Helmut Gollmann Feather  Wind Flutes

The first Swiss flute in the Netherlands

If you regularly browse Facebook flute groups, you will always come across a flute that grabs your attention. So my ear fell on one of Helmut Gollman's flutes. After looking around on his website I decided to email him if he could make a C# flute for me.

On his website I saw that he had a choice of various types of wood. My choice fell on Ulm wood. It reminded me of a tree on my street that I always enjoyed looking at from my window. It had to be cut down because of the Dutch Elm disease.

Helmut quickly contacted me via email, then called via WhatsApp, an experience in itself for me because I had never called via WhatsApp before and this was the first flute maker from abroad that I spoke with. After we discussed everything. He would start work the next day.

Helmut also made the photos below while making a flute. I thought it would be fun to post this on this site. Helmut also offers the possibility to make your own flute through a workshop of two days, it is a 1 on 1 workshop, exceptionally it is also possible for two people. A self-made flute is very special. I myself followed 3 flute workshops at De Druide in Stekene. Take a look at Helmut's site, it's definitely worth it.

How are the flutes made

2020 Nr 056 C#m

Seawindflute

Because of the way the opening of the air chamber is shielded, the flute can play better with wind than the flutes where the opening is flat all around.

The flute fits exactly in my backpack so I often take it with me when I go for a walk because I live by the sea and there is always wind.

Of course you want to know how it sounds here under a 2 videos

made with this flute is the first Easter video I made for Helmut as a thank you for the beautiful flute.

The second was made with the song on the CD next to it

Here the cover of the CD that Helmut had made, with music played by various flute players on flutes that he made.

 2021 Nr 061 F#

bamboo flute

This F# flute is made of Nigerian bamboo, also called black bamboo, with a wooden mouthpiece.

The black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) is a dark-stemmed and rhizome-forming species that grows in clumps. It grows to an average height of 5 meters in the Netherlands, but can grow taller in tropical climates. It is popular as a garden plant because of its black stems and airy appearance. The stems are still green in the first year, but in the second year of life of the stems they slowly become blacker.

It is propagated by cutting a few rhizomes, or dividing the clump into several pieces. (source Wikipedia)