I love the sound of the traditional Japanese flute, the Shakuhachi. Not only does it sound cool, but it actually has a pretty interesting history. In ancient Japan, a law was passed that prevented Samurai warriors from carrying their swords. In order to protect themselves, they carried around the Shakuhachi flute, which was made out of a 21 inch piece of bamboo root (very strong).

After discovering that a good quality Shakuhachi flute runs around $700, I needed to find another way of acquiring one. I found these directions for making one out of PVC piping. Thinking this would be a fun little project, I decided to go for it.

I bought a 10 foot long PVC pipe and cut it into 5 pieces (leaving 4 usable to make the flute). I then followed the directions, which were more complicated then they initially seemed. It turned out pretty nice. I decided to skip the mouth piece instructions since it didn’t look cool. I prefer the look of one solid piece. Also, I don’t know if I like the white look, so I may paint it. Any suggestions?

Anyways, I found this video that not only gave me a history lesson and instructions on how to play the Shakuhachi flute, but it also gave me an alternative to the mouth piece that I didn’t like. Check it out…