<![CDATA[Peaceful Spirit Flutes Flute - Sales Lessons - Performances - Blog]]>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:07:17 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Let your flute be an anchor to the now; Improvising on your flute]]>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:03:00 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/let-your-flute-be-an-anchor-to-the-now-improvising-on-your-flutePicture




When you first pick up a Native American style flute, it is incredibly easy to fall in love with the beautiful sounds and music you can create. The pentatonic minor scale is forgiving, beautiful, and naturally expressive. But after playing for a while, many of us find ourselves trapped in a comfortable loop. We play the exact same scale patterns, start on the same notes, and end up sounding like we are practicing an exercise rather than telling a story.
If you are feeling stuck in your old patterns, it is time to move beyond your basic approaches and expand your understanding how you can expand your skills in improvising. Improvisation isn't about playing random, rambling notes; it's about creating a sacred journey for both yourself and whoever is listening.
Here are a few simple  practices to help you open up your playing and tap into a deeper stream of spontaneous creativity.
Play with Contrast: The Four Balancing Elements
One of the quickest ways to break out of a musical rut is to consciously challenge your sound by exploring contrasting dynamics. Our minds naturally prefer safety, which means we tend to play at one steady volume, at one medium speed, and in the middle register of the flute.
To break free, try playing with these four pairings:
  • High and Low: Intentionally drop down to that deep, grounded fundamental note and let it anchor your song. Then, soar up to the highest notes, even using overblowing or cross-fingerings if your flute allows. Let the transition between the two tell a story.
  • Fast and Slow: Speed and add depth and dynamics to your playing and can create a strong emotional presence. A sudden cascade of quick, fluttering notes can feel like a sudden gust of wind or an awakening of energy. Follow that burst with long, drawn-out, slow notes that allow the vibration to settle.
  • Tense and Relaxed: You can create musical tension by playing slightly sharper or using crisp, short tonguing  to make the notes feel urgent. Release that tension by moving into smooth, connected breaths and soft, pulsing vibrato.
  • Soft and Bold: Experiment with your breath pressure. Bring your melody down to a whisper, right on the edge of the flute "breaking" or dropping an octave. Then, step forward with a bold, strong, intentional push of air that demands attention.
 
SPACES BETWEEN NOTES
We rush to play and forget to let that split second pause happen. In our modern world, we have lost the ability to hear silence or to be in silent spaces. One of the most beautiful elements of playing the flute is simply the way you can sculpt and shape the sound to create beautiful moments of peace and spaces that just let you breathe.
When we improvise out of habit, we tend to fill every single second with sound because silence can feel vulnerable. But silence is where the magical essence happens.  When you finish a phrase, stop. Let the echo fade completely. Take a breath, stay present in that stillness, and wait until the next note calls to you.
Pauses give your music structure. They give the listener a chance to breathe with you, turning what could be a series of rambling sounds into a deliberate, moving journey that meets people where they are at.
A Gentle Reminder on Body and Mind
Before you even place your fingers on the holes, take a moment to check in with yourself. Drop your shoulders. Loosen your jaw. If your body is tense, shake out the tension. Before you start, tell yourself you are on a musical journey, exploring sounds and phrases.
True improvisation requires you to be entirely in the present moment. You cannot play a soulful song if your mind is busy worrying about tomorrow's to-do list. Let the flute be your anchor to the now.
Capture the Hidden Gems
As you wander creatively, on your flute sculpting, shaping and exploring  the sounds, the flow of each note, the way your breath impacts the sound, you will find musical phrases that are gems. Keep your phone or any other recording device to capture those or just let them be a beautiful moment in time.
If you want to capture these moments, take out the phone and hit record and just play. Forget about rules, forget about mistakes, and just wander.
When you listen back later, you will almost always find a few absolute gems—a unique three-note turn, an unusual rhythm, or an emotional phrasing that you didn't even realize you played. You can then take those little moments of inspiration and use them as the foundation for your next song.
Improvisation is not about perfection; it is an act of discovery. Approach your flute with a sense of curiosity, give yourself permission to make "mistakes," and let your spirit guide the breath. You might be surprised by the beautiful places it takes you.

Terry Mack, all rights reserved,l June 2 2026
]]><![CDATA[Breathe With the Trees]]>Sun, 24 May 2026 17:19:13 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/breathe-with-the-treesIn my early years of playing, I created the song Breathe With the Trees. Paul Bezooyen, the amazing guitar player that I was working with as the duo Wind Weaver, created a very lovely backtrack to accompany the piece. I was inspired this year to create a spoken word piece and read the piece over the song. It became part of my interview on the Sacred Sunday podcast hosted by Rod Tayler from Nanaimo BC .  For the full interview visit:
  https://youtu.be/MozClsD4Y9k?si=PN6rgMdSTkhnyCgm
Rod's information is :https://www.rosstayler.com/sacred-sun... Hosted by Ross Tayler
#SacredSundays #SpiritualConversations #InnerWork #SacredListening
]]><![CDATA[The Breath That Becomes Music by Terry Mack.]]>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:09:00 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/the-breath-that-becomes-music-by-terry-mackPeople ask me all the time how long it takes to learn the flute. I always answer them and say — it takes one breath. One conscious, intentional breath drawn down into your belly, offered slowly through the wood, and everything begins. It is the start of building a deep connection between you, your breath and the flute.  The moment your breath moves through that instrument, something awakens between you and the flute that no lesson plan can create. That is the connection I am talking about. That is what my journey into this flute has been about.

I didn't set out to be a flute player or play any instrument but the sounds of the Native American Style flute kept calling me. With the arrival of my first flute, I began to uncover the magic with this instrument. And it started with the breath and listening. Throughout the past twenty years, my musical exploration has led me to understand the importance of ‘building connections’ between breath, body, environment, mood and feelings. This is what I have been trying to understand and share, as a connector of flutes to people. These flutes have taught me more about listening than any thing else in my life.

"The flute does not make music for you. It asks you in a gentle way — to be present with it. Every time you lift it to your lips, it is waiting for you to arrive."

SCULPTING SOUND WITH YOUR BREATH
What most people don't realize when they first pick up a Native American flute is that the sound is not fixed. It is not sitting inside the instrument waiting to be released the same way every time. The sound is shaped — actively, continuously — by the quality and character of your breath. The slow channel, that carved pathway inside the flute, directs your air across the splitting edge of the sound hole. But how that air arrives is entirely up to you. A breath that is too forceful will crack and scatter the tone. A breath that is too thin will barely stir it. What you are searching for, in every session, is that particular quality of breath that meets the instrument with equal measure — not pushing, not pulling, but partnering.
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I think of this as sculpting. You are not simply blowing into a tube. You are shaping something — a phrase, a feeling, a particular color of sound — with your breath as your only tool. The flute gives you the raw material. Your breath gives it form. And the remarkable thing is that this process teaches you, over time, to become exquisitely aware of your own breath in a way that almost nothing else does. You learn where you are holding tension. You learn when your exhale is rushed because your mind is rushing. You learn that a long, slow, warm breath — the kind that comes from a settled body — produces a tone so different from an anxious, shallow one that they barely seem to come from the same instrument. The flute is, in this way, a kind of mirror.
· · ·
The bird — the small piece that sits atop the slow channel and directs your breath — is where the conversation between you and the flute becomes most intimate. This is where your air is shaped before it finds the voice of the instrument. When you learn to sense that threshold, that exact quality of breath where the air flows across the sound hole and something opens into song, you have found the heart of the practice. And it never stops being a discovery. Even after years of playing, there are mornings when I pick up my flute and find that threshold again as if for the first time, and something in me quiets and wonders.
"Your breath is not only wind passing through a tube. It is you — your grief, your joy, your silence, your searching.  The flute receives all of it and then sends that beautiful, connected energy through the wood and into the air. It is a magical and mystical experience. You are connecting the energy of the trees, the energy of the maker and your beautiful energy and good intentions and it comes in an authentic way as an offering of connection to everything and everyone around you.

BREATH AS THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING
This is the part I speak about most earnestly when someone comes to me as a new player, because it is the part most people most want to skip over. We live in a world that has trained us to push, to perform, to produce sound on demand. The flute will not cooperate with that approach. The Native American flute is profoundly sensitive to the quality of your breath — not just its pressure, but its quality. Whether you are rushed or settled. Whether your mind is scattered or present. The flute knows. And it responds accordingly.

I tell every new player the same thing. Playing starts with building that connection as you just hold the flute. Hold it. Feel the weight of it against your palms. Breathe normally and just notice what it feels like to hold an instrument that is waiting for you. Then, when you are ready, bring the mouthpiece to your lips — and breathe out slowly, as if you are breathing onto a candle flame you do not want to extinguish. Let the breath be long and warm and unforced. What you hear in those first few moments is not a performance. It is the sound of connection, your breath, your energy to the flute. It is the flute responding to you and inviting you to understand what it needs to create beautiful sound.

It is presence. Full, unhurried, attentive presence. You are no longer thinking about the flute. You are listening to it. And that is when the real learning begins — because the flute, I have come to understand, is not only an instrument you play. It is a teacher you sit with. It will show you, with great patience and no judgment, exactly how it wants to be played. It will reveal its sweet tone near the top of the scale only when your breath is soft enough to earn it. It will open its lower register fully only when you have slowed down enough to let it. Every subtlety the flute holds — every nuance of tone and color and breath — it offers freely, but only to those willing to be still enough to receive the lesson. Presence is not just the foundation of connection. It is the whole essence of freeing the music in your soul.
Terry Mack,  All Rights Reserved, Copyright. April 4, 2026
]]><![CDATA[Introducing My Canada Wide Zoom Flute Circle]]>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:08:17 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/introducing-my-canada-wide-zoom-flute-circle
]]><![CDATA[Questions to consider when choosing your a flute]]>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:50:39 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/questions-to-consider-when-choosing-your-a-fluteI have been connecting people to flutes for 20 years. It has been quite an interesting and life-changing journey. One of the things I get asked the most is how to choose a flute. I have decided to create a series of articles and blog posts discussing this issue. Today I am starting with questions you can ask yourself about how you would like to connect to your flute.

Many people choose their first flute based on the lovely, soothing deep sounds that just reach in and touch your soul and order one online only to find out that it is too big for their hands to comfortably hold for a first flute. While the questions below will give you some ideas about selecting a key of flute, it is also very important to understand how the size  and length of a flute will affect your ability to produce quality sounds while you are learning. 

Watch for my next article or blog post that talks about choosing your first flute. If you need more help reach out via text or phone to Terry @780-913-2036 or email tmack@peacefulspiritlftutes.com. 


Which Flute Is Right for You?
Consider the questions below
Which sound attracts you most?
  • Bright and playful
  • Warm and balanced
  • Deep and emotional
  • Very deep and powerfuL               
  • How comfortable are you with breath control?
  • Just starting
  • Some experience
  • Very comfortable
  • What style of music do you imagine playing?
  • Light melodies
  • Storytelling or song-like
  • Meditative and emotional
  • Soundscapes and ceremonial
Your Match
Mostly first answers → High flute
Mostly second answers → Mid flute (D or E recommended)
Mostly third answers → Low flute
Mostly fourth answers → Bass flute

There are many more factors that can impact choosing your first flute. The questions are simply a guide and the flute suggested by these answers may be very different than the flute you actually choose.. Watch for more articles and information on this topic.

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]]><![CDATA[Those magical moments that sometimes just happen]]>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 15:17:51 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/those-magical-moments-that-sometimes-just-happenA moment captured in time at the my first annual Music in the Trees Performance in September, 2024. I invited one of my guests up to join me with her ukulele. She was rocking some great chords and I jumped in with my beautiful A minor flute and we had a fun time sharing a spontaneous moment of musical creation. 20 years ago, I had no idea that I would ever create music and then my first flute arrived as a Christmas present from my husband. Truly a life changing experience that over time grew into a great love of improvising music with people and another great love of teaching and guiding people in playing their Native American Style flutes. 

These are one of those moments where it was just pure fun and everyone enjoyed it. So I hope you enjoy this.
]]><![CDATA[Create your own Simple flute backtrack to play your flute over]]>Mon, 06 Jan 2025 18:05:48 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/create-your-own-simple-flute-backtrack-to-play-your-flute-overMy students, new to the world of exploring sound and creating your own version of your music, often ask me how to play to a back track. One really simple way is to create your own simple flute back track by recording on your phone, laptop, PC or other computer device. Once you have completed it, then you can play it back and play your flute over the track you have created. In the video below, I show you a simple way to do this.

In this video, I am showing  you the track as it is seen in a digital audio workstation (DAW). I have also just recorded tracks on my phone and had fun playing over them.
]]><![CDATA[A few thoughts on improvising with the flute By Terry Mack]]>Mon, 21 Feb 2022 04:20:30 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/a-few-thoughts-on-improvising-with-the-flute-by-terry-mack
]]><![CDATA[Terry Mack, In the Moment]]>Sun, 13 Feb 2022 23:01:46 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/terry-mack-in-the-moment
]]><![CDATA[The creation of my song, Sundance from my Wild Threads CD byTerry Mack, The Wind Weaver]]>Tue, 25 May 2021 01:11:38 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/the-creation-of-my-song-sundance-from-my-wild-threads-cd-byterry-mack-the-wind-weaverIn this video, I share how I stumbled into creating my very first song, Sundance. 
]]><![CDATA[A little fun way to explore playing to  a simple backtrack]]>Fri, 30 Apr 2021 21:43:44 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/a-little-fun-way-to-explore-playing-to-a-simple-backtrack
]]><![CDATA[Reasons to come to a Flute Circle,   by Terry Mack, Flute Circle enthuisiast]]>Sun, 02 Feb 2020 18:38:29 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/reasons-to-come-to-a-flute-circle-by-terry-mack-flute-circle-enthuisiastPicture
  • The very first reason is a flute circle is really fun. And it just gets better from there.
  • If you are a beginner, come to a flute circle! It's a great place to learn more and meet new friends with a shared passion.




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  • Flutes, flutes and more flutes. You will see lots more flutes and learn more about flute makers
  • Sharing the journey.  Everyone is a beginner at something at sometime. I have been playing these flutes for many years and still consider myself a beginner because the flutes continue to teach me every time I play.
  • Learning new techniques
  • Sharing some of the fun things  you are learning
  • Playing along with others or to back tracks 
  • Flute circles are a wonderful, joyful way to learn more about playing.
  • Very cool people come to Flute Circles

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]]><![CDATA[Gone Fluting Flute Circle - February Meeting]]>Sun, 02 Feb 2020 18:35:20 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/gone-fluting-flute-circle-february-meetingPicture

I am hosting the Gone Fluting Flute Circle,
on Sunday, February 9th from 2 to 4 pm at my home in Spruce Grove.

If you need the address PM, phone or text at 780-913-2036 or email: tmack@peacefulspiritflutes.com

I also have a few flute related items such as bags and stands for people to check out and buy.

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]]><![CDATA[Slow Motion Practicing]]>Mon, 24 Sep 2018 20:52:36 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/slow-motion-practicing
]]><![CDATA[Mastering Finger Transitions]]>Mon, 24 Sep 2018 20:26:32 GMThttps://www.peacefulspiritflutes.com/blog1/mastering-finger-transitions
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