Purple bamboo flute or Rosewood/Redwood Dizi?

[damian1989]

Hi, i am just a beginner who is still learning how to play dizi. Recently, i begin to collect more keys because the sound is amazing! So far i have collected C,D, and G key. C is a purple bamboo while D and G is white or bitter ones. But right now, i am looking forward to get purple for my collection because the sound is much mellow and i loved it. I have asked my teacher to order from china some purple ones but they said they wont deliver only one purple bamboo flute for shipping purpose. They recommended me to get a rosewood dizi, but the price is unbelievably expensive! As a beginner myself, purple ones is considered expensive for me coz in my country (Malaysia) purple ones cost RM400 each which is my maximum budget.. but for rosewood is RM800!!! double the price ! So before i exceed my budget, i would like to know is there any of you have rosewood dizi and what are the differences betwee purple and rosewood? So Sorry for the long story.... i want to collect more keys!

[davidmdahl]

Welcome to the forum, damian1989. The best of my dizi set are of white bamboo and wood. I don't have experience with purple bamboo on a dizi, but do on a few xiao. There are differences that people notice in different materials, such as varieties of bamboo and wood, but I find it hard to generalize. So much of the sound and playability of a dizi, and any flute, is how it is made. The cut of the embouchure and finger holes make a big difference. My current favorites are of a dark wood. I am concerned that a master of making bamboo flutes will not necessarily be equally good at a wooden one.

If you want to increase your collection of purple bamboo flutes, and like the sound, then keep looking for a source that will ship you just one. Or if you like the flutes from your current source, you might inquire into purchasing two or three purple bamboo flutes, such as D, G, and Bb. They may be willing to ship a larger order. Another possibility is combining an order with other students of your teacher.

I like my wood dizi flutes, but that is because they were made particularly well, and they cost a lot more than RM800. I don't recommend purchasing a dizi that is so far over your budget and that you will not be able to test first. Getting one just because it is the minimum that your vendor will ship is not a very good reason.

There are other vendors who list purple bamboo dizis. Eason Music in Singapore lists at least one, and you could check Red Music Shop. Other members of this forum have ordered from Carrot Music. A minimum order in my experience is not the norm, although it seems a waste to order a very cheap dizi, and pay as much for shipping.

Good luck!

Best wishes,

David

[meoweth]

If you want a more bamboo-like sound, you can consider a non-membrane dizi, these are the best ones still available since Olwell bamboos are no longer available.

marroncitoflutes.weebly.com/order.html