How to Make Bamboo Shakuhachi

Though its roots may reach back even further --- possibly even to ancient Egypt --- the Fuke Buddhists popularized the Japanese shakuhachi flute in the 13th century. This traditional bamboo flute gained further popularity among roaming samurai warriors, the ronin of the Edo Period. Though the flute is simple in construction, hobbyists must possess enough musical know-how to tune the instrument by ear. Each piece of bamboo is different, each producing a unique sound and requiring unique tuning.

Bamboo (phyllostachys bambusoides variety)
Saw
Electric drill
Long 3/8-inch wood drill bit
Round file
Craft knife
Flat file
Sandpaper
Standard 3/8-inch drill bit
Rotary tool with 1/4-inch sanding attachment

Instructions

- 1
  Cut the bamboo to a length of 21.5 inches.
- 2
  Drill through the length of the bamboo with a long 3/8-inch wood drill bit.
- 3
  Hollow out the blowing end of the flute with a coarse round file, making an opening with a diameter of about 0.8 inch.
- 4
  Mark a straight line from one end the bamboo to the other. This marks the upper side of the flute. The finger holes will fall along this line.
- 5
  Make a notch about ½ inch deep in the top side of the blowing end with a craft knife. File the edges of the notch so the blowing end tapers downward at about a 30 degree angle. Sand the blowing end, test it and continue sanding and filing to your liking.
- 6
  Test the flute's low note by blowing into it. File inside the length of the bamboo -- the bore -- with a round file until the note is correct. Tapering the blowing end further also helps improve the tone.
- 7
  Drill the finger holes with a 3/8-inch drill bit. Make the first hole 12 inches from the bottom of the flute --- the end opposite the blowing end --- the second one 5.5 inches from the first, the third one 5.2 inches from the second and the fourth one 5.6 inches from the third. Make a hole on the underside of the flute 3.6 inches from the fourth finger hole.
- 8
  Enlarge the finger holes with a rotary tool, using a 1/4-inch rotary sanding attachment. Test each hole and enlarge it until you've reached the proper pitch. Wider holes make for higher octaves. Make each hole sharper than the last, with the first hole sharpest and the fifth hole on the underside on exact pitch.
- 9
  Bevel the holes with sandpaper when you've finished tuning your flute.

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