A few folk, ethnic and historical woodwinds · by Bret Pimentel · [email protected] · www.geocities.com/bpimentel * = my favorites! Tinwhistle (or “pennywhistle,” or “Irish · Transverse; play a little more rolled in than a · Some good flute makers: Patrick Olwell whistle,” or just plain “whistle”) silver flute. (now hard to get and expensive), Jeff · Used in Irish traditional music; also South · Simple-system fingering; additional keywork Whitter (Indian-style), Erik the Flutemaker African kwela music. is very much optional. (wide-bore), *Doug Tipple (a great PVC · Fipple mouthpiece. · Six-finger “low” D is, by far, the most substitute). · Simple-system fingering. common. · Six-finger “high” D is most common, · Some good authentic listening: *Grey Larsen, Dizi (or D’tzu) followed by C and “low” D; available in Matt Molloy, Seamus Egan. Also Google · Used in Chinese traditional music and opera. most other “keys,” too. either “flute gods” or “flute geezers” and · Transverse; requires a very focused · A few notable uses: Riverdance, Titanic look for MP3s. embouchure. Uses a very thin and fragile (including that awful Celine Dion song) , · Some good flute makers: Casey Burns (the mirliton (vibrating membrane)—installing Lord of the Rings (the Hobbiton theme). *Folk Flute is cheap and very good), *Doug this properly is something of an art. There’s a nice kwela-style solo on Paul Tipple (PVC!). Also baroque flute · Simple-system fingering. Simon’s song “Call Me Al.” reproductions by Aulos. Expensive: Michael · Three-finger D is most common, followed by · Some good authentic listening: Mary Bergin, Copeland, Dave Copley, Hammy Hamilton, C. Higher flutes like G are common in Joannie Madden of Cherish the Ladies, Skip Healy, Terry McGee… Chinese traditional opera. Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains. · For more info: message board on · A few notable uses: Mulan, Broadway’s The · Some good contemporary/crossover chiffandfipple.com, firescribble.net, The Lion King and Miss Saigon . listening: Brian Finnegan of *Flook, Andrea Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin · Some good authentic listening: Feng Zicun, Corr of The Corrs. Whistle by Grey Larsen. Liu Guanyue, Lu Chunling, Zhao Songting · “Cheap” whistle makers: the gold standard · It’s hard to locate good ones in the USA. I are Generation whistles in *brass or nickel. Bamboo transverse flutes order mine through chineseculture.net · “High-end” whistle makers: Google these · Used in a variety of situations, especially · For more info: “Di-zi: The History and makers: *Burke, Copeland, Abell, Chieftain, music of India and the Far East. Can be used Performance Practice of the Chinese Overton, Susato. for Irish music, as well. Bamboo Transverse Flute” by Ming Li · For more info: chiffandfipple.com, The · Most often simple-system fingering or some (doctoral dissertation, FSU). Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin derivation thereof. Whistle by Grey Larsen, The Complete Irish · Available in just about any key and scale Shakuhachi Tinwhistle Tutor by L. E. McCullough. you can think of. Asian/Indian flutes are · Used in Japanese traditional music. usually referred to by their three-finger note, · Endblown. This one is a challenge to play! “Irish” flute and frequently have a narrow bore for a · Uses index and ring fingers of both hands, · Used in Irish traditional music; the flutes sweeter sound. plus left thumb. Half-holing and other involved are essentially 19 th -century wooden · A few notable uses: Broadway’s Tarzan, The methods of humoring can yield a virtually flutes (with or without keys). Lion King, and Miss Saigon . chromatic scale. · “1.8” size is most common, giving a low note Native American flute Brown, or Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to equivalent to D. · There are a number of flutes indigenous to Heaven” and the Beatles’s “Fool on the · A few notable uses: Legends of the Fall, the American continents, but this term Hill.” Pearl Harbor, Willow, The Mask of Zorro, usually refers to a Lakota-style flute, and · Some good makers of quality plastic The Last Samurai . that’s the one I refer to here. recorders: Yamaha (300 series), Aulos, Zen- · Some good authentic listening: Goro · Duct mouthpiece, structurally different from on. Yamaguchi, Nishimura Koku, John Kaisan a fipple but played in the same way. · For more info: recorderhomepage.net, Neptune. · Six (sometimes five) finger holes. various books and articles by Anthony · Some makers: *Shakuhachi Yuu (good · Key of F# minor is most common, but many Rowland-Jones. plastic ones), Monty Levenson (can be keys are available. expensive). · Some good authentic listening: *R. Carlos More instruments to check out: · For more info: Articles on shakuhachi.com, Nakai. He has also done some · Bagpipe chanter Ichiyo Shakuhachi Manual (vols. 1 and 2) by contemporary/crossover projects. · Bamboo saxophone Tom Deaver, Shakuhachi: Japanese Bamboo · Some good NAF makers: *Butch Hall, Odell · Baroque flutes, oboes, and bassoons Flute by Masayuki Koga. Borg (High Spirits Flutes), Ken Light · Crumhorn (Renaissance) (Amon Olorin Flutes—more expensive). · Didgeridoo (Australia) – not really a Duduk · For more info: Art of the Native American woodwind. · Used in Armenian traditional music. Flute by R. Carlos Nakai, message board on · Fife (American Revolution and Civil War · Uses a huge double reed. Embouchure is chiffandfipple.com styles) extremely relaxed and includes puffed-out · Fujara (Slovakia) cheeks. Recorder · Harmonica—not really a woodwind. · Has eight finger holes plus a left thumb hole. · Used in Renaissance and Baroque music; also · Kaval (Turkey, Bulgaria) Sometimes played with LH1-3 and RH1-4, has a twentieth-century repertoire. Because · Launeddas (Sardinia) leaving the last finger hole open. In this they are fully chromatic and available in · Nay (Middle East and Egypt) scenario, the fingering is similar to simple many sizes, they can be good substitutes for · Ocarina system plus a lower leading tone. other flute- or whistle-type instruments. · Panflutes (South America, Romania) · Six-finger A is most common. · Fipple mouthpiece. · Quena and quenacho (South America) · A few notable uses: Passion of the Christ, · Somewhat complex fingering system. · Sarrusophone Gladiator, The Chronicles of Narnia (Mr. Different sizes use one of two fingering · Shawm (Renaissance) Tumnus’s double flute is actually two schemes, with either C or F as the lowest · Shehnai (India) duduks), Syriana, Munich. note, but all are considered concert pitch. · Shvi (Armenia) · Some good authentic listening: *Djivan · Alto (or “treble”) is the most common · Suona (China) Gasparyan. Baroque solo instrument. Soprano (or · Tarogato (Hungary) · A good source for duduks of reliable quality “descant”) is more associated with · Xiao (China) is *duduk.com Renaissance music (and elementary-school · Zurna (Armenia) · For more info: articles and message board on screeching). duduk.com, The Duduk and National · A few notable uses: besides a vast Baroque Identity in Armenia by Andy Nercessian. repertoire, try Broadway’s Wicked, Have fun! Spamalot, and You’re a Good Man Charlie Bret .