Native American Flute Design Tool

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Your design

Starting dimensions

Measurement units

Playing holes

5 holes Minor pentatonic 6 holes Mode 1 / 4

Fundamental key

F#4, G4, and A4 are approachable first builds. Lower keys demand more reach.

Inside bore

Hole wall

Scale tuning

Planned hole diameters

Edit individual sizes to trade hole spacing for reach. These are targets—not pilot-drill sizes.

Wall at sound hole

Separate from the playing-hole wall because it changes the sound-mechanism length correction.

Pitch standard

Frequency assigned to A4.

Expected playing conditions

Air temperature

Humidity

Workshop tuning conditions

Air temperature

Humidity

Check the design inputs

Live plan Calculated starting dimensions

-hole flute

Sound chamber

Sound edge to foot

Rough cut

Includes tuning allowance

Fundamental

Hole span

Footmost to mouthmost

Measured blueprint

Hole centers from the foot

Diagram is proportional, not a 1:1 drilling template.

Swipe left to trace from the foot toward the sound edge

Measurement rule: every playing-hole position is measured from the open foot end to the center of the hole. Hole 1 is always closest to the foot.

Drill and tune table

One hole at a time

Hole	Fingering	Target	Planned Ø	Center from foot	Next gap	Workshop tuner
		Cross-fingered

Drill pilot holes no larger than about 60% of the planned diameter, then enlarge gradually while listening and checking pitch. A flat hole can be sharpened; an oversized sharp hole is difficult to undo.

Starter voicing proportions

Sound mechanism

These proportions make the length model possible; use your own proven block and sound-hole geometry when you have one.

Sound-hole width
Sound-hole length
Wall at sound hole
Flue depth
Cutting edge
Length correction

Sanity checks

Read the proportions

Acoustic L : D
Hole zone begins
Hole zone ends
Playing air speed

Final tuning

From calculated to playable

The math gets you to a sensible blank. The last few cents belong to the actual bore, block, breath, material, and hands in front of you.

1
Leave room to tune.
Rough the sound chamber about long and drill every playing hole undersize.
2
Voice and warm the flute.
Use the intended block, let the bore temperature settle, and test with a steady normal playing breath.
3
Tune the fundamental first.
With every playing hole closed, shorten the foot a little at a time until the all-closed note reaches .
4
Work from foot to mouth.
Tune hole 1, then 2, and continue upward. Enlarge slowly to raise each note; use the fingering shown in the table.
5
Recheck earlier notes.
Later work can pull completed notes slightly flat. Make a final pass only after the flute is stable and warm.

Microphone tuner

Full tuner & CAD corrections

Tune without leaving the plan

Audio stays in your browser. Microphone access begins only when you press Start. Confirm the reading with a second tuner before removing material.

Target fingering

Workshop target

FLAT IN TUNE SHARP

What this model covers

A cylindrical sound chamber, open-pipe pitch, temperature and humidity, sound-hole and foot corrections, tone-hole chimney depth, closed holes, five- or six-hole minor-pentatonic targets, and basic sound-mechanism proportions.

What it cannot predict

Irregular or tapered bores, exact block and flue behavior, breath pressure, material variation, direction holes, cross-fingered compromises beyond the core scale, timbre, or the final response of a real flute.