NEWS FROM HIGH SPIRITS FLUTES

Every year we release a different calendar theme featuring diverse landscapes throughout Arizona paired with our flutes. This year for our thirty-two-year anniversary, we decided to take you back to a blast in the past and feature our classic flutes. Our Classic Arizona calendar combines classic and old-school images such as the Route 66 old-fashioned gas station, with our classic flutes.

Thirty-Two years ago, Odell began selling High Spirits Flutes out of his truck and at art festivals. His inspiration began in 1988 when he received his first Native Flute for Christmas. Immediately, he experienced the joy it brought to his life. In 1990, Odell was going through a difficult time and was struggling to rebuild himself. During this time a friend reminded him that he had always been a craftsman and to explore making his own flutes. 

They say it takes a village, and that is exactly what Odell had. He had support and mentorship from his friends who helped guide him through the woodworking process. On his first attempt, he created four aromatic cedar flutes in the key of "F#." Odell was overwhelmed with the blessing of having to been able to successfully create the instrument that brought him so much solace. Odell knew he wanted to share the Native American Style Flute with as many people as he possibly could. 

For further reading on Odell's story visit our blog titled Odell Borg - The History Of His First Handmade Flutes.

Enjoy a free High Spirits Flutes 2023 Classic Arizona Calendar with purchases of $150.00 or more. Continental US only! 

A common question is: what's the best flute for a beginner....?
The answer is the key of 'A'!

We are absolutely confident that anyone who has the desire to play a musical instrument (even with no musical experience) can be successful with any of our easy-to-play, key of 'A' flutes. This includes all our Spirits Flutes in the key of 'A'!

Our Spirit Flutes are extra versatile because of their unique design, which utilizes a fixed plate and a shorter length, making them ideal for any new flute player who wants to travel and adventure with their flute.

We want you to find success and ease as you begin your flute-playing journey! From 30 years of experience, we know the key of 'A' is the perfect flute for any beginner because we've celebrated thousands of new players succeeding at the start of their flute-playing journey.

New players are often deeply drawn to the beautiful, low tones of our Bass Flutes! Their enchanting, meditative sound is so compelling that new players often choose a Bass Flute as their first flute; but what you might not know is that to create those incredible bass tones, the flute must be longer, larger, and have bigger fingering holes, and those exact characteristics are the complete opposite of what makes a flute easy to learn to play.

Our key of 'A' flutes are just the right size for any beginner. Not too small like our high tone flutes, which take more breath control, and not too large like our bass tone flutes, which take more dexterity.

All of our key of 'A' flutes are mid-tone flutes, which are well-sized for new players because they are a perfect balance physically and musically from our high tone and bass tone flutes.

Now....we want to remind you that the key of 'A' is the perfect starting place....not the final destination! So our approach is to encourage you to master the key of 'A' to provide a solid foundation for building skill and advancing to whatever size flute your heart and mind desire.

A little patience and practice with our beginner-friendly key of 'A' paves the way to success with our Bass Flutes, step-by-step!

Throughout this holiday season, our key of 'A' flutes are the perfect gift and value for anyone who wants to join a musical community! Together we can share our unique musical voices with loved ones and the world because music inspires celebration, soothes hardships, spreads joy, and creates peace and relaxation.

Here's more helpful information about our key of 'A' flutes and why they are our flute of choice for all beginners -

Ease of Playing

The key of 'A' is the easiest Native American Style Flute to play because of its smaller size and finger placement. Each hole is smaller and closer together making it ideal for beginners, children, and those with smaller hands. We cover the third hole from the stop with a leather tie to make the flute even easier to play. However, this gives the option to use it as a six-hole or five-hole flute. In contrast, a base flute strains the hands and is more difficult to play due to its large size. 

Lightweight 

Our Spirit Flute Key of 'A' is made out of Spanish Cedar wood, which is lightweight and easy to hold. Spanish Cedar is a softwood that gives the flute a deep and rich musical voice, with warm high notes, and firm low tones. The short mouthpiece minimizes moisture buildup and creates ample back pressure for clarity on the higher register notes. 

Affordable

Providing high-quality flutes at an affordable price is important to us. We understand that a flute is an investment and we want to provide lasting value to your collection. Our Spirit Flute Key of 'A' offers a beautiful design, rich sound, and easy travel. Sealed with non-toxic oils, our flutes are affordable without sacrificing quality. 

Dr. Cornel West's full quote reads:

"Music at its best...is the grand archeology into and transfiguration of our guttural cry, the great human effort to grasp in time our deepest passions and yearnings as prisoners of time. Profound music leads us-beyond language-to the dark roots of our scream and the celestial heights of our silence."

Dr. West is an American philosopher, political activist, professor, and music and literature lover. He follows the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., to tell the truth, and bear witness to love and justice. Dr. West graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard, where he obtained his M.A in three years. He then went on to complete his Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton. Throughout his career, Dr. West has taught at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale University. 

Author of twenty books, he is most known for Race Matters and Democracy Matters. He has partnered with MasterClass.com to provide influential courses on philosophy, empathy, and African American history. 

Quotes are designed for interpretation, much like poetry, literature, and music. Statements are words meant to express, bring comfort, or initiate dialogue to bring about change. West's profound quote can be interpreted in many ways while bestowing lingering thoughts and feelings upon his readers. Think about what this quote means to you. How does it make you feel? What visualizations come to mind?

Explore the imagery that language creates and allow Dr. Cornel's words to fuel your inspiration for your music and arts. When you pick up your flute today, play with the passion and guttural cries that Dr. West invokes within you!

Lao Tzu is the infamous Chinese philosopher who founded philosophical Taoism and is portrayed as a contemporary Confucius. Lao Tzu is a fictional name meaning 'Old Master,' and while he was indeed a historical figure, he was also understood as an embodiment of various philosophers and a deity. 

During the Warring States Period, Chinese philosophy was developed to find a solution to violence and establish a moral government. Lao Tzu strived to convince people to accept philosophical Taoism and live a life in harmony coexisting with one another. Eventually, he lived a self-exile life when he concluded that the human race would never listen to his teachings. 

Inspired by the intelligence, beauty, and tenacity of the bird we love: the Corvus, aka the crow, our Crow flutes have a unique musical voice because of their specialized finish. Crafted from ebonized Walnut, each flute is given time and attention through a multi-step hand-finished process that delivers the rich black-body shine and incredible sound quality.


For over two decades, we have offered the Crow flute in the keys of A minor, G minor, and F# minor. Over time our Crow flutes have evolved to incorporate different designs and fetishes.


We thought it would be fun to share images of our Crow flutes past and present with our High Spirits Flutes community, who have had the pleasure of adding them to their collection while sharing their musical and magical voices with the world.

Memorizing poet and civil rights activist, Mya Angelou is very well known in the United States. Angelou lived a rich life full of adventure, travel, and struggle. During her early adult years, she worked in numerous unusual fields. In 1993, Angelou performed at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, becoming the second poet after Robert Frost to ever perform at a presidential inauguration. 

One of Mya Angelou’s most well-known works is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Through her publication, she discusses personal aspects of her life. Active in the Civil Rights Movement alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, Angelou is regarded as a respected spokesperson for African American culture and African American women. Her works focus on themes of identity, family, culture, and travel. 

Mya Angelou’s quote “music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness,” paints an emotional and relatable portrait of profound musical imagery. 

Soaring 6,000 feet above the Arizona desert is our beautiful home in Patagonia, known as Sky Islands. Home to unique species of plants and animals that flourish in a non-traditional southwest environment. Sky Islands connect the Sierra Madre of Mexico with the Rocky Mountains of the United States, resulting in climate changes that can be experienced within the same day. High Spirits Flutes really is its own island in the sky!