Fretwell Flutes

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DRONE FLUTES
Made Especially For You




  Drone Flutes are flutes that have two voices. You play your melody and the second voice accompanies you, producing a surreal experience. Each voice of the drone flute has its own air chamber giving you the option to add the drone tone at your preference.  
   
  Three Size Available  
  Small Size - Keys: D,Eb,E  
  Medium -  Keys: A, Bb,B,C,C#  
  Large -  Keys: F,F#,G,Ab  
   


CHOOSING YOUR FLUTE

* Listen To The Flutes
  Choose your favorite key. 
Scroll down page to hear flutes. 
   
*  Look At The Wood Choices
Choose your favorite wood.
 
Scroll down page to see wood grain closeups. 

Wood Choices
 
  Order Flute
$$300 - $600
 
 

 


CUSTOMER COMMENTS

"Dear Jerry,
Happy to tell you that the Drone Flute arrived and I played as if we are old friends, just wonderful!! I love the sound!!!
Thank you very much, and indeed it is a very easy and comfortable flute to play.
Loving Light Blessings"

Sarah-Maria C. Gijben
Internet Customer
The Netherlands


Drone Flute
Medium Size, Key of C

Drone Flute Player
Laurien Zurhake
I
nternet Customer
The Netherlands


 "Hi Jerry and Lisa,

Thank you SO much for my Drone Flute! It arrived this week and is even more beautiful than I had imagined. The tone is amazing and it really was a case of love at first sight! I am enjoying learning from your book too! I have found it invaluable for getting to know my flute - and I love that there are songs I recognize so I can get used to reading and playing and then transfer that to the other beautiful songs you’ve included."

~~ Ruth Ingham
Internet Customer
Australia



Drone Flute
Large Size, Key of G

Drone Flute Player
David Kerrigan
I
nternet Customer
United Kingdom


Drone Flute
Medium Size, Key of B
Flute Customer
"Jerry & Lisa,
Thanks for crafting such a beautiful flute for me. Not only was it very reasonably priced and delivered well ahead of schedule, it's just as I'd conceived it, and it is a work of art! It'll certainly be displayed proudly and, someday, I may even be able to play it as well as it deserves to be played.
Just as importantly, after all our time on the phone, Jerry, I feel like I've acquired a friend as well as a flute.

Thanks again"

~Bruce Schaffer
Internet Customer
U.S.A.
David Kerrigan
I
nternet Customer
United Kingdom






   
Native American Flute Bag   Leather Flute Carrying Bags
     
     





“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
~ Albert Einstein

LISTEN TO THE FLUTES
Click on the blue letter to hear that flute. 

 
Large Flutes
26"-20"
Medium Flutes
19"-17"
Small Flutes
16"-14"

  F F#  G Ab 
A  Bb  B C C# 

D Eb E



Dial Up Internet is very slow at downloading files.
Be Patient ... Sound Files Are Worth The Wait.


  Which Key Of Flute Touches You?
  The natural rich warm sound that comes only from an instrument made from wood, touches the soul of all those who hear it. It is our experience that each individual person has a specific key that touches them uniquely. Discovering which key calms you, is easy on our website. We have lots of flutes for you to hear.
   
  Concert Quality ~ A440 Tuned
Your flute will be tuned using an electronic tuner to ensure that it has concert quality pitch. This will enable you to play along with other instruments.
 
   
  Flute Sound Files ~ Not Electronically Altered
Our flute sound files DO NOT have any effects added to them. Our flutes sound exactly like this naturally (Clear, Crisp, Loud, Non-breathy, & No air hiss). Your flute will sound this way for you when you play it at home. Your flute will produce a rich, clean quality sound and have tremendous volume, without the use of a microphone.

LISTEN TO MORE DRONE FLUTES
   
 

Click Here

  Key of F Eastern Cedar Wood Eastern Cedar - Large Size

Click Here

  Key of G  Zebrawood Zebra Wood - Large Size

Click Here

  Key of A  Maple  Wood Maple - Medium Size

Click Here

  Key of A   Redheart Wood Red Heart - Medium Size

Click Here

  Key of Bb Bubinga Wood Bubinga - Medium Size

Click Here

  Key of C Sassafras Wood Sassafras - Medium Size



  SIZE DIFFERENCE AND FINGER STRETCH
  Width and length of the flute varies according to the key of the flute. We suggest that beginner players order a medium or small size drone flute. The larger the flute, the farther the stretch between finger holes. The larger the flute, the farther you have to reach across the flute to play.
   
 

   
  Need help determining the size of flute that is a perfect fit for you? Call 1-417-535-6032 or email us. We'd love to hear from you. 


  YouTube Customer Video

This is Stephanie Keane. She is playing her new Fretwell Flute Drone. Stephanie has a rather large collection of our flutes. Her spirit is a happy one and you can certainly hear it when she plays.

The flute is made from Hickory and has a Bubinga block. It is tuned to the key of Bb. It is a medium size flute.

 
 

 
 



CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE WOOD

  Flute Tone and Wood Choice
Eastern Cedar Walnut Zebrawood Curly Maple Padauk Wood

The tone of your flute is determined in part by the type of wood used. The softer woods produce a warmer tone. The harder woods produce a brighter tone. Tone is not volume. Tone is the texture of the sound.
 
  The Joy of Wood Shopping
" I have a blast when we go wood shopping. I'm like a kid in a candy store. Soooooo... many beautifully grained pieces of wood to choose from. We always come away with much more wood that we went to buy. Some pieces of wood, I "just can't resist". They just beg to be made into a flute." I just "love" to go wood shopping." ~~ Lisa Fretwell 

Most of our hardwoods and exotics we purchase from a speciality store about an hour away from our home. We hand pick each piece. We look for unique and beautiful grain patterns as well as exceptional color. We purchase our Eastern Cedar wood from a local young man. He cuts and mills the cedar from here in the Ozarks. Some of our rare and exotic woods, we purchase from other sources around the country. Koa and Curly Koa we purchase directly from Hawaii.
   
  Availability of Unique Woods
Most wood will make a wonderful flute. Email or call us (417-535-6032) about the availability of woods not shown on our website such as: Koa, Curly Koa, Honey Mesquite, Black Mesquite, Quina, Wenge, Spanish Cedar, Redwood, Sapele, Quilted Sapele, Rose woods, & Quatersawn woods.

Pieces of Wood Special to You
If you have a piece of wood that's special to you, send it to us and we will make your flute from that piece.

Some of our customers go to their local wood store and choose their own piece of wood. Wood grain and color are unique to each board that is cut. Each piece of wood has it's own unique spirit. When you can see and touch the piece of wood, the spirit of the wood can talk to you.
   
  Combination Flutes
   
Wood Combinations   

We can add inlay, endcaps, or rings to your flute.

 

You choose your wood combination.

Email or call us (417-535-6032) to discuss your specialty flute and pricing.

   
  Three Commonly Asked Questions

Q: What do you use to seal the wood?
A: Over a period of several days, we apply several thin coats of non-toxic, humanly edible shellac to the outside of your flute. (It's the same shellac that is used in the food industry when making licorice candy.) After the shellac has set completely. We give your flute a mineral oil bath and we place it in the drying rack for a couple of days to dry. Clear shellac lets the natural grain pattern and color of the wood stand out. Your flute will have a soft shine.
 
Aromatic Cedar Western Cedar Sassafras  
Q: What woods are the softest and produce the most warm tone?
A: Eastern Cedar, Western Cedar, and Sassafras.

Purple Heart Wood Osage Orange Wood  Pink Ivory Wood  
Q: What woods are the hardest and produce the most bright tone?
A: Purple Heart, Osage Orange, and Pink Ivory.


.Need to transport or store your flute?
.We can make you a Leather Fringed Bag. .

Native American Flute Bag
Click Here 
 

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 WOOD GRAIN CLOSEUPS AND PRICING
 
Natural Colors and Grain Patterns
We have taken great care with our website images so that they are a good representation of the "true" color and grain patterns of the wood choices we offer. Wood naturally varies from piece to piece. The grain pattern and the shade of the color are things that vary slightly from piece to piece. The colors of the woods you see in our website images are what the wood looks like, naturally. We do not stain our flutes.
 
Drone Flute Prices
Flute prices are determined by the size of the flute, the cost of the raw wood to us, and the wear and tear on our equipment by the harder woods.


WOOD TYPE

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE
.Cedar Woods   

$300

$350

$400
.Domestic Woods - USA 

$350

$400

$450
.Imported Woods and X-tra Hard Domestic Woods  

$400

$450

$500
.Curly and Highly Figured Grain Woods - (Domestic and Imported) 

$450

$500

$550
.Rare Woods  

$500

$550

$600

*All amounts are listed in United States Dollars (USD)


Cedar - Eastern
 Eastern Cedar Wood
.Small    $300
.Medium   $350
.Large   $400

Cedar - Western
Western Cedar Wood
.Small    $300
.Medium   $350
.Large   $400

Ash 
 Ash  Wood
.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450

Ash - Curly 
Curly Ash Wood
.Small    $450
.Medium   $500
.Large   $550

Birch 
Native American Flute - Birch  Wood
.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450


Birch - Flame
Flame Birch Wood
.Small    $450
.Medium   $500
.Large   $550
Bloodwood
Bloodwood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Bubinga
Bubinga Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Bubinga
Pomelle
 
Bubinga Pomelle Wood
.Small    $450
.Medium   $500
.Large   $550
Canary Wood
Canary Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500


Cherry
Cherry Wood
.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450
 Cherry - Curly
Curly Cherry  Wood
.Small    $450
.Medium   $500
.Large   $550
Juniper 

.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450
Lacewood
Lacewood Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Leopardwood
Leopardwood Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500


 Mahogany
Mahogany Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Maple
Maple  Wood
.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450
Maple- Curly
Curly Maple
.Small    $450
.Medium   $500
.Large   $550
Osage Orange
 Osage Orange - bois d'arc Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Padauk
Padauk Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500


Red Heart
Redheart Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Sassafras
Sassafras Wood
.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450
Sitka Spruce
Sitka Spruce Wood
.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450
Walnut
Walnut Wood
.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450
Walnut - Curly
Curly Walnut Wood
.Small    $450
.Medium   $500
.Large   $550


Yellow Heart
YellowheartWood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Oak - Red
Native American Flute - Red Oak Wood


.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450
Oak - White
White Oak Wood
.Small    $350
.Medium   $400
.Large   $450
 

Red Oak can be the same color tone as white oak or it can have a pink/red hue to it. Each board is unique.

What differentiates a piece of white oak from a piece of red oak is the "Tick Marks". White Oak has long lines as tick marks. Red Oak has short lines as tick marks.


Pink Ivory
 Pink Ivory Wood

 Pink Ivory Wood
.Small    $500
.Medium   $550
.Large   $600
Purple Heart
Purple Heart Wood

Purple Heart Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Zebra Wood
Zebrawood

Zebrawood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500
Kingwood
Kingwood Wood

Kingwood Wood

Kingwood Wood
.Small    $400
.Medium   $450
.Large   $500

Pink Ivory has many shades of pink, salmon and pink/orange. Each piece of wood is unique. 

Purple Heart darkens the longer that is it exposed to air and sunlight. 

Zebra Wood has two distinct grain patterns depending on the part of the tree that the board is cut from. Each board is unique. 

Kingwood has two distinct grain patterns (Swirls and Stripes). The color tone can be a purple/brown or a blonde/brown. Each board is unique. 



F.Y.I.
5 Hole Flute vs 6 Hole Flute
We can make you a 5 hole flute but, we prefer a 6 hole flute. Let me explain why.
The Open Hole Fingering Minor Pentatonic Scale is played exactly the same on a 6 hole flute and a 5 hole flute. The difference is, on a 6 hole flute you keep the 3rd hole from the top covered all the time.
As you progress in your playing, you will want the benefit of being able to use the additional hole on a 6 hole flute.






FLUTE BUILDING AND DELIVERY TIMES
We will email you with the tracking information when we ship your flute.
 Delivery Times
 

Flute Arrival To You
Shipping And Handling
FREE
(All Countries)

 

U.S.A.  4-5 weeks
  Australia  4-5 weeks  
  Spain  4-5 weeks 
Canada  5-6 weeks
  Germany  5-6 weeks  
  France  6-7weeks   
  Netherlands 5-6 weeks
UK   5-6 weeks  
All other countries  4-6 weeks 

  International (non-U.S.A.) transit time of your flute is effected by two things: The delivery speed of the postal system in your country and the customs clearance time in your country determine how long your flute is in transit.  
     


Jerry Fretwell - Post Office



ORDER YOUR FLUTE

Order Online ~
CLICK HERE

Order By Phone: 1-417-535-6032
 
 




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The Musicians' Flute Maker - Concert Quality - A440 Tuned - Musical Instrument