Fife Instructions
- Cut 8 large circumference straws to the following lengths: 9, 8, 7, 6 3/8, 5 ¾, 5, 4 ½, 4 ¼ inches long. ...
- Cut a piece of cardboard two inches wide and the same length as the width of the 8 straws.
- Place the straws on top of the cardboard. ...
- Use duct tape to place over the straws and around the back of the cardboard to hold them in order.
Full Answer
How do you play a Fife?
Hold the instrument out to your right. Position the fife so that it is horizontal and extending out to the right of your face. The six holes for fingers should be out to the right, while the one hole on its own goes near your mouth for blowing.
What is a Fife?
The traditional fife. The traditional fife. The fife is, historically, a small, keyless, transverse flute with a narrow, completely cylindrical bore and six finger holes. This page will focus on the traditional American and British fife used in the 18th, 19th, and well into the 20th centuries.
What key is a Fife usually written in?
Fifes in various other keys are sometimes played in musical ensembles. A convention specific to some fife music and contradictory to the standard is for fife music to be written in the key of D regardless of the key in which the fife in question sounds.
How do you hold a Fife with one hand?
Face the palm of that hand away from you. Though the index, middle, and ring fingers of each hand will be the only ones covering holes, support the fife with the thumb and pinky fingers of both hands by resting them on the body of the instrument however they are comfortable.
How is a fife made?
Fifes are made primarily of wood, such as blackwood, grenadilla, rosewood, mopane, pink ivory, cocobolo, boxwood, maple, or persimmon. Some fifes are entirely made of metal or plastic. Military and marching fifes have metal reinforcing bands, called ferrules, around the ends to protect them from damage.
How do you make a fife sound?
A normal fife has one lip hole and six finger holes, however, some have ten finger holes. How do I make sounds on a fife? You blow across the embouchure hole like you would a flute. The noise should sound more like a piccolo's, though.
How do you make a PVC fife?
0:002:56How to make a PVC DIY transverse flute - Tutorial - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBit clean and work the inside of the hole with a half round file to obtain this shape very graduallyMoreBit clean and work the inside of the hole with a half round file to obtain this shape very gradually shorten the flute until you get a g draw a line in front of the mouthpiece.
How much does a fife cost?
The distance between the centers of the blow hole and the last finger hole should be about 10-7/8 inches. Otherwise, you will have a fife for displaying rather than playing. New wood fifes of any quality will cost at least $100, and can run much higher than that.
What is the difference between a fife and a flute?
The fife, most accurately described, is any cylindrically bored transverse flute, usually in one piece (but sometimes two), usually somewhat longer than the piccolo and having only six fingerholes with no keys.
Is fife easy to learn?
Re: Tips for learning the fife You like a challenge, don't you? Fife is much more difficult to play than the regular wooden flute - it takes a very strong embouchure. Your lips need to be tight - try putting a piece of dry rice between your lips and blow until it pops out (I'm serious)…
How do you make a wind instrument out of PVC pipe?
2:195:1601 How To make a PVC pipe overtone flute / fabriquer une flûte ... - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPassons à la construction.MorePassons à la construction.
How do you make a carrot flute?
0:532:15How to Make a Carrot Recorder Ocarina - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWe should now get a whistle. If you want to you can cut away the back of the carrot to form a moreMoreWe should now get a whistle. If you want to you can cut away the back of the carrot to form a more comfortable. Mouthpiece. Next use a 5 millimeter drill bit to make a couple of holes into the carrot.
Is PVC flute harmful?
If you own a PVC flute, throw it away before it can give you cancer or cause liver damage.
How long is a fife?
The modern fife, pitched to the A♭ above middle C, is about 15.5 inches (39 cm) long and often has an added E♭ hole covered by a key. Its compass is about two octaves. Fifes of conical bore have also been made since the 19th century.
How do you care for a fife?
You can avoid most problems by not allowing the dampness to get into the wood in the first place, by wiping out excess moisture after playing, oiling the bore, greasing the joints, and finally leaving the cleaning rod(s) inside or next to the fife(s) (keeping everything together).
What is a fife players drum called?
The type of drum used in the classical fife and drum corps is called a rope tension snare drum. There can also be limited use of a bass drum in the modern units; however, this drum is typically used only in shows where the drummers remain stationary.
Tips
Don’t get discouraged if it takes a long time to even make a sound with the instrument. The fife is one of the hardest wind instruments to learn how to play!
Warnings
You may get winded when learning to blow into your fife and play strings of notes. Stop to take breaks and sit down if you feel lightheaded. You will soon build up stamina and better lung capacity.
About This Article
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards.
Tips
Make sure the wood is extremely dry before attempting any friction methods.
Warnings
Be aware of sparks and embers that may fly off when creating friction.
About This Article
This article was co-authored by Britt Edelen. Britt Edelen was an active member of his local Boy Scouts troop near Athens, Georgia from ages 8 to 16. As a Scout, he went on dozens of camping trips, learned and practiced many wilderness survival skills, and spent countless hours appreciating the great outdoors.
Key and range
A fife with six finger holes and a lead "cheater" or fipple mouthpiece attached with a brass screw, c. 1850s.
In folk music
In medieval Europe, the fife was used in some folk music traditions to accompany dancing by all social classes.
Modern fifes in the United States
The modern era of fifing in the United States began in about 1880, with the popularizing of civilian fife and drum corps in a musical tradition that has come to be known as Ancient fife and drum (or simply Ancient).
Historical re-enactor preferences
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)
External links
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article " Fife (military flute) ".
Step 1: Design
I used tested designs for my flutes which I found with construction information on Pete Kosel's flute page. I made a G flute as originally designed and a CPVC D fife to which I also made a modified version. The G flute works great as is, but I was having a lot more trouble playing the fife. It was very difficult to reach into the second octave.
Step 2: Construction
The basic construction of a PVC flute is simple. Six holes provide the western seven-note scale; one blown hole initiates the sound. Insert a block to the correct depth at the blown end and you have a flute. The steps can be performed in any order, but I tend to drill the embouchure first since is the most important hole to have a clean cut.
Step 3: Drilling Holes in PVC Tubing
The most important trick to getting a clean hole in PVC is to commit. The bit tends to grab and quickly rip through the pipe, but if you keep going, it will finish the hole cleanly. Stopping half way through is the kiss of death.
Step 4: Making the Embouchure
Some builders make the hole in one shot by drilling a hole on an angle. I find that this tends of cause more trouble than it is worth for me, so I use a straight hole then shape it afterwards with needle files to its final shape. The most important part of the hole is the blown edge on the opposite side of the flute from the player.
Step 5: The Cork
The cork can be made of any number of materials. It is more a matter of finding something that fits snugly, won't come loose and is easy to fit into the flute. I have used a cork from a wine bottle, wooden dowels and a rubber stopper.
Step 6: Tuning Slide
I used two different designs to act as the tuning slide. Both of these have problems, the largest for both designs being the disturbance to the smooth inner surface of the tube. This can mess with the flutes tone and playability.
Step 7: Lip Plate
For the lip plate, I used a 1/2 inch straight CPVC connector (They also make them for 1/2 inch PVC, but I haven't made a modified version of the G flute yet to see if it also improves that design as well.) These connectors are very cheap and, of course, fit the pipe perfectly.
What? No parade?
Our county schools all get a day off each spring for an all schools day parade. It is a pretty big deal for all the school bands, royalty and various other floats to have a grand parade. It was so disappointing to have it cancelled this year, it’s been going for over 110 years!
Make Three Musical Instruments for Kids
Here are three homemade musical instruments you and the grands can make yourself; a drum, a tambourine and a fife. Organize your own little parade and have some fun!!
Drum instructions
Cut off the top of the container to be used. The container should be very stiff. A one gallon can works the really well. To get a can you could put out a plea on Facebook or purchase a gallon can of applesauce at the grocery store. Don’t laugh, the extra apple sauce can be put in the freezer to pull out when needed…like in a pandemic!
Tambourine instructions
Place the two plates together with eating surfaces facing one another. Think of the plate as a clock. You will use the hole punch to punch holes at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock first. Punch a set of holes through the edge of both plates.
Fife instructions
Cut 8 large circumference straws to the following lengths: 9, 8, 7, 6 3/8, 5 ¾, 5, 4 ½, 4 ¼ inches long. This will make an octave!
Now, have your own parade!
Grab your instruments and a couple friends and enjoy your parade!! Pots and pans and wooden spoons will fit right in too.
Enjoy!
Welcome to Nana’s! Where there’s fun things to do with your “grand” kids!