Archaic Roots

10/12/2026

I’ve been writing the book I wish I’d had when I started making instruments.

Ceramic Sound I - Whistles & Vessel Flutes (Ocarinas), this is the first book in The Ancient Maker Series. Everything I know about making them: the clay, the voicing, the tuning, the firing. Presale is live now through November 20, with the first shipment early December.

If you’ve ever wanted to start making ceramic aerophones, this is for you. Find them on my website under learning -> ancient maker series.

archaicroots ancientmakerseries

10/12/2026

I’ve been writing the book I wish I’d had when I started making instruments.

Ceramic Sound I - Whistles & Vessel Flutes (Ocarinas), this is the first book in The Ancient Maker Series. Everything I know about making them: the clay, the voicing, the tuning, the firing. Presale is live now through November 20.

If you’ve ever wanted to start making ceramic aerophones, this is for you.

https://archaicroots.com/product/presale-the-ancient-maker-series-ceramic-sound-i-whistles-vessel-flutes-ocarinas/?friendsfb

Ceramic Sound I: Whistles & Vessel Flutes (Ocarinas) is an exploration of one of humanity's most fascinating forms of ancient technology: turning clay into sound. Combining archaeology, instrument history, acoustics, museum examples, and hands-on making, William A. Rodriguez explores ancient whistle...

10/10/2026

10/08/2026

What stories do Amazonian seeds tell? 🌰🌿
This review uncovers how Indigenous artisans select, prepare, and use plant materials in body ornaments, offering a detailed look at the intersection of biodiversity and cultural heritage.

🔗 Read the full paper at ethnobotany.org

10/04/2026

What happens when you slow down, work with your hands, and make something that has been part of human culture for thousands of years?

Maker’s School II: Indigenous Instruments is a five-day, hands-on exploration of traditional instrument making and the many ways people have created music from the materials around them.

Throughout the week, we’ll explore instruments and musical traditions from different cultures, learn about the materials and techniques used to make them, and spend plenty of time in the studio building our own.

You’ll work with your hands, learn through experimentation, and gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between materials, acoustics, craftsmanship, and music.

No previous experience is necessary.

The week culminates in a capstone project: designing and making an instrument of your own.

Five days of making, learning, experimenting, and listening.

Come make something that has a story to tell.

Learn more about Maker’s School II: Indigenous Instruments at Archaic Roots:
https://archaicroots.com/product/makers-school-ii-indigenous-instruments/

Maker's School II: Indigenous Instruments Music, Culture & Traditional Craftsmanship Five-Day Immersive Learning Experience Course Overview Music is one of humanity's oldest forms of expression. Across every continent and throughout history, people have transformed the natural world into instruments...