$1 bamboo flute

[kal152]

I'm not sure what this one is exactly, but it's available for less than $1 called:
Traditional 6 Hole Bamboo Flute Clarinet...


What is interesting to me (a novice to flutes) is the alignment of the holes and the end piece:



It almost looks like you could play it either by blowing in the end (bottom right corner) where the sound would split between the wood and the square hole, or by blowing in the first hole as a Dizi. But on a standard Dizi, the end looks different. The wood piece covers the entire hole, and there is no square hole, only the blowing hole.

Does someone kno what this instrument is, and how it is played properly? 

[dokamei]

It looks like a fife or a bansuri.

[dawei]

These are almost toys.

They have a fipple, that is the cut-out part that lets anyone blow into it and make a tone.

There is a dimo hole, though. They sound cool, but are often out of tune. I've added a little bit of tube to the end to tune the low notes!

Anyway, I know of no style of chinese music that features this instrument.

[kal152]

Thank you for the replies. Finally some information about this.

Sept 8, 2017 0:25:52 GMT dawei said:

These are almost toys.

They have a fipple, that is the cut-out part that lets anyone blow into it and make a tone.

There is a dimo hole, though. They sound cool, but are often out of tune. I've added a little bit of tube to the end to tune the low notes!

Anyway, I know of no style of chinese music that features this instrument.

Yes, if you cover the dimo hole and blow through the fipple, it will make a sound. Kind of like a recorder (I mean the same/similar type of blowing). Although the 2nd finger of the left hand is placed on "empty" space, not on any hole. The hole can also be covered with something for easier fingering (then only 3 fingers are used from each hand).

Importantly, the sound is different when blowing in the fipple or through the hole. 
I guess the air path is longer if blowing through the fipple, so the pitch/note is lower.

But to me, it seems possibly more out of tune when using the fipple than when using the dimo hole, what do you think?
Which method do you use to make the sound?

Also, what material/kind of tube did you use to make the extension? I might wish to try it too. 

And a final question, for a beginner that hasn't used side blown flutes, do you find this more difficult to master than a larger dizi or even the western flute? It took me a while to get any listenable sound from the dizi hole, and that is with the lowest note (even that is still not easy to repeat every time). Higher notes are more difficult (and more difficult to listen to while practicing also). Of course, I know practice is needed, but with this price you doubt not just yourself, but also the instrument.

I now found they make this:



But this would only make sense if the flute costs e.g. 20+, otherwise it's better to get an instrument (of any quality) for this price - even if it does miracles to help learners (and I'm not sure if it does). And when you learn with this, I'm not sure if you can apply the knowledge once you remove it. If it was less expensive, I would get one just to try and maybe get a bit more confidence. I mean on a cheap dizi, it probably would might not fit well on this flute discussed in this thread (it has a smaller diameter). 

[dawei]

You do not need one of those devices, since the fipple is built-in, you blow from the end of the tube, not the dimo hole.

[kal152]

Sept 8, 2017 16:18:15 GMT dawei said:

You do not need one of those devices, since the fipple is built-in, you blow from the end of the tube, not the dimo hole.

Thanks once more.

Just to clarify. Are you recommending the end of the tube as it is easier (which it is) for beginners, or in general. Did you try using the dimo hole? It's hard to find many users of this thing, so thankful that I have found someone, I might seem to have too many questions.

Beginner Dizi starts at only a few USD more, so it is something I will definitely try. Of course still without that device (cheaper and probably better learning without), but it is interesting to know that it exists.

[dawei]

Sept 8, 2017 18:01:01 GMT kal152 said:

Sept 8, 2017 16:18:15 GMT dawei said:

You do not need one of those devices, since the fipple is built-in, you blow from the end of the tube, not the dimo hole.

Thanks once more.

Just to clarify. Are you recommending the end of the tube as it is easier (which it is) for beginners, or in general. Did you try using the dimo hole? It's hard to find many users of this thing, so thankful that I have found someone, I might seem to have too many questions.

Beginner Dizi starts at only a few USD more, so it is something I will definitely try. Of course still without that device (cheaper and probably better learning without), but it is interesting to know that it exists.

Sure, I'll clarify:

these are not substitutes for even the cheapest dizi. You cannot make them work properly blowing through the dimo hole as the tuning is even more off. Cover the hole as if it were a dizi, with membrane, and then you have a "Chinese pennywhistle"!

As for adjusting the bottom hole, a bit of plastic tube works well enough.

Learning to blow the real dizi is not that difficult, but it does take some practice. You'll have fun getting a decent real dizi and learning to play it.