The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds,flutes are aerophones,producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds,a flute produces sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system,flutes are edge-blown aerophones. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist or flutist.
A shakuhachi is a Japanese longitudinal,end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the shakuhachi was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the fuke shakuhachi (普化尺八). A bamboo flute known as the kodai shakuhachi or gagaku shakuhachi (雅楽尺八) was derived from the Chinese xiao in the Nara period and died out in the 10th century. After a long blank period,the hitoyogiri shakuhachi (一節切尺八) appeared in the 15th century,and then in the 16th century,the fuke shakuhachi was developed in Japan. The fuke shakuhachi flourished in the 18th century during the Edo period,and eventually the hitoyogiri shakuhachi also died out. The fuke shakuhachi developed in Japan is longer and thicker than the kodai shakuhachi and has one finger hole less. It is longer and thicker than hitoyogiri shakuhachi and is superior in volume,range,scale and tone quality. Today,since the shakuhachi generally refers only to fuke shakuhachi,the theory that the shakuhachi is an instrument unique to Japan is widely accepted.
The ney,is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian music,Turkish music,Jewish music and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions,it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played continually for 4,500–5,000 years,dating back to ancient Egypt,making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use.
A bansuri is an ancient side-blown bamboo flute originating from India and Nepal. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo and metal like material used in many nepali lok songs. A bansuri is traditionally made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with seven finger holes. Some modern designs come in ivory,fiberglass and various metals. The six hole instrument covers two and a half octaves of music. The bansuri is typically between 30 centimetres (12 in) and 75 centimetres (30 in) in length,and the thickness of a human thumb. One end is closed,and few centimeters from the closed end is its blow hole. Longer bansuris feature deeper tones and lower pitches. The traditional design features no mechanical keys,and the musician creates the notes they want by covering and uncovering the various finger holes.
The dizi,is a Chinese transverse flute. It is also sometimes known as the di or héngdi,and has varieties including Qudi,Bangdi,and Xindi. It is a major Chinese musical instrument that is widely used in many genres of Chinese folk music,Chinese opera,as well as the modern Chinese orchestra. The dizi is also a popular instrument among the Chinese people as it is simple to make and easy to carry.
The bamboo flute,especially the bone flute,is one of the oldest musical instruments known. Examples of Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years,to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest flutes currently known were found in Europe,Asia too has a long history with the instrument that has continued into the present day. In China,a playable bone flute was discovered,about 9000 years old.
Chinese flutes come in various types. They include
The end-blown flute is a woodwind instrument played by directing an airstream against the sharp edge of the upper end of a tube. Unlike a recorder or tin whistle,there is not a ducted flue voicing,also known as a fipple. Most rim-blown flutes are "oblique" flutes,being played at an angle to the body's vertical axis. A notched flute is an end-blown flute with a notch on the blowing surface. A lip-valley flute is a type of notched flute.
The quena is the traditional flute of the Andes. Traditionally made of cane or wood,it has 6 finger holes and one thumb hole,and is open on both ends or the bottom is half-closed (choked). To produce sound,the player closes the top end of the pipe with the flesh between the chin and lower lip,and blows a stream of air downward,along the axis of the pipe,over an elliptical notch cut into the end. It is normally in the key of G,with G4 being the lowest note. It produces a very "textured" and "dark" timbre because of the length-to-bore ratio of about 16 to 20,which is very unlike the tone of the Western concert flute with a length-to-bore ratio of about 38 to 20.
Music of Northeast China is tied closely to the region's history. Musical traditions of the Bang Zi Theatre and folk instruments such as the Dizi,Xiao and Baijiao Gu originate in the region. Folk songs from the north east are noted for their contributions toward nationalistic music the popular communist-era song “The East is Red”based upon a traditional Northern Shaanxi melody. The popularity of western musical traditions in the Harbin province are internationally recognised with the northern city being named a ‘music city’in 2010 by the United Nations. Contemporary folk as well as modern pop music continue to contribute to the diverse musical traditions of the region. Prominent performers from the Northeast include the mid-20th-century film composer Lei Zhenbang and pop stars Xiao Ke and Na Ying.
The atenteben(atɛntɛbɛn) is a bamboo flute from Ghana. It is played vertically,like the European recorder,and,like the recorder,can be played diatonically as well as chromatically. Although originally used as a traditional instrument,beginning in the 20th century it has also been used in contemporary and classical music. Several players have attained high levels of virtuosity and are able to play Western as well as African music on the instrument.
The guan is a Chinese double reed wind instrument. The northern Chinese version is called guanzi or bili and the Cantonese version is called houguan. It is classified as a bamboo instrument in the Ba Yin system. Unlike other instruments in the double-reed family of woodwinds which mostly have conical bores,such as the Chinese suona or the Western oboe,the guan has a cylindrical bore,giving its distinctive mellow,yet piercing buzz-like timbre.
The paixiao is a Chinese wind instrument,a form of pan flute. A major difference between the Chinese Paixiao and the panpipes used in European and South American traditions,is that at the top of the Chinese instrument the pipe holes are each cut angled or with notches. This allows for bending the pitch in similar capacity to the dongxiao down a minor second. This allows Chinese paixiao to be fully chromatic without loss in timbre,even though the included pipes are tuned diatonically. The method of blowing so is to hold the head of the frame with both hands,with the mouthpiece facing the front,place the lower lip on the mouthpiece,and find and blow each tube according to the pitch.
The xiao is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It is generally made of bamboo. It is also sometimes called dòngxiāo,dòng meaning "hole." An ancient name for the xiāo is shùzhúdí but the name xiāo in ancient times also included the side-blown bamboo flute,dizi.
Traditional Korean musical instruments comprise a wide range of string,wind,and percussion instruments. Many traditional Korean musical instruments derive from Chinese musical instruments.
The dangjeok (Korean: 당적) is a small end blown bamboo flute used in traditional Korean music. Slightly smaller than its close instrument relative,the junggeum,the dangjoek is of Chinese origin. Its name,derived from the Chinese Tang dynasty,dangjeok translates to "Tang end blown bamboo flute." The dangjeok is an aerophone which gives off a clear and bright sound,and has a limited one and a half octave range according to the ancient Korean music treatise,the akhakgwebeom. It is often played accompanied by the Korean lute and xylophone. Remodeled to enhance range,it is made of yellow bamboo or sick bamboo,and possesses a single end-blowing notch,and seven holes to control pitch,though the seventh hole is not used. Of traditional and current instruments of Korean origin,the dangjeok has the highest pitch.
The tunso is a Korean notched,end-blown vertical bamboo flute used in Korean traditional music. It is similar to the danso,but longer and larger. The hanja tong (洞) was used to describe the shape of the instrument that resembles a long cave.
The xindi is a Chinese musical instrument. A 20th-century derivative of the ancient dizi,the xindi is western influenced,fully chromatic,and usually lacks the dizi's distinctive di mo,or buzzing membrane.
Fue (笛/ふえ) is the Japanese word for bamboo flute,and refers to a class of flutes native to Japan. Fue come in many varieties,but are generally high-pitched and made of a bamboo called shinobue. The most popular of the fue is the shakuhachi.
The Limbe is a western concert flute with six finger holes from Mongolian folk music,which belongs to the nomadic pastoral culture and is usually played with circular breathing by experienced players. The continuous playing of the flute to accompany "long songs" lasting up to 25 minutes was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in urgent need of preservation in 2011. Like most other Mongolian musical instruments,the limbe is traditionally only allowed to be played by men. The origin of the East Asian flutes such as the limbe and the related dizi in China could be traced back to the 1st millennium BC.
