UGLY BOY FLUTES
by
Bob Child

MANY THANKS to the many wonderful new friends that stopped by at the Maggie Valley showing at the “Pretty Crafty” grounds! Thankfully the storms held off Sunday, and I got everything taken down in fine order. Of course, the ultimate reorganizing of the show materials and re-storing until the next show is a daunting task in its own right! But with this INCREDIBLE fresh, cooler weather, I’m getting ready to dive into my two Green Heron tribute flutes! Again, SO nice to meet those of you that stopped by and talked a bit. You got a good taste of what drives my Soul...

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Finally, my new website is several days away from being posted, and will be chock full of helpful information and many new flute creations! I apologize for the inconvenience of this temporary single page, but the wait will be worth it, I promise!

I'll have flutes from the keys of bass A (traditional round-bore) up to what I call ultra-high B (myHalf-Pipe design) some 2 octaves higher. I try to keep a wide range of keys and prices to fit almost every budget, and run the gamut of plain and simple to sophisticated carvings and inlays. I'm doing some interesting stuff with my innovative flat-bottomed flutes I call my Half-Pipes, from playable 6-hole flutes in ultra-high keys, to traditional and crazy drone designs (?!). Too, I've 'branched' out and have quite the assortment of truly gorgeous branch flutes in various keys and designs, including some heavy-duty walking cane flutes that will hold up a Cape Buffalo, yet are light in weight.

I work with all kinds of woods; the way I basically approach my flutemaking is that I make what I feel inspired to make in terms of key, wood, and overall design. While I do work with custom orders, I prefer to make flutes strong in creative Spirit from within and let them find their owners. This sacred instrument will always be just that to me, sacred, and I made a personal vow when I began to make them that I would only do so in a Good Way. Along those lines I refer to the flutes as my 'kids' as I spend lots of time with each one; I refer to them as being 'adopted' and not 'bought'. I stand behind each one of them fully. If it leaves my hands, it is a worthy work of playable art.

Oh, lest I forget and if you're new to the world of Ugly Boys, I craft each one first and foremost for a crystal-clear, hissless sweet voice that is spot-on for any casual or professional needs. All the artistic 'stuff' comes second...whether it's a $600 fancily carved closed-end flute or a $70 basic half-pipe, each one is of recording quality and the same crystalline voice.

As I continue to tweak and add to the pages soon to publish, feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions or would like more information. I can email out pictures and sound samples, but do note that my email responses will come back from a Yahoo! account, which some email programs may put into a spam folder...just FYI. :-)

weatherflute@yahoo.com

you can also check out my flute blog in the meantime:

http://uglyboyflutes.blogspot.com

Thanks for 'stopping by'...check in again to catch the new site in its entirety!

Peace.
Bob