Hi, my name is Alisa Tomlinson. I have been playing NAF for about 5 or 6 years, music for over 30 years. I am also a composer and play several other instruments. I love the NAF. It has been taking me on a journey that is very much uniquely my own. I am now looking at joining a band who specifically wanted an NAF player (and is happy to find a guitarist/composer/songwriter in the same package). I am looking at starting up on the Festival circuit in association with the Flying Musicians (www.flyingmusicians.org) which is in its beginning stages as an organization dedicated to education through music and aviation. For the record, I am not a pilot (yet?) but I am a founding member. I am only just getting started in my career...better late than never I guess. My website is www.tomlinsonmusic.com. I live in Ft Worth, Texas.

Live with Beauty in your Heart
Alisa Tomlinson

Hello Alisa,
Welcome to the Flute Portal. I believe you will find many like-minded individuals here and a TON of great info as you move through your flute journey. Your website is very nice and I enjoyed your music and videos.

The Flying Musicians organization sounds interesting. That's an interesting mix of passions. Both can be very timing and energy consuming. But I like the concept alot. I fly sailplanes as well as play the NAF, so I understand the mix.

Later!

-Mark

Hello Alisa,

Welcome to the forum! I think it’s great that musicians take so well to the NAF. It does seem to be limited in octaves, but you can play all twelve notes so with a little octave limitations you can play a lot of tunes.

I am a corporate pilot and I always take a flute or two on my trips, makes sitting in the hotel more interesting for me (maybe not for the neighbors – lol!)

Happy Flutin!
Steve

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed my site. I feel like I am on an exciting journey. It is only beginning for me but I see a long road of meeting people and playing with the wind ahead of me. Check out the flying musicians site , since you're a pilot you may well enjoy connect to other pilot/musicians. Still in its baby stages, but we hope it to continue to gain momentum.

Hello Alisa,
You've landed on a pretty cool site
Kuz

My knowledge of music theory is taking me a long way with discovering what the NAF can do. My high school jazz band experience gives me a very flexible amateur that amazes folks with no wind band training. That's always fun.

The flying musicians is full of small craft pilots but no need to limit the size of the craft you fly! Check us out, you never know when you may have a layover (or orchestrate one if you can) where we will be. We are trying to gain enough musicians to cover as many festivals as we can. If you find yourself near one of our venues, come check us out (if you like festivals that is).

We are still new, but with one very successful jamming tent under our belts I think we are well on our way.

Thanks!

Thank. It looks like it and I look forward to meeting folks, making connections and learning everything I can about this amazing instrument.

Hello Alisa Welcome! Your site is amazing and your flute playing is wonderful. I have only been playing for a short time and still can't quite master the nice embellishments you do. I play pretty plainly as of yet.

I am pretty new here too and there is so much good information here and the people are friendly and very helpful...you will feel right at home in no time!

Greetings Alisa from a fellow composer/player. I have always desired a performing career but alas it just never worked out that way. So now I'm mainly an amateur musicologist and performer as well as a classical music nut.
I have only been playing NAF since December though. But I confess that the journey is a delight!!!

Welcome!!

Jim
Vancouver,Wa

Greetings Alisa and welcome...

Funny thing, I immigrated to New Zealand from the States over 5 years ago on the strength of my aviaton career, it only took about 6 days for immigration to offer their stamp of approval, then the aviation governing body, CAA, did not offer me my licenses to work as a pilot....which caused a small challenge in finding a job since flying was the only thing I knew how to do...

I even became a little indignant about it all a few years back, but then the Native American Flute came into my life and I have forgotten all about airplanes....

Now I fly through my music...

This forum has taught me so much, I am grateful to those who belong to this flute family, Tenzin

Howdy, pordner! Austin TX here...

Yes, if you've had previous exposure to musical instruments (especially ones with a 3 octave range or so), adjusting to the NAF is an interesting experience. If you can manage not to be frustrated there is a lot of pleasure to be had.

Victor.

Ah come on Tenzin. You're just being jaded. I love playing the NAF but there's something equally magic about topping a thermal at 17,500 (still legal) on a clear day and then being able to see nearly forever. Or climbing and then cruising with a bald eagle who really didn't care if I was there or not. Or surfing the side of a cloud being able to literally stick my hand out the window and "touch" the cloud. All with nothing more than the energy provided by the sun!! Pretty magic stuff as well and I KNOW you know what I am talking about and MORE!! Now if I could play and fly at the same time...it'd be Xanadu, right?

Later!

-Mark

Sigh....I know what you're talking about....I do miss my office with a view...

I do not fly with the Hawks anymore but I do sing to them with my flutes...

I guess I should join the musical pilots association... ...make myself feel like a pilot again.

BTW, I loved your music Alisa!!!, enchanting and peaceful, just as it should be....

Thermal-less now, Tenzin

Hello Alisa, Glad to have you join us and welcome to this "Crazy" little world of ours! Many Blessings...Robert

Hello Alisa and welcome to the forum. Like you webpage. Nice music. Look forward to hearing more.

dd

Welcome to the portal Alisa!

Dave

Hi , always good to hear of music oriented programs across
the land.

Welcome Alisa! I enjoyed looking at and listening to your website.

Dave

Thank you. A very good book to learn some embellishments, as well as many other things about the NAF is The Native American Flute: Understanding the Gift by John Vames. It comes with a cd which has clear instructions and very good examples. It is the book I use to teach from. It comes in Am, Gm, and F#m. I find that Am is a good comfortable place to begin students, a less complicated key and the instrument tends to be a size comfortable for most hands.

He has a second book which teaches jazz phrasing. I played bass trombone in a high school jazz band that traveled the world. The phrasings I learned way back then, the embellishments and timing, I knew them before I ever saw an NAF. Only they are sooo much easier to pull off when you don't have to buzz your lips or deal with a reed (I played tenor sax for 2 semesters in college, haven't played one since)

I look forward to getting to know everyone.
Alisa

It is an interesting exercise on seeing the beauty in limitation. You only have so many notes to use to say what's on your mind. It is the art of expression that truly comes alive when you have less to work with. This might be a case of less is more. Texture and color with varying dynamics bring the beauty alive, and is part of what I think makes the NAF stand out from the crowd.

Alisa....I played the E flat alto sax in school...the reeds were a pain for sure!

I will have to check into the book you mentioned. I think that being I play mostly for therapy in Hospitals and Nursing Homes along with my Harps I just don't think about playing fast. Maybe it is because I mostly play my Low D and Low A. And I am very timid about trying something new and different. When I play around with my high A it does seem easier to embellish but with my two lower flutes it seems so much harder for some reason.

I guess I have a looong journey ahead of me to master the NAF yet. I would love to get more flutes but for now 3 Flutes and 3 Harps will just have to do!

Deborah in MN
~FrostyFlute~

Welcome Alisa, as a fellow pilot I'll have to check out your website. I would be curious how you got involved in aviation. PM me and we can chat.
Again, welcome to a great NAF forum.

Paul Austin

That makes sense. The larger ones do tend to feel less agile. The same can be said for a lot of instrument families. The smaller flute does move more freely. I have a large Dm and I can get it to move quick, but watch that low D or you can overblow it quick, and that flute does not do well in the extended range. Each one is its own creature so to speak and you have to work with them to find their individual quirks.

I like long tones at the low register anyway. It help smooth out the bumps from living day to day.

3 harps, I only have the one, but I sure have a growing guitar collection!

But I am not a pilot. The story is that John Zapp who is a pilot came to the flute circle I jam with looking for someone to run a jamming tent for the First Annual Fly-In Music Fest at Spinks airport, which was his and Aileen Hummle's idea (she is another pilot, and they are both musicians as well). I met him there. As I had just been asked to teach NAF at FWISD for the Indian Ed program as cultural education, I thought it would be a great thing to do for me. Help build a resume so to speak. It was fun too. Now, even tho the 2 cities involved are highly enthusiastic, the airport has pulled out and there is no fest this year.

Well, even tho Spinks has decided not to participate, the Flying Musicians already have several venues booked around the country including Kerville and Merlefest, and other airports interested in their fest concept. The Fly in was to have pilots coming and going all day but it didn't work out this time because the clouds were low that morning all over Texas.

The idea now is to grow membership and have plenty of musicians to go to these various venues and just have a great time jamming with the public and a few small shows in the tent as well. There is also some education going to come out of all this. A lot of things are still being worked out as this concept is still growing. The website is www.flyingmusicians.org if you are curious. I will be working with the co-founders on this and when I get real news about anything I will post it. I think it's really cool he was specifically looking for the NAF and a player to run the jam. I bit the bate and now it looks pretty promising.

What is PM? I know what IM is.

AlisaTomlinson, who might just be getting a chance in the future to learn to fly

Glad to have you here on the forum Alisa. I checked out your website, very nice site! Enjoyed your songs a lot!

Personal Message ... just click on a member's name to send one.

Welcome to the Flute Portal Alisa.. Sounds like some fun and exciting times ahead for you. Thanks for bringing us along for the ride.

Ed

Thanks