Kassa Academy

Below are some charts, recordings and information to help you play the full range of notes on the Fula flute (also known as tambin or tanbinfulé).

Overview

• Each flute can play one complete diatonic scale. The most common Fula flutes (and the ones made by Kassa Flute Co) are in the following keys: A♭, G, G♭, and F.
• Our flutes comes in two varieties: traditional (equidistant) or Western tuned. See this article for complete info on the difference between the two.
• The A♭ flute is our smallest flute, with the F being the longest (and lowest).

For more info on flutes available for purchase, visit our shop here.

Printable PDF:

Click the below link to download the scale charts as a printable PDF, or continue scrolling for sound recordings and charts for each flute.

Fula flute basics

The Fula flute has only three tone holes, yet it boasts a range of two full octaves. How is this possible? It’s achieved through a technique called overblowing, which allows the player to access the flute’s four distinct registers.

For each flute, there are four specific registers. The first and lowest register, which I refer to as “Register 0,” is seldom used, except for special effects during quieter passages of music.

The first practical register, Register 1, is one octave above Register 0. Register 2 is a fifth above Register 1, and Register 3 is an octave above Register 1.

Players move between these registers by adjusting air pressure using the overblowing technique. In general, increasing both the force of the air and narrowing the airstream from the player’s mouth allows access to the higher registers, while relaxing the air pressure and broadening the airstream results in the lower registers. This technique requires practice! Mastering the ability to move between registers at will is the first major hurdle for beginners.

Below, you’ll find charts and recordings detailing the notes within each of the four registers for all keys offered by Kassa Flutes (A♭, G, G♭, and F). The accompanying tablature above each note illustrates which tone holes should be closed or open for each specific note.

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