When one spends many hours each week making and handling flutes, the mind wonders.

Maybe because I came to Southern Cross Flutes with no background in the instrument, once the basic skills had been mastered I began to wonder about the possibilities of these flutes.

The Ukelele is historically associated with Hawaii, but in recent decades it has enjoyed a explosion of popularity with ensembles appearing all over the world. Why so? Because the Ukelele is not intimidating to the adult beginner and it’s easy to get a nice sound—qualities shared by the flute.

But the flute is still confined to a small area of interest. I think that if it is to survive and thrive into the future, it must become attractive to people who hadn’t considered it before. It could become the next Ukelele success story. That’s an ambition I have for it.

• Can it be tuned to different scales?

• What is possible and desirable from a design viewpoint, and how do the aesthetic qualities harmonize with design?

• How can a maker innovate, but still honor the Native American peoples from whom this through-blown flute comes?

Hello,

it’s Roger, the maker here at Nyx.

My flute journey began at nearby Southern Cross Flutes where Todd and Bruce taught me the craft. I worked there for three years, making the standard builds and experimenting with design and construction.

When not fluting, I like to make furniture and ridiculous cases for gaming computers. I’m a classically-trained guitarist and a published writer of short fiction.

‘Nyx’ comes from ancient Greek mythology. She is the primordial goddess of night.

I live by the sea in beautiful Mana, on the Kapiti Coast of Aotearoa New Zealand with Alice, my partner in life.