PRICE LIST
Susan playing a sound sculpture.
Price List for the Instruments of Susan Rawcliffe
This price list is for the limited production and unique ceramic flutes, pipes, ocarinas, whistles, trumpets and sound sculptures of Susan Rawcliffe. Within the guidelines, the price of a particular instrument is determined by that instrument. Special pieces deserve special prices. An instrument design already developed will cost less than one created especially for you. Scales can be diatonic/chromatic, prehispanic, chance, or specified by you. The more aspects specified--pitch, interval relationships, scale, tone color--the more an instrument costs. Price is also determined by visual appearance--decoration, glaze, size. Merlitons or membranes can be added to some flutes.
Additional information is included on the flute link.
Prices are determined by estimated number of hours per piece times the current rate of $50 per hour, plus 25% for studio and office expenses. For some pieces, the price also increases because of their size.
All prices for flutes are subject to change and do not include S & H. Check with me for possible new designs. I sometimes have interesting flutes and seconds tucked away in my boxes. I will be happy to play instruments for you over the phone; all can be returned in good condition within a week for a full refund, minus S & H.
Instruments are made from white clay. All are decorated as needed with colored clays, underglazes and/or glazes.
A remastered cassette Personal Ethnic, 1989, with percussionist Alex Cline is now available on CD. The eponymous CD of my trio MANY AXES, 10/98, and the CD 2 MANY AXES, 2003, also available. MANY AXES is Scott Wilkinson and myself on exotic winds, and Brad Dutz on percussion. Please check out the link to the MANY AXES web page. All CDs are $10 plus S & H. Copies of my three articles on prehispanic flutes are also available; two include CDs of the sounds of these ancient flutes; contact me for prices.
Susan Rawcliffe
P.O. Box 924
San Pedro, CA 90733
310-427-2737
LIMITED PRODUCTION INSTRUMENTS are individually constructed using designs developed over my years of making and playing clay instruments. A series is produced in steps: constructing the body, the mouthpiece, tuning if applicable, firing, decorating, firing again and sometimes tuning again. Their quality ranges from very good to excellent.
Necklace ocarinas have six finger holes, and are tuned to a chromatic ninth. They look like tiny fat pillows or large ravioli; for decoration, each has a unique painting of fired on colors. In size (and thus pitch), they range from about 2.5" x 2.5" to 2.5 x 4".
1.5 hrs. $70 - $100
Larger ocarinas or ones pitched to almost any key are available upon request. Individually priced.
T whistles have a tubular body that ranges from 4-6" long, with a perpendicular mouthpiece about an inch long, and a hanging loop. Played by blowing harder and softer, and sliding the thumbs over each open end.
.5 hr. $27
Y double whistles play a range of pitches and combination tones by using the thumbs to open and close the ends of the two whistle tubes. The whistle tubes are about 5-8" long and form the arms of the Y.
1-1.5 hrs. $70 - $100
Tuba flutes: The hand slides the end of a fat tube open and closed, while blowing harder and softer. Two or more make beautiful chords. 2.5" diameter X 8-18" long. Easy and fun to play; excellent for beginners.
1-2.5 hrs. $70 - $150
Primitive trumpets are conical, with the mouthpiece on the side. 16"-22" long. A merliton or membrane alters the sound to make a trumpet kazoo.
1.2-2.6 hrs. $80 - $175
UNIQUE FLUTES are made using a previously developed design or a new one; they are all more complex to make and/or tune than the above. It is frequently necessary to make several flutes simultaneously to produce one or two great ones.
Whiffle ocarinas : The single mouthpiece feeds into two acoustically joined chambers, allowing for complex interactions between the two. A very versatile flute. 2.5" or 3.5" in diameter; 5-11" long.
2.1-6 hrs. $150 - $400
Polyglobular (ball and tube) flutes play lovely, individual melodies. They have from two to five hollow chambers interspersed with none to four tubes. The end blown saddle-shaped mouthpiece is similar to that of a bass flute. Because their shape is irregular, their harmonics and scales are also irregular.
1.5-7.5 hrs. $100 - $500
Water flutes are are played by physically moving the flute and thus the water in the flute, while singing, and while blowing harder and softer to access various harmonics. Their size ranges from 8-22" long. These flutes can have either an airducted or end blown mouthpiece.
1.5-6 hrs. $100 - $400
Tubular flutes and pipes: single, double & triple pipes; hooded pipes; pipes & flutes with diatonic, prehispanic or other alternate tunings. They range in size from small space flutes to long folded up harmonic flutes with deep, rich sounds.
Hooded pipes have a hood over the aperture, or mouthpiece, to deflect the air stream back into itself, causing a wonderful reedy, rough timbre or tone. The tuning is typically from a West Mexican prehispanic design with four holes. Other tunings are possible. Wonderful in pairs or in fours.
1.2-2.4 hrs. $80 - $160
Multiple pipes and ocarinas: Multiples are complex to make and play. Ocarinas are round flutes; pipes are tubular, both with airduct or recorder-type mouthpieces. Priced by sound quality and playability, size & appearance. Not for beginners. (Hear a triple pipe on the performance page.)
double: 2.1-9 hours $150 - $600;
triple: 4.5-15 hrs. $250 - $1,000
BIG harmonic flutes are individually priced.
Space flutes and whistles are constructed in a variety of forms to produce combination tones. Combination tones are produced inside the ear through the interaction of two generating tones.
Y whistles: see above
Space whistle sets are designed for small groups. The field tone of each whistle is tuned to a unison, depending on air pressure. Each has one fingerhole; its pitch may or may not be tuned. Sets are priced according to their sound and decorative quality, whether whistles are double or single, and tuning properties. Each whistle is then individually priced to give the set's total price.
Single whistles can be ordered in sets for almost any number; the more being played, the more it's potentially chaotic.
.6-1.2 hrs. $40 - $80 ea.
Double space flutes: The intervals must be very precisely tuned in order to play the perfect intervals, and to contrast beautifully with the dissonant ones.
3-6 hrs. $200 - $400
Chamberduct flutes, goiter flutes or howlers are inspired by prehispanic instruments and have three or four acoustically coupled chambers, producing a amazing range of sounds from plaintive to primeval. Each is unique in appearance, sound and price.
1.5-6 hrs. $100 - $400
Sculptural chamberduct flutes are individually priced as sound sculptures.
Trumpets:
Primitive ceramic trumpets: see above.
Polyglobular trumpets have a collection of balls and tubes with a shaped trumpet style mouthpiece and a bell. A powerful, breathy and deep sound, they can be played like a didjeridu.
3-6 hrs. $200 - $400
Clay-doos: tubes of various lengths and diameters are folded to create a compact didjeridu instrument with one or two fingerholes. Each is unique in appearance and sound; some are priced as sculptures.
3.5-7.5 hrs. $250 - $500
Percussion instruments:
Musical Bowls are played with mallets, producing lovely, delicate sounds. They are sized from small to extra large. Musical bowls can only be tuned through selection from the pool of available bowls. Glazing seals the surface so that modest amounts of water can be used for fine tuning. Bowls have fired on underglaze decoration and are priced unglazed, depending on size and quality. Let me select an array for you.
.6-3.5 hours $40 - $250 ea.
Tubular ceramic xylophones have a wonderfully crisp and melodic quality. As with the bowls, they can be tuned by selecting among the available tubes. One tube can be easily changed for another to vary the scale. Under development.
Flute-like acoustic systems are incorporated into larger ceramic sound sculptures, sometimes for multiple players. The sounding elements may be space whistles, howlers, large harmonic flutes or clay-doos. Each of these flutes is unique visually and sonically. Contact me for additional details if interested.
Sound sculptures are uniquely designed and priced.