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Playing Tips | Flute Care | Troubleshooting | Native American Style Flutes

MusicSmith Flutes | A Native American Style Flute | Handmade by Dave Lusk

Native American flutes were first created and played by Native American people. They are instruments of beauty, magic, ceremony, healing, and entertainment. They bring out the music that dwells in all of us.

This instrument has a full, warm sound. Made from western red cedar, it’s protected with non-toxic waterproofing, inside and out. Each flute is embellished with a unique design handcrafted with a wood-burner. A thumb-rest is offered. This innovation stabilizes and balances the flute while playing by positioning your lower hand correctly. Place the thumb of the lower hand against the bottom of the thumb-rest. The index finger covers the hole right above.

Playing your Flute |There are no wrong notes! All notes harmonize melodically. Reading music is not needed.

Press your lips against the mouthpiece to gently seal it.
Cover the holes with the finger pads, not the tips or nails.
Adjust the air pressure until notes sound clear.
The note played with all the holes closed is the key of the flute. It’s called the flute’s fundamental note.
Use the fingerings shown below. Cover and uncover the holes one at a time in order.
The third hole down on a 6-hole flute always stays covered to play the minor pentatonic scale and uses all the notes shown on the chart.
For a major scale, start and land on the second note up from the bottom of the flute.
Start going up and down the flute, slowly and evenly. Gradually pick up speed. Next, vary the rhythm. Play melodies by playing the basic scale but put intervals between the notes. For example, cover all the holes followed by another finger pattern. Doing so will always sound melodic and harmonic.
Embellishments and more scales can be added for more musicality once you’re proficient.
Have fun!

Tip: The third hole down always stays covered in the minor pentatonic scale and uses all the notes shown on the chart. For a major scale, start and land on the second note up from the bottom of the flute. Once proficient, embellishments and more scales can be added.

Caring for your Flute | Keep your flute at a steady temperature. Do not let it get too hot or cold. Temperature variations expand and contract wood. This can cause your flute to crack. If the flute is cold, warm it with your hands and gently blow warm air into it. Do not leave it in a car when it’s either hot or cold. Avoid direct sunlight.

Remove the block after playing to dry the flute out. Wipe off any moisture. To retie the block, position the front edge of the block at the back edge of the sound hole. Tie tightly. Experiment with its placement for the best tone. Push it slightly forward to raise the pitch higher (sharp), move it back to lower it (flat).

Caring for Yourself with Hand Warm-ups | Here’s an easy 5-minute series of hand movements & mudras to help your fingers, wrists & hands with easy-to-remember names for each one. Great for musicians & anyone with stiff, painful fingers, hands or wrists. Learn the Hakini Mudra, Beak, Bug, Claw, Paw, Seed, Web, Wings, and the Eagle & Hridaya mudras. Thank you Christine Stevens at Upbeat Drum Circles for interviewing me.

Troubleshooting | Fuzzy, unclear, sour, airy, or shrillness

Cover the holes completely or else it will squeak or sound airy.
Adjust air pressure. Are you blowing too softly or too much?
Make sure the block is tied down tightly (see above).
Poor tone quality occurs when moisture collects inside the flute, especially between the mouthpiece and the block. To remove it, hold the flute tightly and briskly shake the whole flute. Try covering the sound hole with a finger and blow hard to push the moisture out. Release your finger while still blowing. Wipe off.
The bottom note is the hardest to play. It’s important to make sure all the holes are completely covered. Use a mirror. This note will jump an octave if too much air is used.

MusicSmith Flutes info, tips, etc. (pdf to download/print)

Music Lessons | Music lesson details and registration

Handy Links

Contact us anytime about flutes & lessons.

By appointment only ♥ Not a retail store.

Musical Sound Bath Tune Up

Musical Sound Bath Tune Up
with Julie Lusk

Sound Healing is a wonderful way to improve your wellbeing. During a musical sound bath experience, you will …

Tune yourself with a musical blend of harmonizing tones.

Feel the pure pleasure of letting your heart sing & dance.

Experience a play of enchanting sounds from flutes, chimes, bells, drums, tuning forks, voice, harmonium, and the harp.

Get cozy. Lie down, sit, or move.

Play along with a rattle, drum, or voice. Write, draw, or color. Daydream. Free your imagination.

Enjoy an a-musing path of tuning your inner rhythm, energy & flow.

If online, headphones, earbuds, or external speakers optimize the sound.

Schedule

Book a personal sound healing session: In-person & Zoom sessions are customized just for you. Contact Julie for details and scheduling.
Concerts: In-person & Zoom. For groups or individuals.
Customized Musical Blessings: A Musical Blessing is a personalized, improvised piece/peace. The melodies played can be based upon one’s name, an affirmation or intention, a dream or prayer, or whatever intuitively transpires. Guided imagery can be offered for inspiration and guidance. They are offered for individuals or groups. During a group, a customized musical blessing is played for each person while everyone else enjoys listening to beautiful, healing music. It’s wonderous.

Albums

Blue Moon Rising | Enjoy 16 beautiful tracks of Native American style flute music played by Julie Lusk accompanied by the relaxing sounds of Mother Nature as the backdrop. Digital and CD formats available | Flute music, guided relaxation and imagery, and yoga nidra.

Julie’s Music History
Julie has loved exploring music since childhood. She babysat 5 boys when she was in 6th grade for 50 cents an hour to buy her first stereo.

Julie studied piano from elementary school through college. Crushed but undeterred, she was rejected from the choir in 5th grade. Recitals were a disaster with awful memories of freezing up like a statue. Even though her self-esteem hurt for decades, she never gave up. For years, she only played for her pets.

Julie started playing classical flute when the Lusks owned a music store. She began playing Native American flutes about 10 years ago. Julie also plays harmonium, Tibetan bowls, chimes, didgeridoo, drums, and the harp. Julie was a Drums for Fun member for 15 years.

Julie is Certified by the Sound Healing Academy (SHA) in the Foundations of Integral Sound Healing for Multi Instruments – Level 1. The course covered how to give individual and group sound healing sessions. It included how to play singing bowls, tuning forks, gongs, chimes, frame drum, and voice. Julie studied The Art of Creating Sound Healing Journeys With the Power of the 5 Elements, a 7-week course led by Bodhi Starwater/Setchko and Music Medicine, a 7-week course by Laura Inserra. She completed SHA’s 30-hour course in Integral Sound Healing with Tuning Forks in addition to John Beaulieu’s 4-week tuning fork course.

Contact Julie anytime

Handy Links

Contact us anytime about flutes, lessons & concerts

By appointment only ♥ Not a retail store.

Gain from Guided Imagery & Relaxation

February 7, 2011 by Julie Lusk

Guided imagery and relaxation are so much more than nice things to do if there’s time. They are important life skills to know about and practice regularly. Both are powerful mind-body-spirit techniques that elicits therapeutic relaxation; awakens and activates the natural ability for self-healing to occur; helps with changing behaviors and habits; and uncovers your inner truth and life direction while stimulating the intuition. Everyone can do it.

Do you want to unlock your highest potential, experience many types of guided imagery first hand, and understand relevant scientific principles? Check out my schedule for upcoming workshops.

“Many common diseases and health complaints can be treated directly with mind-body techniques.” reports Dr. Herbert Benson, the Harvard Medical School scientist who coined the term “relaxation response” 35 years ago. He states that “study after mind body study, carried out with the most careful scientific protocols, produced incontrovertible evidence that the mind can indeed influence – and heal the body – even down to the genetic level.” Along with appropriate medical care, mind body techniques are used for health improvement and can eliminate problems associated with anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, insomnia, PMS, menopausal, peri-menopausal and breast cancer hot flashes, nausea, pain, premature aging and other disorders to the extent that stress is a factor. Now consider that 80% of all illness is either caused by or made worse by stress.

In addition to the powerful and positive effects of relaxation and guided imagery on physical health, it is invaluable and reliable for tapping into one’s inner source of divine intuition and wisdom. Plus, behavior change, musical performance, sport and athletic ability can all be strengthened with the regular use of relaxation and guided imagery. It can be used to reveal inner guidance with respect to one’s life direction.

Guided imagery, also referred to as creative visualization, is intentional daydreaming whose aim is to magnify the positive aspects of the mind-body connection. First, focused breathing and/or progressive muscular relaxation prepare the body for guided imagery and creative visualization. Next, the mind is purposefully guided in a process similar to daydreaming. The difference is that in daydreaming the mind is allowed to go wherever it pleases. Instead of this, the mind is directed in a specific and special manner. For example, a guided imagery exercise might ask you to focus on a setting or environment that feels safe and comfortable. This can be experienced and accomplished by mentally seeing the setting, feeling or sensing the environment, or using the senses of sound or smell. As Belleruth Naparstek says, “there are many right ways to experience guided imagery.” Get more about relaxation, imagery and meditation here.

So, now what? If you want to feel your best, and even prevent or conquer long-term medical problems, it’s time to get back to your yoga, meditation, and visualization habits. You wouldn’t skip brushing your teeth everyday, would you?

If you’re like the rest of us and could use some help, so either join a local class, get together regularly with like-minded people to support each other, and get your DVD’s and CD’s back out. I am delighted to offer a selection of yoga and meditation classes in the Cincinnati area. Plus, I have retreats and conferences coming up. Check out my schedule.

If you prefer here’s some book and CD resources on mind body relaxation to benefit from. Click HERE to buy my Real Relaxation: Yoga Nidra CD.

Book Julie

Julie Lusk, M.Ed, has over 30 years of experience in stress relief, wellness, yoga, meditation and guided imagery. She is a 6-time internationally published author, accomplished recording artist, educator & speaker.

She worked in health care management, higher education, counseling & community organizing. Thousands have benefited from her volunteer work. Read more…

Her company, Wholesome Resources, believes that stress management, wellness strategies, and mind-body techniques are indispensable to be competitive and successful in today’s world and essential for professional and personal growth. Training, presenting, consulting and resource materials are all available. Read more…

Yoga, Meditation, Guided Relaxation & Imagery Training:

Julie regularly offers workshops at yoga studios, meditation and retreat centers. It’s easy to arrange for her to come to your place for an evening, weekend, or longer. Topics include:

See more – Click here

Stress Management and Wellness Speaker

Invite Julie as a conference speaker, business speaker or lunch and learn presenter for your organization or meeting. Julie has written five books and produced numerous audio recordings on these subjects. Review the testimonials page and look at the client list (PDF). Topics include:

Desktop Yoga ®
DARE to Relax © Stress Management Workshop
Spices for Life ™ Wellness Workshop

See more – Click here

Resource Materials

See Julie’s books, CD’s and other good things.

Book Julie Lusk Now!

Julie T. Lusk, M.Ed.
Wholesome Resources
Milford, OH 45150

Greater Cincinnati Area

513-248-9642

details DARE to Relax workshop

Book a Professional Speaker for your Employee Training, Conference, Workshop, and Lunch and Learn sessions. Contact Julie Lusk by email or call 513-248-9642

DARE to Relax © Workshop

Transform daily stress into the energy needed to enjoy life. DARE’s self-care principles include Diet; Attitude and Awareness; Rest, Relaxation, and Relationships; and Exercise.

Learning to cope with the stressors of daily living is crucial to health, happiness and well-being. It is estimated that 60 to 90 percent of medical conditions are stress-induced or worsened by stress. This is costly in terms of medical bills, absenteeism, and loss of productivity. An obvious remedy is to learn self-care techniques that both reduce stress and help one cope with the effects of stress.

DARE to Relax ä is a wellness-based relaxation training and stress management program that is practical and well rounded. The format includes a balance of factual information and experiential activities. Participants will:

Understand the dynamics of stress and it’s causes
Understand the positive and negative effects of stress
Learn how to reduce stress using the self-care principles of DARE to Relax ä

Diet: Nutritional considerations are discussed. For example, stress depletes Vitamins A, B, C, and calcium. Dietary recommendations are given to maintain proper nutrition.

Attitude and Awareness: The stress response is activated by the way a person perceives an event. Becoming aware of stressors can help a person modify their thoughts and behavior so their reactions are healthier. The mind/body connection is addressed and mind/body interventions are demonstrated and practiced to reduce stress.

Rest, Relaxation and Relationships: Discovering the difference of active and passive relaxation is taught. A relaxation exercise is done so participants can learn experientially. Information is covered on the recent research on relationships that shows the negative effects of loneliness on health.

Exercise: The benefits of exercise are well known. In particular, physical activity helps burns off the bio-chemical effects of stress. Participants are encouraged to maintain a practical exercise routine.

DARE to Relax Testimonials

Ethicon Edno-Surgery, Inc.

100% rated the content as excellent or above average

100% rated the speaker as excellent or above average

100% rated the program as excellent or above average

Everything was interesting. I liked the relaxation exercises.
I learned relaxation tips to gain more energy.
I learned how to relax in short periods of time. I liked the 2-minute nap.
I learned techniques to help relax and reduce stress. I hope some of these techniques will help reduce my stress at work.
The program reiterated things I know, but was good to have confirmed. I liked the stretches.
I learned to release stress with little time and quickly. How food plays a part in stress and illness. The instructor had excellent content. Very beneficial.
It’s important to take time to relax and reduce stress.
I appreciated the ideas that were relevant to my situation.
Thank you

Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems

100% rated the content as excellent or above average

100% rated the speaker as excellent or above average

100% rated the program as excellent or above average.

The stress fighting techniques allow me to be more focused and therefore a better team player
How to relax at work when things get you down. Reinforced healthy eating and its benefits
Things I can do to minimize the effects of stress on my life
The info and exercises motivated me to start exercising again and to start yoga
To try and think more positive thoughts
I’d like more information on journaling
The info on the mind/body connection was excellent
Stop being a perfectionist – I am one and it is stressful
You have reinforced the idea that I can do anything I put my mind to!!

Mike Sterling, Director of Human Resources, The Art Institute of Ohio writes:

Dear Julie: Thanks for sharing the Dare to Relax session with our staff. I have received several positive comments about it, especially the “2- Hour Nap in 10-minutes” segment.

Our staff received several valuable tips on reducing stress and the consequences of stress at work and in our personal lives. It was definitely time well spent. Mike

Rebecca Laney
Director, Center for Yoga and Health

Julie is a petite powerhouse!

SPICES for Life is featured in

Stress Solutions Now - Instant PDF Download!

Improve your mind, body, and spirit with this amazing manual. This instant download gives you stress relieving solutions that work every time. First, you get quick, easy ways to identify sources and symptoms of stress. Next, you'll learn simple techniques for getting genuine stress relief. Finally, you'll benefit from 6 wellness strategies for living a worthwhile life, 8 practical solutions to handle stress with ease, and find out how to make remarkable improvements at work and home.

Book Julie Now

Julie travels from Cincinnati, Ohio