$64.88
Joseph Rivers commissioned me to build this flute for him for personal meditation practices and for recording work in the key of G minor. Made from cured Chinese stone bamboo. Custom mixed staining methods. Brown thread bindings. Concert pitch tuning.

You can play some very interesting sounding musical lines with a simple straight up and down the scale fingering.

Everything sounds very beautiful and melodic.

Ascend and descend the scale 2 fingers at a time and back to straight up and down the scale. Slowly peacefully playing the scale.

Nicole has updated the art which is based off of an Etruscan theme, a depiction of an unidentified big cat. 5 tone holes, with a thumb hole on the bottom like a Japanese flute.

Head out into special nature spots, play near streams and rivers, walk to great acoustical spots in your neighborhood and play!

Correspondence from Joseph copied from email :

Hi Thomas,

We received the flute just fine, and it is beautiful for touch, smell and sound. We love the markings as well, and of course the wonderful scent, but more importantly the sound. I am a bit rusty--a bit different from playing our native flutes (my wife and I each have one), but we both look forward to playing it continually. When I have the flute recorded for the film I will send you an audio--they are really short phrases as part of the Main Title theme.

Thanks so much,

Joseph

Joseph L. Rivers, Ph.D.

$61.77
KUNG FU TV SERIES INSPIRED AND DAVID CARRADINE INSPIRED!

During the life of the western adventure KUNG FU/ABC/1972-75 much wisdom was imparted to both the aspiring Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine), as well as the listening audience.

You've seen Tarantino's "Kill Bill" with actor David Carradine playing the role of "Bill" and the bamboo flute Carradine plays in Kill Bill. You have seen the bamboo flute in the KUNG FU TV series, or you may have seen the flute Carradine designed for Bruce Lee's "The Silent Flute" in all cases you were inspired by the vision of these flutes.

Check out my 3 foot KUNG FU MEDITATION FLUTE!

This 3 foot bamboo flute has a meditative, Oriental voice with 2 octaves. Great for meditation and musical contemplation or for studio recording work. Experience nada yoga, with this design. This bamboo flute features the 4 tone hole Oriental tuning.

The length and sound of this bamboo flute is inspired by the flutes of the ancient Shaolin Kung Fu masters who used their instruments as walking sticks, martial arts practice tools, and as simple bamboo flutes.

A mix of stains are used to create the finish. The bore is sealed in gold color. Brown thread bindings. Made from cured Chinese Tonkin bamboo.

Tuned in A440 concert pitch. My wife Nicole has hand carved and painted the KANJI script for KUNG FU to enhance the intention of this beautiful dark bamboo flute.

If you want something specific with the finish or the script or art simply email me. We can create anything for you artistically.

$56.77
23 INCH 5 TONE HOLE ASIAN MINOR SCALE FOREST BAMBOO FLUTE

This bamboo flute has a moody, and meditative Shakuhachi style voice with a thumb hole. Tuned to the melodic minor scale. A 440 concert pitch tuning.

Cured Chinese bamboo is customized with water based stain applications, and custom mixed stains to create the green finish, with hand carving and hand painting by Nicole Richardson. The bore is detailed in gold. Brown thread bindings.

We add the Kanji script for ZEN on this flute to enhance the interntion or we can add any symbol or script for no extra charge.

Head out into nature spots to play - the inspirational spots around you can help you to tune in and explore the healing sounds of your new bamboo flute!

Correspondence on my designs : Namaste Thomas!

I must say that this is the best flute I have ever played! You were right: It plays nicely in three octaves. Some players say that C#minor is voice of God. It sounds very odd but I think it`s true. I have played with virtual Tampura and yesterday evening I gave a concert to my friends. They heard Mother Earth's speaking from this piece of bamboo!

Thank You again!

Juha Rikka - Pro Jazz musician from Finland

Customer from the Netherlands

Hello Thomas,

I received your flute today. It looks just beautiful and plays even better! I know I'll enjoy this flute very much for a long time.

Thanks very much for this wonderful flute,

Gilian Hettinga - Pro musician from the Netherlands

$49.99
Design by flute builder Thomas Richardson

Fire treated finish, sealed in bee's wax with hand carving and painting by my artist wife Nicole Richardson. This beautiful small Shakuhachi features a colorful peacock above the tone holes. Strong cured bamboo stock.

1 Foot in length. 4 tone holes. A 440 concert pitch tuning. Pentatonic tuning.

Built from Chinese Stone Bamboo. Custom mix of eco-stain.

The mouthpiece and the inside of this flute have been treated and colored with fire and dark water based stain. The bore is detailed in burgandy.

Brown thread bindings. Meditative sounding!

$58.77
Made from Cured Chinese Tonkin Bamboo. 3 octaves. A440 concert pitch tuning.

This flute features 5 tone holes with a thumb hole like an Oriental flute though tuned with an Egyptian scale you would hear on a middle eastern Egyptian Ney flute.

My artist wife Nicole Richardson has hand carved and painted the Reiki symbol Cho-Ku-Rei on the front of the body of this healing sounding flute.

Flower of Life symbols adorn the lower half of the flute body.

21 inches in length. Brown thread bindings. The bore is detailed in cherry red or burgandy.

Easy to play with healing and mystical sounds! If you want Ney like sounds in a side blown flute, this bamboo flute is amazing sounding!

$50.77
14 Inch Anasazi Tuned Bamboo Flute

The origins of the Native American flute are full of mystery. Bone whistles dating from (B.C.300 - A.D. 300 ) have been found in northeastern Arizona, and bone flutes of the Pueblo I era (A.D. 800-900) were also unearthed in the Anasazi area. However, since most prehistoric flutes were made of plant material, i.e. river cane and wood, they have long since disappeared due to decay. A few examples, however, have been discovered.

These finds have lead many scholars to believe that the Native American flute originated in the American Southwest and then made its way north toward Utah. However there is growing evidence that pre European contact Native Americans were playing flutes throughout all of North America. Early explorers in what is now Virginia, noted many encounters with Native Americans playing flutes. George Percy, three time supreme commander of the early Virginia colony and Capt. John Smith, of Pocahontas fame, both wrote of flutes made of Reed. Smith wrote in 1607 that For their musicke they use a thicke cane, of which they pipe as a Recorder

Pedro de Castaneda a member of the exploration of what is now Arizona and New Mexico by Coronado in 1540-1542 made several references to flutes in his journal. He writes of the explorers being greeted "with drums and pipes something like a flute, of which they have a great many.

The so called Anasazi flutes found in the American southwest have been dated from AD 625 to AD 1270, indicating a very long use. Even as recently as 1900 the Hopis, who have a long tradition with flutes dating back hundreds of years with their flute clan and flute ceremonies, were playing a flute very similar to the Anasazi style flute, with the exception of one finger hole missing.

This is modern design side blown bamboo flute made from cured Chinese Tonkin bamboo. The scale the original Anasazi flutes were tuned to has been measured as

Bb (below middle C) - All holes closed

C (middle C) - Bottom hole open

C# - Two holes open

D - Three holes open

F - Four holes open

G - Five holes open

A - All holes open

I have tuned this flute to the exact same scale above only this flute is tuned more like the Coyote Oldman style tuning which the key note is set to A, Aflat, or Gflat.

Fire treated finish which has been sealed with Bee's wax while still hot from the fire. Eco flow water based stain treating. Hand rubbed finish in orange and lemon oil. My artist wife Nicole Richardson has hand carved and hand painted petroglyphs and Anasazi inspired geometric designs on this beautiful flute. 14 inches in length. Tuned in A440 concert pitch.

Fingering straight up and down the scale makes some beautiful sounds, ascending and descending the scale again 2 fingers at a time and then 3 fingers at a time produces some very nice sounds to work with in your playing.

A wonderful flute for meditation practice or for professional recording work.

Thanks for looking!

Thomas Richardson, Bamboo Flute Maker/Musician

$43.77
17 INCH Chinese Tonkin forest bamboo Zen meditation flute.

Beautiful looking bamboo flute, with a custom stain finish. Fire treated finish sealed in bee's wax while still hot from the fire. A final treatment of orange oil is applied to the bore and the body of this flute to create this unique look.

A 440 concert pitch tuning. You can play some very interesting sounding musical lines with a simple straight up and down the scale fingering. Everything sounds very Oriental. This flute is tuned to the melodic minor scale.

My forest flutes are great tools to explore NADA YOGA, sound meditation. Kanji script for Zen has been hand carved and painted into the flute by my wife Nicole Richardson.

5 tone holes, with thumb hole on the bottom of the flute body like the Japanese Shakuhachi. MP3 soundfiles are located on my website.

From Northern Ireland professional musician Raymond Robinson's website, a review of my flute building work: "Sometimes when you are researching flutes you come across wonderful makers who are quietly making fascinating flutes. They deserve a wider audience and one of those makers is Thomas Richardson. I now own a unique one off design Middle Eastern Forest flute from Thomas' wide range. These are not expensive instruments but are made with the highest care and quality. This is a four holed flute with thumb hole and has a great scale. Take the opportunity to visit Thomas flute building work online. He has a large range of flutes and other instruments. Just brilliant."

Thomas Richardson, Bamboo Flute Designer/Musician

Correspondence on this design:

Namaste Thomas!

I must say that this is the best flute I have ever played! You were right: It plays nicely in three octaves. Some players say that C#minor is voice of God. It sounds very odd but I think it`s true. I have played with virtual Tampura and yesterday evening I gave a concert to my friends. They heard Mother Earth's speaking from this piece of bamboo!

Thank You again!

Juha Rikka - Finland

$82.77
A custom bamboo flute design by Thomas Richardson Music, directly inspired by the bamboo flute that David Carradine plays in scenes from Kill Bill. The flute featured in the Kill Bill film is a David Carradine flute design.

David was a unique flute builder! He grew his own bamboo, he harvested it, and designed beautiful bamboo flutes for himself. He tended to set the emboucher, the breath hole, several cells down the bamboo towards the center depending on what kind of bamboo he was making his flute out of. The flute he designed for "the Silent Flute" film is a great example of his creative flute building perspective. If you view his Tai Chi AM / PM DVD in the special features you get a good look at his flutes, especially the flute he made for Bruce Lee's film. The flutes I am listing on Etsy look a lot like the flutes Carradine made for Kill Bill, Kung Fu and for the Silent Flute.

On this Kill Bill flute replica, the emboucher is located after the third or fourth node of the bamboo, which creates a sound chamber above the emboucher. This flute can be rested on the left shoulder when playing like a violin. Tuned to the Oriental minor scale. Features 5 tone holes with a thumb hole like a Shakuhachi flute. Melodic minor tuning. 1-3 octaves. This flute is precisely tuned at A 440 concert pitch. Comfortable to finger and to hold. Made from tan cured Chinese tonkin bamboo.

The length of this flute is inspired by the flutes of the ancient Shaolin KUNG FU masters who used their instruments as walking sticks, weapons and as instruments of meditative music.

You can play some very interesting sounding musical lines with simple ascending and descending the scale. My forest bamboo flutes are sound tools to explore NADA YOGA, "sound meditation".

In my workshop, I cure different species of bamboo all year long. When I build your flute order I drill the emboucher and the tone holes first, then I finish the tone holes with a quick burn from a selection of burning rods. I use a nice custom mix of dark and red stain finish, an eco-flow natural water based stain color embellishing application other stains and colors and a final treatment of orange oil and bee's wax balm.

From professional musician Raymond Robinson's of Ireland on his website, a review of my flute building work: "Sometimes when you are researching flutes you come across wonderful makers who are quietly making facinating flutes. They deserve a wider audience and one of those makers is Thomas Richardson. I now own a unique one off design Middle Eastern Forest flute from Thomas' wide range. These are not expensive instruments but are made with the highest care and quality. This is a four holed flute with thumb hole and has a great scale. Take the opportunity to visit Thomas flute building work online. He has a large range of flutes and other instruments. Just brilliant."

Head out into special nature spots to play near streams or rivers. Walk to great acoustical spots in your neighborhood which feature natural reverberation. Head out into your garage anywhere with a long hall or tall arche and play your bamboo flute. I find the interesting spots can help you to tune in and deeply explore the meditative sounds of your new flute.

MP3 sound files and many more photos of my flutes are located on my website.

Thanks for your interest in my forest bamboo flutes,

Thomas Richardson, Bamboo Flute Designer/Musician

Note: Shipping is a bit higher due to the 4 foot length of this flute design.

$56.77
21 INCH MIDDLE EASTERN SCALE BAMBOO FLUTE

Beautiful looking bamboo flute, with a custom finish. I can build this flute for you with any symbol you would like.

1 - 3 octaves in A 440 hertz tuning. This tuning is known as Nava, Kafi, Karaharapriya, or Ritsu. This design features 5 tone holes with a thumb hole like an Oriental flute though tuned with a middle eastern scale.

You can play some very mystical sounding eastern musical lines with a simple straight up and down the scale fingering. Everything sounds eastern. Explore NADA YOGA, sound meditation with this amazing flute.

My belly dancer/artist wife Nicole Richardson has hand carved and painted a vine motiff and I have woodburned a geometric symbol - we can create the design pictured or anything! Any symbol, totem, Kanji or image that you would like on this flute. We can re-create anything artistically.

Head out into special nature spots to play near streams and rivers. Walk to great acoustical spots in your neighborhood which feature natural reverberation. I find the interesting spots can help you to tune in and deeply explore the meditative sounds of your new bamboo flutes.

Correspondence on this design:

Correspondence from Raymond Robinson a professional musician from Ireland after receiving his custom design middle eastern eagle motiff flute : "The flute arrived a few days ago and I have only had a little time with it. Love the work on the design and the sound!"

From Raymond Robinson's website, a review of my flute building work: "Sometimes when you are researching flutes you come across wonderful makers who are quietly making fascinating flutes. They deserve a wider audience and one of those makers is Thomas Richardson. I now own a unique one off design Middle Eastern Forest flute from Thomas' wide range. These are not expensive instruments but are made with the highest care and quality. This is a four holed flute with thumb hole and has a great scale. Take the opportunity to visit Thomas flute building work online. He has a large range of flutes and other instruments. Just brilliant."

"This is the most wonderful flute I have ever owned. It plays so easily, I mean just a baby's breath. No other flute I own plays so easy. The sounds are strong, notes are wonderful. I am blown away here..lol.. Thank you again for this work of art!"

Thanks for checking out my Middle Eastern Flute!

Thomas Richardson, Bamboo Flute Maker/ Musician