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What is the difference between a Native American flute and a Native American style flute?

The term Native American Flute is reserved by tradition and by law to refer to those flutes made by individuals of Native American descent. I am not a Native American. Therefore, the flutes that I make are called a Native American style flutes. I consider myself to be a contemporary, not a traditional flute maker. I am not attempting to recreate or romanticize the past. I use state of the art fabrication techniques and tune my flutes to a modern pentatonic scale such as can be played on a piano. It is my intention that the Native American style flute is open up to everyone so that you will have the opportunity to make your own music. The renaissance and further development of the Native American flute began in the late nineteen sixties. The dedicated effort of many flute makers has helped it evolve into the Native American flute that we see today. For more information on the history of the Native American flute go to the History of the Native American flute page.
When I began playing the Native American style flute I was not aware of its cultural origins. For me, its attraction was that this type of flute was easy to play and sounded nice. It was only later that I became aware of its Native American roots. Ancient Territories flutes do not attempt to look like a Native American artifact. But, my flutes do pay homage to the Native American culture. It is my belief that this instrument has taken its place on a larger stage than that of any particular culture. The Native American style flute is played by people around the world. The Native American flute has gained this popularity because it allows each individual, no matter what his sex, race or cultural background, to speak from his own heart in the universal language of music.

Why do you make your flutes with a flattened top instead of round like the other flute makers?       

There are three reasons that I make my Native American style flutes with flattened tops. First, I find (as do others) that the flattened area on the top of the flute makes the flute easier to play because it is easier to get the holes completely covered. This is especially true for beginners. Second, with the flattened top on a Love flute it is easier for more advanced players to half-hole notes and to slide notes up and down. Third, I like the shape it gives the flute and the extra wood thickness on the outside edges gives the flute added physical strength without affecting tonal quality.

Why is the device on the top of the Native American style love flute called a totem, bird or fetish?             

The block on traditional Native American flutes was often carved into the shape of the totem animal or fetish animal of the owner of the flute. Often it was the shape of some bird because the sound of the flute was associated with bird song. The place on the Love flute where the block sets are usually called the nest. For more information on Native American flute fetishes visit the Fetishes page.

Are Ancient Territories Native American style flutes always tuned to a minor scale?

Yes, I don't make flutes tuned to other scales. It has become standard practice to use the mode one/mode four six-hole tunings. It is generally accepted that this is the de facto tuning for the Native American flute. There are some flute makers who tune flutes to all kinds of scales, both major and minor. My flutes are always in mode one and four pentatonic minor scale.

Does the type of wood that the Native American flute is made from affect the sound? 

Some people say yes, some say no. There is a difference but it's hard to describe. The way the Native American flute is made will, in my opinion, have a much greater effect on the sound it makes than the wood it is made of. Even flutes made of the same wood out of the same board can have markedly different voices. With a metal concert flute, the difference in sound quality depends more on the player than the flute. And, all these flutes sound basically alike. With a Native American style flute, each flute has its own unique voice. I think that's part of the reason that people start collecting. For more detailed information on wood type and tonal quality go to the page Wood Type, Flute Design and Tonal Quality

How many octaves can I play on a Native American style Love flute? 

You can play one octave plus a couple of notes above the octave. To the trained musician this may not seem like much but this very simplicity is part of the charm of Native American flute music. This is one of the features that make this type of flute easy to learn to play. For more information on available notes on the Love, flute goes to Playing the love flute page.