R.Carlos Nakai
R.Carlos Nakai
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If you have any questions for R. Carlos Nakai or Ken Light, please use the email button below. |
April 2006 - Dear Nakai,
(I mean no disrespect in
addressing you this way but I know of no other) I love your music –listen
to it in my serenity room frequently. My husband and I will be retiring to CO
in the near future – the place I first learned to appreciate your talents.
I am an amateur musician – piano, recorder, voice and guitar. I am
interested in learning to play the Native American flute, but am uncertain
where to start. I am a dedicated self-learner – just need some beginner
advise. I am 54 years old and don’t wish to repurchase over time. What
wood would you recommend and in what key? I am so used to the key of C as far
as written music is concerned, but realize that your instrument is different.
Any advise would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance, MB
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REPLY:
MB;
1.
Find your resonant body pitch. Every living thing resonates due to movement of
fluids, air and the electrochemical actions that encourages life at a sonic
pitch. This sound never changes but dynamically varies in intensity when
influenced by life, lifeways, and other activities that influences our being.
a. using a simple recording device, make a daily AM record of your first
utterances upon awakening that may or may not emulate a tone. Do this for a
number of days until a definite pitch center is realized.
2. Find the
nA flute that closely matches your pitch. I know for a fact that no living soul
anywhere in the cosmos resonates in the key of C. I have also found in my
research that most of the world is centered around g/Bb, c#/E, d/F and that
upon knowing this musicians can work in many, many ethnic musics without regard
for adequate training. We all gravitate to pleasing sounds in the pitches that
are ingrained in our individual genetic code. That information is useful for
many healing applications and is always applied by young children when they're
feeling out-of-sorts in the world of others.
3. When you've found the
sound, play, play, play, don't practice! You're now in the process or
re-discovering yourself as just another big child who was lied to long ago to
"grow up and become an adult". There are not adults just frustrated, scared,
immobile children who've been stopped in mid-stream of their own life and
livelihood to fully develop a truly meaningful individuated lifeway. So, as you
discover your Self again you'll know when you're there because small animals
and children will gravitate to you just to listen. That's when the fun begins!
4. Always remember to have a good time and acknowledge all the time
that you are the center of your being without qualification. You are The
Essence of All Life!
Have fun, r.c.
April 3, 2001 - Dear Brother Nakai,
Soon my
expresion in music will evolve into a journey of learning to master the flute.
I honor your recordings and further honor your spirit. My question is when you
go into the places of sacredness to extend your music. What are your
influences... when you begin playing it is experience of musical doctrine, is
it a flowing of internal forces within you, does spirit guide you in your
playing. Do you ever let your playing call upon the creatures and natural law
of this universe and reflect that in the music. The short question is: do you
feel that spirit is calling you to mediate itself to us through your
music.
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REPLY:
BC:
Yes to all of that but the most important is to always
reference my own life experience and not to do as others do. The native
American flute is my teacher all the time and in the past 20 years, gad has it
been that long?, the intrigue of how the severe limitations of the flute's
available pitches calls upon gleaning from my brass backgound to encourage me
to do something different. I waste little time in attempting to CONTROL what
the flute may be capable of but rather let it lead and teach me. I always
remember a comment made by Don Cherry, Trumpeter, at a workshop I attended in
West Hurley, NY, that as an improvisationalist and a musician we should all
strive to make musical statements and motifs from our own innermost selves and
in that way we may be able to "make the old ladies in the front row cry!". That
simply means that if One moves another individual of sometimes vast life
experience then we'll know that we're playing from our very heart and soul. In
those instances, the flute seems to come alive and begins to speak in its own
voice about being present at the moment and it seems to be moving in and
leading One's hands too.
rc
Sun, 05 Nov 2000 - Dear Ken,
I am new to Native
American flute music. My recent exposures to these magical sounds have given me
the desire to learn to play. However, I don't want to start off by investing
$300+ for a quality instrument. Pricewise, your new PF-Series ABS flutes have
peaked my interest, but I have no idea of how it sounds and how it compares to
a cedar flute in the $100 to 150 price range.
After listening, via your
website, to the Sonoran and the Waterspirit, the latter with it's deeper tone
is more to my liking. How does the sound quality of the PF compare?
I
appreciate any information you can provide on purchasing my first flute and
basic instructional material.
Thanks so much,
Marvin Bailey
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REPLY:
Dear Marvin,
I have had several queries about why I didn't include
sound bytes for the PF-Series flute on the website. The answer is simple,
because the two tunings, G-minor and F#-minor are already present on the site
in the Sonoran and Waterspirit flutes. In addition, the difference in tone
between the cedar flutes and the resin flutes is quite subtle and would not
come across in any significant way over the internet. The PF series flutes
sound great - guaranteed! R.Carlos uses them daily in his studio and concert
work. I personally assemble and voice each one. Some may assume the PF's to be
a mass-produced item, but there are 14 different hand operations involved in
assembling and voicing them that must be done properly. The molding work is
done by another family business two valleys South of my place here in Montana.
In short, the PF flutes are plastic, but they have it where it counts and that
is in a word - voice! They will play circles around just about anyone's $100 -
$150 flute. Try one for yourself and if it is not the clear-toned, accurately
tuned instrument that I say it is, I will refund all of your money immediately.
You are the person I designed this flute for.
Harmony,
kl.
Amon
Olorin Flutes
Contemporary Native American Flutes by Ken Light
492
Lemlama Lane Arlee, MT 59821
406-726-3353 phone and FAX
01/10/2000 - Dear beautiful man, thank you for your
songs,
I make and play my own flutes. I am drawn in a very natural and
soulful way to this instrument, it is my voice. I am a white guy, is there a
conflict here.
With much respect,
Todd
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REPLY:
Dear Todd,
Each of us, human-beings, are influenced and drawn to or seek to
incorporate that which piques our interests, expands our perspectives or cues
our soul with a language that elicits oneness rather than the politics of the
spoken word. Your life journey is one of experience and actualization rather
than hyperbole and theory. In that manner, many gifts for self-expression will
present themselves for you to peruse, inveigle and perhaps incorporate into
your way for becoming of service to others within our human community.
Will
your own involvement become one that serves others? I cannot answer your life
dreams nor can I seek to represent any others but my own since no other person
can speak for nor represent others except the fool of which there are many in
the world at large.
I have never seen a "white man" except for the kaolin
clay painted Weather Dancer of the Plains Sun Dance but that "color" is
rendered by applied medium pigmentation sort of like paint or dye. In my life
experience I continue to search using my 3" by 5" pure white, 64 lb., paper
card in hand for reference like I use a 20% grey card in black and white
photography. All the human-beings I have seen and referenced are brown colored
with a little variation added due to the diverse melantonin in the skin
surface. I always refer to people as coffee-ized in that one can have the
darkest brown espresso and with the addition of varying quantities of milk the
lightest shades of brown then you add other colored flavorings like raspberry
syrup etcetera and voila' another variation of brown. So. Don't put yourself
down by calling yourself names.
We humans fear differences because it's
easier to be a follower rather than an individualist. My tribal culture says
that one should have self reliance and personal responsibility and in that way
one gains access to the most important philosophic awareness about oneself that
one can have without regard and that's self respect. And, always remember to
"Have a good time!"
r.c.
04/7/99 - Dear R. Carlos Nakai:
I have heard you
perform many times and enjoy your opinions on the world and its people. I would
like to know this: what is the greatest lesson that the flute has taught you?
Thanks.
Anton G. Camarota
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REPLY: In my own life work
with the native American flute I continue to learn how to become myself without
question. In that way, I am able to build upon the knowledge and wisdom of
experience that is part and parcel of my own cultural traditions as an
individual within my own ethnic culture(s) and to incorporate what may be
influential and useful to my life journey in that which surrounds me. All that
I do is entirely personal in nature and is not representative of any others. I
have learned to be responsible and self reliant, and entirely self-respecting
without question. What else the flute will teach me will be known and revealed
to me when I pass from this reality and will become "All Life" again".
04/16/99 - Mr. Nakai,
What was your first album
recorded using Amon Olorin flutes?
Also, I was wondering, the key and the
maker of the flute you used to Play the song, " shelter " from your cycles
album? The song is a beautiful piece of work! Is the key G-major?
Thank
you for all of the inspiration, and best wishes to you.
Miranda Booth,
Palm Coast, FL
p.s. Mr. Light, please forward this to Mr. Nakai , I have
**all** of his albums.
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REPLY: The Amon Olorin
Flutes came into use with my Canyon Records release "Canyon Trilogy" before
that time I used instruments from a Comanche flute-maker and still use his and
Ken's flute in all my work. The flutes in the "Cycles" recording were of
various origins and do not work in any western European tuning system. They are
flutes tuned to the southern plains tribes and their own vocal music.
I
invest little time in making sure that my flute performances are "in tune" with
the very limited 12 tone system and instead rely heavily upon the arbitrary
systems based upon the ancient and timeless vocal traditions of the central and
southern plains peoples. The native system is my most comfortable system
because it will accommodate the myriad variances in ethnic tribal music but I
use the discipline of western European theory to understand what I am doing
within a more scientifically oriented realm rather than relying upon hyperbole.
So, you have all 48 albums! Then you have been quite adept in searching
out all the solo, ensemble, and compilation recordings I have participated in.
Wow! Thanks. And, if you have "Canyon Trilogy" I should thank you personally
because you enabled me to attain gold record status for that recording.
Thanks again.
R.C.
03/23/99 - Mr. Nakai, what was your first release in
which you used Ken Light's instruments? Also, I was wondering the maker &
the key of the flute used to play the song "shelter" off of the "cycles" album,
the piece is extremely beautiful! Thanks for your inspiration & best wishes
for continued success! KB
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R.C. Nakai's reply: I have
used flutes by OW Jones and Ken Light exclusively in all my recording projects
since 1982 and recently, 1997, added flutes by Butch Hall and Hawk Littlejohn.
In the early days we fussed around with what flutes would work with what keys
and chords and experienced a lot of frustration about missing tones. I quickly
found that half-holing and other techniques were unstable and usually out of
tune especially when in-performance that particular tone had to be there. Ken
Light developed an accurately tuned native flute that continues to work in the
plains and woodland vocal range and I rely heavily upon the AOF wood and PF
series for all my studio and on-stage work. Now, the Hall and Littlejohn flutes
have been developed into accurate instruments too so I have more possibilities
to work with. By applying the discipline of western European music which is
based upon A440 and the Piano I have found the pitched idiosyncrasies of all of
my hand-made native flutes and the other flute instruments I use. I apply the
use of the TABlature system to all my ethnic flutes and recorders and it makes
playing the instruments almost immediately easy.
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03/21/99 I like Native American culture a lot but
find the non-standard traditional tunings to be somewhat of a problem. Is there
any one you could recommend who can teach me Native American traditional songs
by note or by rote?
Are there any flute contests that I can enter to
demonstrate my abilities with the Native American flute?
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Nakai's response:
The
emergence of the native American indigenous tribes into North America out of
their ancestral Amazonian homelands nearly 47,586 years ago enabled those early
hunter-gatherer groups of loosely related families to develop distinct
cultural, linguistic, and theosophic methodologies that now define their
tribe's identity within their own sacredly demarcated territory.
All
manner of material culture, life-styles, extant wisdom and mechanisms for their
tribe's successful survival became emergent from over-reaching philosophies the
respected a distinctly personal approach to one's personally expresses life
ways.
Group thought was by consensus through discussion within a tribal
community. Leadership was not exemplary but a delegated responsibility on
behalf of the community that was exchanged among members of the tribe.
Individuality, self-reliance, and personal responsibility were at once highly
regarded and exemplified an individual's active knowledge about one's tribe,
its ways, and its history of successful survival through time immemorial.
Recounting that history in a significantly personal manner allowed others to
compare and contrast their own livelihood and that of others within the tribal
community. No one in those communities thought and formulated exactly similar
life philosophies. Losing oneself for the sake of others was regarded as mere
foolishness and folly thus the stories of Coyote-the trickster.
The
traditional arbitrarily crafted and tuned native American flute is part and
parcel of this personally based theosophic wisdom. No two traditionally crafted
flutes ever sounded exactly alike nor were they ever made with the exact
conformation and overall design features. They were and have always been sound
sculptures within the indigenous cultures of North America.
Where are we
headed in this article? Namely to the present day activities of cultural
reductionism, competitive comparisons, and standardization of a musical
instrument that is still an active part of indigenous North American native
cultures. F# minor, G minor, A minor, C# minor, etcetera are not the features
of significant personality but that of kowtowing to a discipline that affords
impersonal objectiveness and mirroring through role-modelling someone else's
life ways. The discipline of western European music evolved for harmonization
and to standardization of divergent cultural aspects of the music cultures of
western Asia into a mere technical exercise of time and tuning relative to
itself and controlled by a director. The personalization of so-called
"classical music" in performance is never espoused and improvisation within its
decided chordal and melodic progressions is never desired nor requested.
Making something significantly personal fit into an entirely opposite world of
thought is like fitting the square peg into the round hole etcetera. The
traditional native American flute will never become wholly standardized nor
will it ever befit the limited parameters of the twelve tone system. Learning
to play the native American flute is not accomplished by reading notations,
tablatures, fingering-guides, etcetera but by playing what is regarded as one's
other voice. I speak like myself not like or on behalf of others so in that
manner the flute is also my teacher. We have offered flutes that emulate
themselves in a manner that somewhat delves into the world of discipline to
give those with some music training a bit of a lead into making the instrument
work effectively upon first try. For the rest of us? Don't worry about stuff!
Just play, play, play. The other information will come later. There are no
books on raising children, learning to walk, learning to talk, learning to
sing, learning to eat or learning how to be born. Falling down a lot is part of
the learning experience.
r.c.
I was interested in where the dual chamber flutes on
Red Wind came from - what flute maker(s) ? Has using this instrument changed or
expanded your voice or musical expression (personally)?
Mark
Holland
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Hi
there;
As far as I recall I used one dual chamber flute that was a gift
from a maker who sent it by courier to a gig in Colorado. Who made it? I still
don't know and have been trying to track down the logo and other design
features on the instrument that is tuned in Bb/g.
I always enjoy innovation
and variability in the music that I do and in the presentations that I assemble
for my adventures. Challenges are the grist of my nature and I rely primarily
on where I intend to go rather than continually looking backward to the past
for inspiration in my own life journey.
One very reliable dual chambered
flute maker that I highly recommend is Hawk Littlejohn in North Carolina. His
address is wdsong@aol.com. I don't believe that Butch Hall makes a dual
chambered instrument at this time but things change so rapidly in this field
and I could be wrong. Oh no, a guru mistake. Anyway check out Hawk and good
luck in your adventure.
r.
I was curious if you could elaborate a bit on your
writing process. I love the element of improvisation in music and wonder how
much of your work is improve when you record, and how much is "structured".
Michael Mycroft, Attica, IN
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I use whatever
methodologies are or become available when ruminating upon new melodies or
constructions of motifs that will serve me and the further development of
technique upon the native American flute. I have evolved a number of processes
for writing and originating new ideas in music that I teach at the Renaissance
of the Native American Flute workshops in Helena, MT. Most of these techniques
are developed from the western European discipline of music, mathematics, jazz
improvisation, indigenous music practise and technique as well as keeping
manuscript paper, a tuner, Yamaha Handy sound HS200 keyboard, and my PFI's very
handy when I travel away from my studio. One never knows about inspiration,
happenstance, and that 'zat' of "I've got it!" So it pays to be prepared.
I mix all of my performing with improvisation and only use the fully
scripted/structured or motifs as a fairly reliable roadmap when in-concert or
in the studio. Improvisation is the real test of what I really know about the
capabilities of my intellect and of the flutes that I will use at the moment.
Being on the edge, for me, is the challenge that I always embrace and I have
found, like others who do this too, nothing better. Try it you'll like it!
r.
Dear Mr. Nakai,
I live in Grand Rapids and have
been listening to your music for a long time. I find it very moving and love
the sound of the Native American Flute. I have always wanted to learn how to
play one, or first off where to get one or how much do they cost. If you could
help me out on some of this information I would be grateful. I am also going to
be seeing you at Fountain Street Church, I have been waiting a long time hear
you live and now I have that chance.
Thanks
Jon Vander Ploeg
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Hi;
First get in
touch with a local flute-maker so your questions about playability will be
immediately answered. Make sure that you can play the instrument before you buy
-- especially if it costs more than $50.00US. Feathers and beads are not
necessary and purely superfluous since it's the sound that you want.
It
should sound like you. We all vibrate at a frequency that is specific to our
individual systems and the sounds that you learn to appreciate are very closely
related to that frequency so find the one that sounds like you. If not you'll
be very frustrated with your performance and the acquisition of your own
technique if the instrument you have chosen isn't your sound. The only rule to
learning how to use the native American Flute is to Play, play, play. The other
stuff will come in time.
Check out the INAFA web site for the addresses of
more flute-makers. http://www.cruzio.com/~sherpa/INAFA.html. The rest is
strictly up to you and your individual interest in doing your own thing.
good luck.
r.
Dear Mr. Nakai,
Do you have any experience using
small recorders in remote settings? Have you used, or have any knowledge of,
the Sony WM-D3?
Do you have any advice to you would care to offer flute
players seeking to break into the recording field?
Thank you!
Bob
West
Bishop, CA
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Bob:
1. Outdoor
recording and other environmental projects all have their own little
idiosyncrasies that, I believe, will always perturb both amateur and
professional sound engineers alike. Equipment will vary depending upon the
final application of the recording project. The cleanest on-site recordings are
made with the best equipment available from the microphone to cables to tape
drive or hard disk unit running on batteries or solar panel direct current.
Pre-testing, questioning users not sales people and small scale private bedroom
studio people, getting the most for what you pay, etc all fall into the
question of "What do you want?" I do all my field recording on a TASCAM DA-P1
DAT using a pair of AT4050's and/or AKG C-414's on 25 foot XLR cables, Sony MDR
7500 series headphones, plenty of gaffer's tape, nylon rope, 1" x 8' dowels, 4'
x 6' cloth deflectors/wind screens/blankets, boom stands, plastic bags, 2 KISS
solar panels and batteries, Topo Maps and compass, 9mm sidearm, Emergency
radio/cell phone/etcetera, WATER. All this will fit into a back-pack or be hand
carried for transport.
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2.
For flutists getting started? What will you do that's new and different? What
do you aspire to? If it's purely economic then forget it, you'll never make it!
We have enough out there in all areas of the Fine Arts who "toe the same old
line" because of some nebulous 'tradition' or 'respectfulness issue'. There's a
lot of hard work and long days with very little reward for the effort. Always
sign a non-exclusive contract, read the fine print and get a lawyer. Understand
math, graphics, history, read, read, read, learn to sell yourself because no
one else will. Talk is cheap. Make sure you know the final figure of your
diminishing returns royalty agreements. Acknowledge your music sources,
copyright all your original material ASAP (that means yesterday), get a music
writing program. You'll never get what you really want. And, lastly, "Everyone
always seems to know more than you do".
Dear Mr. Nakai,
I was wondering if you could
offer me some advice on how I would go about constructing my own Native
American flute, or if you could at least point me in the right direction. Any
help you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thank
You,
Chris Bath Danbury, CT
P.S. I was also wondering if you were
going to be performing in Connecticut anytime in the near future?
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On making a native
American flute, consult W. Ben Hunt's, The Complete How-to Book of Indiancraft,
MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., pp 151-152.
Make sure that you understand the basic principles of aerodynamics, specifically the movement of air through venturi similar to an automobile carburetor but with the added influence of the Coriolis effect on a directed stream of air travelling at high pressure and speed against an edge to produce a disturbance called sound.
Flute-making is a series of trial-and-error processes. You have no skills innate nor otherwise that will serve you in the attempt to ending up with something that really works well. We all have to start somewhere. As in real life trial-and-error is the only way to successful achievement. The problem is that many fall down and give up rather than getting up again.
Get on down to your lumber yard and select your boards one-by-one, matching grain, texture and material because you'll need more than one piece at the outset but don't throw away the failures because you'll find something that worked before to build upon. Get some sharp woodworking tools, not a hunting or whittling knife, and be prepared for tennis elbow, bursitis, numerous blisters and small cuts, bruises and smashes. Your vocabulary and performance diction will increase considerably -- four letter words -- hey, they come in handy occasionally. If only you knew the Tihs Ho lingua france. That's reserved for RNAF Flutties. Come to the flute workshop!
There are no 'indian' sages, wise-ones but there are many wise guys, carriers of tradition, wisdom keepers, et al, who have any answers to reach your goals quickly. So, I won't mention any of that tihsllub (Fluttie for Ph. D.) besides many indigenous natives know very little about flutes and flute-making. I could send you to Chief "Black and Decker" but that would be very unfair because you'll have something that looks nice but doesn't play very well for very long because the working parts are drill holes.
Best wishes and Good Luck in this journey of self-awareness.
(Check link page for concert schedules)
In my trades, I have come across a flute case made of
deerskin with frings that you have signed. Thanks. My question is, we have just
started an Arizona flute circle, have met three times, and flute circles or
growing through out the United States. Are you in favor of them or do you fell
it cheapens the native art or heightens it.
Lee Wach, aka trader
lee
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I have
encouraged flute circles for non-indigenous folk who are genuinely interested
in getting a handle on the native American flute. As you know or as you shall
discover there is no standard native flute anywhere and the task of making them
work effectively is the first hurdle to overcome.
I do not encourage anyone outside of the indigenous cultures to visit or otherwise impose upon native communities and individuals because as indigenous folk we have our own responsibilities and work to engage ourselves in daily and don't need a lot of loose baggage to tow around.
Native art is of European influence and came about with the beginning of the reservation period in the late 1700's. Before that time what is commonly described as indian art is really utilitarian design that served a useful purpose of identification like the labels and other products we apply to containers and the like today. American Indian art today is primarily an economic expression and of late has become highly romanticized in depictions of what could never have been in materials that had never been used in pre-Colombian culture
In the matter of flute practise, when I began in the early 1970's the sum total of indigenous native flute players were "Doc" Tate Nevaquaya, Tom Mauchahty Ware, and Woodrow Haney, Sr. there were no others. My inquiries into the flute in cultural traditions at many social and cultural gatherings were to no avail or I was met with the response that "No, our tribe never used that kind of thing". Now, everyone has a flute tradition!
Many flute circles also encourage indigenous native participation both as active and consultant informants but the response has been very little to nil. Times change and life goes on. I always remember this sage advice, "Those who live in the past die a little more each day".
I find that the real Native Americans, those of former EurAsiCan heritage who are now born in the United States of America are on the verge of allowing themselves to become a true culture rather than mere vestiges of heritages they are no longer a functioning part and parcel of. The indigenous populations are also a part of this event too but they have relinquished their own responsibilities to themselves and their communities for tokenism and dependency as a way to punish and belittle others but they have always ended up screwing themselves.
An older indigenous native philosophy for boys states at the ending of the songs to "learn how to become of service to others".