Homemade dizi sound problem.

[radim]

Hello everyone,
I recently discovered dizis and decided to make myself one and have it as kind of a hobby. I bought a bamboo pole and created a pretty short dizi. I didn't create a hole for a membrane, just the hole you blow in and six holes for fingers. I created all this according to a internet applications so the dimensions are not purely random. 
The dizi itself can produce pretty okay sound, it has pretty high pitch but the tones are somewhat clear and i think i am blowing into it correctly. The problem is, that when i am blowing some notes for myself, after some time the flutes stops making any tones, expect the one without covering any holes no matter how i blow in it. 
Could this be becouse of the moisture that gets inside the flute with air ? 
Thanks. 

[bsfloyd]

Hello radim. In the case of the transverse style flute, moisture build up is not a concern as there is no where for the moisture from your breath to really build up. Moisture build up is more of a problem in fipple type flutes like the irish tin whistle, the recorder, and the Native American style flutes where there is a small airway that can be blocked by moisture build up.

A question please - are you new to transverse style flutes in general? I ask because these style flutes require a distinct embouchure made by your facial muscles and blowing style to be played cleanly throughout all of the notes and multiple octaves. If you are an advanced transverse player then there could be a minor problem with the flute construction. I too make flutes from bamboo and I have found that if the inner bore is not completely clean and smooth that some notes might not come through clear. This is especially noticeable at the node areas. A simple little piece of membrane hanging down at a node can cause a note to not come through clear. I hope this helps.

[radim]

Hey,
Thanks for your reply ! I am indeed very new to transverse style flutes so it is probably just me not blowing right. It just felt weird that i could play it relatively cleanly with covering from none to all of the holes and then, few minutes later i could only do one or two of the highest pitch notes no matter what i tried to do with my mouth. I have to admit that i didn't really do any special treatment to the inner bore apart from using a drill to clean out the nodes, so there could be a part of the problem. Also I could really use some better bamboo pole. But i am planning on making another flute so i guess i will have something to compare. I plan to smoothen the insides more and also treat it with oil.
Thanks again for you help though.

[bsfloyd]

You're welcome. Actually, what you are experiencing is very common when learning transverse flutes - you will get sound at times and it just seems to disappear. It does indeed take time to build the required muscles up for a good solid embouchure. However, with good practice muscle memory kicks in and you will find the good solid tones stay with you more and more. Making your own flutes is a wonderfully rewarding experience and I encourage everyone to give a go at it. There is something special about creating music from something you made with your hands. However, I also recommend to purchase a flute from a skilled maker and see how they made theirs. Learn from what they have done, especially for the embouchure hole as this is the most critical area with transverse flutes. See how they undercut the blowing angle. See how they angle the back wall of they do or not. Different angles will deliver different timbre and playing styles. You will find that a more drastic undercut will play easier in the upper octaves but not give as solid of a lower octave. A less drastic undercut (greater chimney depth) will give a strong and solid lower octave but will require more precise attention for the upper octave. Many players will buy / make flutes with different style embouchure cuts for their different playing abilities. All in all it is a fun process. Have fun with it!