Louisiana Flute Circle

Byron and Paula attended the SunWatch Flute and Art Gathering for the first time this year. It is held at the SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park near Dayton, Ohio each August. We got to hear quite a few flute players for the first time as well.

A familiar favorite, Johnny Lipford was there. He is always so upbeat and entertaining. We also heard SOTIW, who have performed at the last two INAFA conventions we attended. Jan Seiden had originally been scheduled as well. It was announced during the day that she had canceled due to injuries from a fall. Our thoughts are with you, Jan, wishing you a speedy recovery. We look forward to hearing you again at Native Rhythms in November.

New to us, but not to those in the Dayton area, were John DeBoer and Douglas Blue Feather.Douglas Blue Feather brought his band for the first night’s performance including a native dancer. They put on a very entertaining show.

Byron’s birthday was this month. He decided to get an amp and a echo box for our microphone. He has been spending alot of time playing with it and having fun. Since flute circle met this week, he brought his new set-up along with Clint Goss’ “Jam Tracks.” If you haven’t tried “Jam Tracks” yet, you’re really missing out! We have had a wonderful time using them to inspire our playing. www.naftracks.com

Paula and Byron have been working on making a textbook for an upcoming course on reading TAB. Paula has been learning “Finale” for transposing a number of songs. Byron has been doing the formatting for the book and working on producing the flutes for the class.

Since the songs were already transposed, Paula made them into .jpg images and she and Byron worked together to get them up on the website. These songs are TAB only, without fingering diagrams. Check them out if you dare! Music Page

One of our circle members sent out an e-mail announcing her intention to move back to her home state of New Mexico. We will miss you Robin!

Paula and Byron attended the INAFA (International Native American Flute Association) convention in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in July. What a great experience!

It was held at the University of Wisconsin, so those who chose could register for meals and for staying in a dorm. We opted for using our camper, but registered for the meal plan. The food is about what you’d expect from school cafeterias, but the best part is visiting with fluties from all over the country.

One of our first meals, a woman saw Louisiana on my name tag and said she loved our website. When Byron told her, I was the one who does it, she said she thought she recognized the name. She was excited to report that her flute circle loves using the music for playing together! (Nancy, I’m working on more right now!)

We also got to spend a meal talking with Randy Granger. He mentioned he would be passing through Baton Rouge on his way to Native Rhythms Festival in Florida this November. He’s willing to do a “House Concert” here if there is enough interest! (If you haven’t heard his music, he has samples on youtube. His user name is LoneGranger. Be sure to listen to several!) Stay tuned for more details to come.

Of course, the big draw was the concerts. Randy Granger, Cornell Kinderknect, Jan Seiden, Coyote Oldman, Peter Phippen, Jeff Ball, R. C. Nakai and a host of others. What a treat!

We attended many of the workshops. One that I almost skipped was teaching TAB. I thought that since I already knew about TAB, I would shop the vendors instead. Byron talked me into going and now I’m very glad he did! All the way home, we discussed her teaching methods and whether we could put together a similar teaching program for our area. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.

After taking time off for both daughters getting married, Byron and Paula are back learning about their flutes. This year, they began with Zion Flute School in the beginning of May. We spent the week taking lessons on the Anasazi Flute with Scott August. Awesome!

We also attended afternoon sessions on recording flute. Joe and Ken did a great job explaining all the different types of devices, cords, microphones and software. Even for someone as non-technical as I am, they made it sound interesting and easy to try.

Classes were also offered in Native American Flute for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. I would recommend this highly to anyone wishing to improve their skills in a safe, accepting environment.

Of course, we also made some new friends and attended the Zion Flute Festival before returning home. It was a fun, educational and rewarding trip.

Just in time for Christmas, nine new songs are now on our website. These are mostly fun and easy songs you can learn for your flute circle gathering in December. Many traditional Christmas hymns were already available at flutetree.com, so I haven’t duplicated them here. Try both websites to make your own personal Christmas collection for your flute playing this year!

Two new guests attended our March flute circle meeting. David and Dewayne decided to see what we were about. David had found some flute making instructions on the internet and brought two flutes to show. One was a F#m flute and one a drone. Both flutes had a nice tone to them. It will be fun seeing more flutes as he hones his skills.

Byron and Paula brought their Anasazi flute to show their progress. They each played a simple piece.

Stan Thomas brought in two Clint Goss cds of backing tracks to jam to. Emily and Twohawks did a really nice duet to one, then we all took turns jamming. Byron and Paula had brought their udu and added that to the mix as well as percussion instruments brought by Brenda. It was a lively night.

Where has the time gone? This past year has had so much going on it’s difficult to know where to begin.

Charlie and Robin attended Zion Flute festival last June and came back with flutes, gourds, CDs and PVC Anasazi flutes from a class they had attended.

Byron and Paula had a daughter getting married that month, but managed to make it to the INAFA convention later in the year. We finally purchased an Anasazi flute of our own.

Twohawks, meanwhile, was teaching classes at a local college. He got a number of folks interested in a flute circle. Enough, in fact, that Louisiana now has its third flute circle!

Today I was asked to transpose “Let There be Peace on Earth” for NAF. While uploading it to the website, I spent time checking links and noticing the sad state of our blog. So, we begin again.

Our monthly flute circle meeting has been changed to the second Thursday of the month. Our next meeting will be March 12, 2009. I can hardly wait to see who will be there and what we can share!

The Louisiana flute circle has moved from quarterly meetings to monthly meetings and has a new meeting place. Thanks to the efforts of Charlie Myers, we are now able to meet the first Wednesday of every month at Whole Foods Market in the shopping center at Corporate and Jefferson. Charlie has also been hard at work finding performance opportunities for us. Thanks Charlie!

The first time I met Peter Phippen, he was giving a class on advanced techniques at Zion Canyon Art and Flute Festival, October 2006. A class member asked him to play “Lubbock Lullaby.” I was captivated by the piece. That evening I heard him in concert. Having only enough cash for one cd, I knew he would be the artist I bought from. I asked him which cd was his favorite. He without hesitation chose “Shadows of Dawn” due to be released in a few weeks. I purchased it and had him sign it.

I brought home “Shadows of Dawn” and was not disappointed. Peter Phippen plays a variety of world flutes with exquisite skill. Each track highlights the distinct sounds of the chosen instrument.

I returned to Zion in June 2007. Peter Phippen was once again in concert there. I was still haunted by the memory of him playing “Lubbock Lullaby” which appears on “Night Songs” as “Lullaby.” I again spoke with Peter as I purchased “Night Songs” and asked him to autograph it. He told me “Night Songs” was his favorite. I laughed and told him that wasn’t what he said last October. We had a nice conversation and I happily took my new purchase home.

“Night Songs” is well named. It is a compilation of songs on various world flutes each more soothing and relaxing than the one before. As each song blends into the next, I find myself drifting on a soft cloud of sound soothing me toward sleep.

It takes three days to drive home from Zion. My husband and I will listen to the newly purchased cds as we drive. I have quite a collection now and it grows with each festival I attend. “Night Songs” was one we joked about never playing in the car. It is just too relaxing. After driving all day, however, it is just the thing to unwind body and spirit.

Peter Phippen’s haunting melodies on such a variety of flutes will keep him a favorite of mine for years to come.

Byron and Paula attended Musical Echoes the last week of April this year. They attended workshops, bought CDs of some of the performers there, and two new flutes! (In this photo, Byron shows off his new flute by Brent Haines.) It was a time of learning, fun, and most of all, music. For photos of the event, see our new photo page.