotten many inquiries/requests from guitar players who would like to accompany a flute player or create music for the NAF. This is a difficult question to answer, since it really depends on the skill of the NAF player and the goals which you are trying to accomplish.


First of all, if your objective as a guitarist is to set the stage for a improvisational jam at a flute circle where you may be playing with a range of experience in the flute players, then it's best to keep the song structure to a mode (Mode 1) which enables the flute player to stay in the simple fingering of the NAF.

Here's a great link on Clint Goss's site which highlights some chord progressions for the Guitarist and the corresponding key for the flute player. Print this out and keep it in your guitar case or flute bag. Link: http://www.flutekey.com/htm/guitar.htm


However, this shouldn't stifle your creativity as there are many scales on the NAF. Writing a song and melody line in something other than a minor pentatonic scale will require additional skill on the part of the flute player, but it's also a great way for a flute player to stretch their skills.

In my opinion, one of the best NAF/guitar groups out there today is Elysium Calling. With Kenneth on flute and Garth on Guitar, these guys have a magic that I have yet to see duplicated in another NAF/Guitar duo. Yet, you won't hear a stream of minor pentatonic music from these guys. Garth is a master guitar player and writes music that speaks to his heart. Together with Kenneth, they work out a melody line that fits the groove of the guitar part, regardless of whether it's minor pentatonic, major diatonic or something else. Or visa versa, Kenneth will discover a nice melody line that Garth fills in with an appropriate chord line. While I have bragged about Elysium Calling as a NAF/Guitar duo, there are many other artists out there who have composed music first on the guitar and added the Native American Flute as the spice. This list includes Mary Youngblood, Mark Holland, Douglas Spotted Eagle and others.

If you want to understand the basic pentatonic scale on the guitar, check out an earlier post in which I describe the basic pentatonic scale on the Native American Flute.

The bottom line for all of you guitar players out there is to download Clint's guitar chords, practice 'em a bit, make up a few basic simple songs and then hop over to a flute circle near you!! You are invited to attend any scheduled NCFC Flute Circle, you might want to contact the flute circle leader prior to the event so that they can make time for some open jam time.

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

NAF Playing Tip #27: Online Flute Lessons from Odell Borg

I recently discovered that Odell Borg (High Spirits Flutes) has posted a 6 part flute series of introductory Native American Flute playing videos on You Tube. I believe that this is simply a series of clips from his introductory DVD. But the best part is that it's FREE! So if you're just starting out and want to learn some of the basics, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/user/OdellBorg

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

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Playing From the Heart

Prop's to Scott August for an excellent series of posts on his website about playing from the heart. Scott has put together a class which he just presented at the Zion Flute Festival. The posts include content from his class. To check it out, follow these links:

Playing from the Heart Part 1
Playing from the Heart Part 2

While you're there, be sure to check out Scott's music, he's one of the best composers (still) living on the planet (in my honest opinion)...

Also, be sure to read Scott's Blog.