Manual on 8-pipe Bamboo Pan Flute

This manual explains how to make a bamboo pan flute with simple materials. The instrument is a collection of bamboo tubes arranged in order of length, each playing a single note. The bottom of each tube is sealed and air is blown into the open top to create sound. The bamboo pan flute created in this manual is a D major specifically, with 8 notes from D4 to D5 (D4, E4, F#4, G4, A4, B4, C#4, D5), but viewers may create variations or a pan flute with more tubes.

1. Materials you will need:
2. Dry bamboo tubes
3. 12 cork plugs or Styrofoam pieces
4. Strong craft glue or wood glue
5. Thin wooden or bamboo backing strips
6. Masking tape (optional)
7. Pencil or marker
8. Phone tuner app or chromatic tuner
9. Tools (unnecessary if using precut bamboo)
10. Ruler
11. Small hand saw or hacksaw
12. Fine sandpaper
13. Round file or thin stick
14. Safety gloves (optional but recommended for safety)
15. Dust mask (optional but recommended for safety)
16. Clamp or bench hook (optional)

*Prepare enough bamboo in case of mistakes

*Any cork size should work, but corks that do not break easily would be preferable

Bamboo comes in a variety of sizes and physical properties. Ideally, the bamboo should have a hollow stem and small diameter (8-20 mm inner diameter) would be ideal in constructing a bamboo pan flute.

Good bamboo should be:

1. Straight
2. Dry
3. Lightweight but firm
4. Not cracked
5. Not moldy
6. Similar in diameter across all tubes

Bamboo has natural joints called nodes, which block the inside of the tube. Avoid using the natural node as the bottom seal. Instead, cork plugs or styrofoam pieces should be utilized, as this is much more consistent and easier to tune. Lastly, choose bamboo sections where the inside (internodes) is hollow and clean

The following lengths are target air-column lengths. The length is measured from the open top rim of the bamboo tube to the top surface of the cork plug/Styrofoam inside the tube.

*Do not measure only the outside bamboo length

Individuals may refer to the chart to create variations of bamboo pan flutes with different ranges and notes.

1. Mark the bamboo
2. Using a ruler and pencil, mark each bamboo tube slightly longer than the target length. Add about 1.5 cm extra to each tube. This gives room for error and space for the cork plug at the bottom
3. Cut the bamboo
4. Clamp the bamboo before cutting (optional)
5. Cut slowly and carefully with a small hand saw or hacksaw. Try to make each cut as straight as possible, especially at the open top
6. Immediately after cutting, label each tube with:
7. Pipe number
8. Target note name
9. Target length

*Use masking tape if you do not want to write directly on the bamboo

1. Put the bamboo in boiling salt water to clean it (optional)
2. Rising it with water it also works
3. Clean the inside
4. Using a round file, chopstick, or folded sandpaper, clean the inside of each tube
5. Attempt to remove bamboo dust, fibers, loose material, and pieces of inner membrane

The inside should be as clear as possible with no obstacles

1. Sand the open top
2. Sand the open rim until each tube is smooth
3. The top edge should feel comfortable against the lower lip
4. Do not make the top uneven
5. Sand the bottom edge
6. Makes instrument easier to assemble and safer to handle

1. Prepare the corks
2. Each tube needs one cork plug
3. The cork should fit tightly inside the bamboo tube. If it is too tight and does not fit, gently sand it down. If it is too loose, wrap a thin layer of masking tape around it before inserting it.
4. Insert the cork
5. Insert the cork from the bottom of the bamboo tube.
6. Use a chopstick or any sort of stick to push the cork upward into the tube, then adjust it as needed

*Do not glue the cork yet; make sure no air leaks.

*An easy way to check if there air leaks is seeing whether light is visible with the cork in; right is fully blocked with cork while left is not fully blocked with cork; left would leak air.

1. Adjust cork until the distance from the top rim to the top surface of the cork matches the target length.
2. Repeat the same process for if using Styrofoam pieces
3. Repeat this process for all 8 tubes

1. Hold one tube vertically and place the open top near the lower lip and blow across the top
2. It should feel like blowing across a bottle.
3. If no sound is made, try adjusting your lip position or the cork may be loose
4. Make sure air does not escape out the bottom
5. Adjust the notes until the tuner shows correct note at A = 442 Hz
6. If the note is too flat (arrow points left of middle), push the cork slightly upward
7. If the note is too sharp (arrow points right of middle), push the cork slightly downward

*Tune until the arrow points to green or the middle

1. Once all notes are tuned, seal the cork
2. Add a small amount of glue around the bottom edge of the cork
3. Do not add glue inside the tube
4. Let the glue dry completely

*Do not rush this stage

1. Place the tubes in order, arranging the tubes from longest to shortest in inner tube length
2. Order: D4, E4, F#4, G4, A4, B4, C#4, D5
3. Align the open tops
4. The open tops of all 8 tubes should form one straight line
5. The player’s mouth move across the top row
6. The bottoms will naturally form a diagonal line
7. Using masking tape, tape temporarily
8. Check again that:
9. The open tops are aligned
10. The tubes are in the correct note order (longest to shortest)
11. The front side looks clean
12. The instrument feels comfortable to hold

*What it should roughly look like; although the bamboo length may seem not in order, it is in the order of the inner tube length.

1. Prepare two backing strips
2. Use two thin strips of wood or bamboo
3. Each strip should be long enough to cross the back of all 8 tubes
4. Place one strip near the upper back of the tubes and the other near the lower back
5. Glue the backing strips

*Do not play or move the instrument until glue has completely dried

*Same mechanism as playing a flute

1. Hold the instrument upright
2. The open tops should face upward
3. Do not tilt the instrument too far left or right
4. Place it near the lower lip
5. The open rims should touch or nearly touch your lower lip and chin
6. Blow across the tube
7. Do not blow directly down into the tube
8. Blow across the top edge, similar to blowing across the top of a plastic bottle
9. Saying “tooh” may help
10. Start with shorter tubes
11. Shorter tubes are usually easier to sound
12. Begin with middle or shorter tubes before trying the longest low notes

*Do not overblow when sound does not come out; adjust the lip position

1. Move side to side
2. To change notes, move your head or move the instrument sideways so the air stream crosses a different tube
3. Moving the head is recommended as moving the instrument could be physically challenging

1. The bamboo cracks during construction
2. Avoid leaving the instrument in direct sunlight, extreme heat, or dry air
3. Use drier bamboo next time

*Do not apply water or soak the instrument in water

1. The sound is weak

Try:

1. Cleaning the inside
2. Smoothing the open rim
3. Blowing air more steadily
4. Starting with a shorter tube
5. Checking that the cork is sealed
6. Problem: No sound comes out

Check:

1. Is the bottom sealed?
2. Is the cork leaking air?
3. Is the open top smooth?
4. Is the air blowing across the tube not into it?
5. Is the tube cracked?
6. Are there obstacles within the tube?

After playing:

1. Wipe the outside with a dry cloth
2. Let the instrument air-dry (do not leave the instrument in excessive heat or overly dry conditions)
3. Store it away from direct sunlight
4. Do not leave it in a hot car or humid bag
5. Check the corks/Styrofoam pieces occasionally
6. Retune if the pitch changes over time
7. Adjust the corks
8. If the corks/Styrofoam pieces become loose over time, replace them

Your bamboo pan flute is now ready to play.