Courting Flutes

A gentle sound on the wind

We are very fortunate to have Larry Estep
involved here at Starr Homeplace. He has a whole
range of skills, but none is more widely enjoyed
than his skill at playing the Native American flutes
that he carefully crafts in our shop.

 

On one occasion I had some N. Carlos Nakkai
tapes playing. He is the most famous player of the
courting flute. Larry interrupted the CD with a
live performance, and no one noticed.

 

Like many other kinds of wisdom that Native
Americans worked out over thousands of years,
this instrument excels in its way. The sound is
amazingly gentle and warm. It must have been a
very highly prized skill to use the flute to serenade
a young woman on the great plains years ago. The
falling notes have the texture of gently spoken
words in the language of music.

 

Larry starts with what looks like firewood, some
literally pulled from the burning pile. Though we
have made them from several unusual woods,
none can compare to the ones made of cedar, the
traditional choice. The wood is cut into blanks and
then split so that the chambers can be made. It is
not as simple an instrument as one might think,
requiring precise cuts to obtain the best sound.

Larry's wife Amy often carves the figures that
adorn the slides. Although the figures are tradi-
tional, they are not critical to the sound.

 

So if you see this guy cutting up sweet smelling
cedar in the shop, you may want to pay close
attention, and ask for a demonstration! Larry's

output of flutes has increased, and we are happy to
report that he is offering them for sale now. We
hope to design a stand to do them justice.