### The Breath Flute Project - Release Package Overview - ReadMe.txt

Welcome to the Breath Flute Project release package.

*** Breath Flute - The Instrument

The Breath Flute is a wind instrument that lets players with little or
no musical experience create deep, resonant music using only their breath.
The design inherits from musical instruments of many cultures, including
the Australian didgeridoo, overtone flutes from Slovakia, and the
Native American flute.

It is ideal for community music gatherings since it can be played solo,
in small groups, or as a large ensemble providing harmonic and rhythmic
support for other musical instruments. It also has a role in music therapy,
therapeutic music-making, and a wide range of personal breath practices
such as yoga and meditation.

Breath Flutes are accessible to players with physical limitations, since
they have no finger holes and require no finger dexterity. Most players
with no musical experience can create music in the first few minutes and
experience the physiological benefits associated with resonant breathing
the first time they play the instrument.

Most Breath Flutes have a short headjoint section combined with a long
body tube. The headjoint is about 5 in / 13 cm long and can be 3D-printed
using free, open-source software. The body tube can be as simple as a
length of standard pipe, or as complex as you wish to make it (decoration,
curved designs, holes for tuning, etc.) The headjoint press-fits onto
the body tube. It converts the player’s breath into a resonant vibration
in the body tube that we hear as sound.

*** The Breath Flute Project

The Breath Flute Project is a free, open-source software package that has
all the files you need to 3D-print a Breath Flute headjoint. You can use
the printed instruments yourself, for your music gatherings, and even offer
them for sale without paying royalties.

The distribution package contains the source code for the project as well
as extensive documentation, letting you improve the design or adapt it for
your needs. This can be done using free, open-source software.

You may download, use, modify, and distribute the Breath Flute Project
software under a permissive license designed to keep the software free
and open. The license encourages anyone to improve the design and share
their improvements with the community. See the License.txt file in this
distribution package for details.

*** Resources

For background and an overview of the Breath Flute, see www.BreathFlute.com.

For a one-page overview of the Breath Flute, see the PDF document
BreathFlute_Introduction.pdf

If you wish to fabricate Breath Flutes and/or modify the design, the
documentation in the /Doc directory is a good place to start ...
in particular: BreathFlute_DevelGuide.pdf

The /STL_Core directory contains what might be called “starter” files -
the three primary files you would consider printing to fabricate a Breath
Flute with one set of options: a Large mouthpiece, no inlay channels,
no expansion factor, and a ZAlign set to 5.

The /STL directory contains all other STL files, including Breath Flute
components with other options and the files to fabricate the sanding tools
that are part of this project.

The /Src directory contains the source code for the Breath Flute Project,
including OpenSCAD files and batch files for command-line generation of
.stl files. Third-party packages licensed under the GPL and other
compatible licenses are contained in sub-directories.

The /Img directory has digital image files that are part of the Breath
Flute Project. Note that these images, and the designs they represent,
are part of the distribution and are covered by the Breath Flute Project
GPL License.

The /Misc directory contains auxiliary files such as the zero-byte
Null.txt file used to calibrate MD5 utilities.

The /TTF directory contains TrueType font files for the Kurinto fonts
used by the Breath Flute Project. If you are printing models from the .stl
files in the distribution package, you do not need to install these fonts.
However, for rendering new .stl files from the OpenSCAD source code, you
will need to install the files. See the Breath Flute Developer's Guide
(/Doc/BreathFlute_DevelGuide.pdf) for more information.

Finally, the files in the top-level directory in plain text format relate
to the authorship, licensing, and history of development of the Breath
Flute Project.

-- Clint Goss <clint@goss.com> - 8/10/2018
