Enquiries about dizis from some places

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Hi Everyone!
Happy new year (and the upcomming spring festival too)

I am in the market for a new C key dizi (qudi), since I have always been interested in comparing dizi's from various makers characteristics. And besides, the one I have has unfortunately cracked on the blow-hole (not too bad, still sounds OK, and it is only cracked on the surface and the crack is almost hair-line thick, but I willl send it for repair when some friends go back to china)

I was wondering if anyone in this forum as gotten any dizis from the following places. I am interested in some areas: tone quality, in-tuneness, volume, and responsiveness

www.fandizhi.com (he makes dizis and xiaos from the xiangfei and qi2 bamboo.. oohh they look SO NICE) - moderate cost, when converted to UK pounds

www.nydixiao.com - got mine from here, I like it, pretty loud (big holes, and thicker wall), and much more in-tune than my previous dizi. I like the wide semi-rectangular blow hole, very easy to blow all the 2 1/2 octave notes

cadenza's dizi - I am also very curious about its dizis, especially both the purple and white bamboos (C key again) made by Ng Teck Seng, and how in-tune they both are, any comments? Yinhao, you seem to be familar with the dizis there? - are they really that good?

I have a much longer list of other factories, but I'll start with this for now

Thanks everyone!

[YouLanFengChune]

Yes!

I inspect the dizi myself, and guess what, collectors and players include:

1) Zhang Weiliang (swears by Ng Teck Seng Xiao), he is Chariman of of Chinese Bamboo Flute Association, Dean and Professor of China Conservatory, Beijing

2) Choo Wen Chang (Purple bamboo, without ivory ends, he buys at least 2 a season (summer and autumn and has at least 25 now)), Chairman of Hong Kong Bamboo Flute Association, Principal Performer, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

3)Jiang Guo Ji, Head Disciple of Zhao Song Ting, Principal Performer, Zhejiang Troupe

4)Entire Singapore Chinese Orchestra

and many many more.

If you ordered the Alto G, you need to wait for 6 weeks minimum. Thats why its not online, cos its very very popular, even though it costs $250 each.

I have posted somewhere on the forum, and discussed with Ng teck seng many concerns.

Well tuned? the white ones are very easy to keep in tune, as they are relatively stable. Purple bamboo, its still "alive" and you may have to tune the bass notes (lowest 3 notes) every month for six months before it stablizes. This was not found out by me, but by Yu Xun Fa, who had a pitch sense to a sensitive of 3%. He was the one who really made me very very confident in Ng Teck seng.


Trade off? Purple bamboos have a very elegant, sweet tone. I'm a collector of it too. Thats why Choo Wen Chang and me do get squabbles.


I went on a bamboo searching trip with Ng teck seng. We bought bamboo at 7-10 times the price in Hangzhou, with 1 condition: we get the first pick of the season. In freezing temperatures (best time is after wither solistice), we selected 200 bamboo outta 500000, and stored them in hangzhou. They will be kept for 4 years! After which, only 100 withh survive the years, and made into dizi. success rate is usually 1/3.

Hence we know the reason why Ng teck Seng Dizis are really one of the best, and i am willing to put a money back gurantee on it.

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yinhao,
thank you for the information! I have a few other additional questions then:
when you say alto G, I take it you mean the ´óG and not the C qudi right?.. I get confused by western and eastern key notations sometimes.. one with all holes covered and the other with only 3..

OK.. impressive dizis, I might just try them out then.. but I have a few more questions..
1) Could you clarify tuning the purple bamboo dizis for the first 6th months? Tune as in send it back for holes to be adjusted or just tune as in change the way I blow? (presumably the latter, but thought I'd ask anyway)

2)I take it the bamboos used to make the dizis are then 4 years or older in storage?

3) I noticed the purple flutes are not bounded on the website... I take it they are tough enough not to crack in dryer climates like here in the UK?

Thanks again!

[YouLanFengChune]

Hi!

Yes, i meant the big dizi where when you press 3 holes, its G.

You need to carve the holes a bit more, especially the last few holes. For buyers, I usually marke out where to file off using a red marker. They may want to to make adjustments monthly, using an eletcronic tuner.

Yes, all dizis are usually older than 4 years in storeage.

We usually bind them at critical areas using 25lb fishing line before send ing to UK/USA. Nevertheless, cracking is possible, even in $20000 shakuhachi. We propose that you drip superglue across the crack and sanpaper to make bamboo sawdust gel in. then its ok.

[YouLanFengChune]

This method is the most acceptable, even by masters.

Dizis tend to crack due to low humidity, high extremes and low extremes of temperature.

I usually send my dizis and xiaos in a polymer tube that is airtight. Keppp[ your dizi in that, and you'll get less problems.

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Thanks for the tip on repairing cracks, I am tempted to do it myself now, as sending it back to china to be repaired is a pain the neck to say the least.

Sorry, but more questions

Anyway, about the purple bamboo, hmmm.. how much change does the first 6-month breaking-in period cause if the tone holes are not adjusted?

Is this the case for all dizi/xiaos made from purple bamboos? Will making them from a bamboo aged longer stop this from happening?

Also, having to enlarge/carve the tone holes myself for hte first 6 months sounds interesting and a bit frightening, especially since the instrument is already a good one.

I have read in many places enlarging the hole too much or wrongly can really mess up the flute... and then having to pay attention to the shape,undercutting, etc.. what do most of the people who buy the purple bamboo flutes do? Do they adjust it themselves or send it back to you? Easier if they are close to Singapore I guess, but in the UK, hmm.. that is a bit far unfortunately..

Anyway, how difficult is it to do properly? Is it something anyone can do with any regular file?

Thanks again!

[davidmdahl]

Considering the popularity of Irish flutes, it should not be hard to find someone in the U.K. comfortable with adjusting the tuning of a bamboo flute. After all, Irish and Chinese flutes are (usually) six-holed simple-system flutes. I don't know about the U.K., but in the US, there are quite a few bamboo flute makers that supply the demand for folk flutes. One of the premiere makers of wooden flutes for Irish music in the US also makes well-regarded bamboo flutes.

If you can't find someone, ask around for Hammy Hamilton. I can find contact info for Hammy if you get stuck.

Best wishes,

David

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Thanks David! Thats an interesting prospect I have not thought about. I have a list of irish flute makers in the UK (including hammy hamilton), I think I would start contacting some of them.
I would not mind messing about wiht a el-cheapo flute, and if I ruined it, wouldn't be too much of a loss anyway, but a good instrument destroyed by my inexperienced hands.. thats something else..

[YouLanFengChune]

hmm...

to enlarge a hoole a bit, use a needle file.

I use a carving knife, does the job in 1/5 the time, but for most ppl, its better to stay safe than sofrry

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Thanks all. OK, I have taken the plunge and ordered the unjointed C qudi (bitter bamboo) from cadenza (I will get the xiangfei from fandizhi and maybe the purple bamboo one later this year when some friends go home to China, but perhaps different key)

Soo.. yinhao, as you inspect the dizis at cadenza, could you select a nice dizi for me? I'm that guy from kent uk (eng-Jon)

I take it that I never have to worry about in-tuneness and responsiveness right?

Oh yes, the environment's ambient temperature I usually blow at hovers around 22 celcius, hope thats alright-ish.. if not, please advice on the temperature the dizi was made for at 440 hz..

Also, I do not know if this is important or not, but I am also holding the flute left handed.. and I have actually noticed some dizis I have tried the blow hole edge is "sharper" on the opposite side when blowed from right, making them slightly louder and easier to sound (esp the very high notes) when blowing right handed as opposed to left-handed. So.. could you choose a dizi that is the reverse of the above if possible, or at least will have not difference when being blown either left or right handed?

Thank you!
Also, do tell me when the dizi has been dispatched

[YouLanFengChune]

No Problem.

I have an entire batch coming in over Chinese New Year, so I'll pick 1 outta the batch.
Yopu're left handed? So is Zhao Song Ting and 8 of his best students. You can custom make your dizis here if you want to, and no additional costs incurred!

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Thanks!
Hmm.. possible to custom make dizis huh? Well, I might come back to you on that sometime in the future. I have a big G dizi, whch is alright, but what I would really want to try out is more offseting of holes (to left and right) to ease the grip of hte flute on both hands, very much like some irish flutes have. at the moment, all but the last hole is offseted either left or right. Other holes if offseted may help more as well. Anyway, in the future.

Oh yes, how long will it be before my dizi is sent? Not rushing or anything, but some time frame may help me deal with the excitement

[YouLanFengChune]

Hi!

Custom made dizis for lefties are only for dizis bigger than big G.
For bigger dizis (i have a 1.1 metre contrabass D) we offset all fingers to make playing easier. On the 1.1 metre dizi, we offsetted the left hand and right hand in semi-circular form.

[YouLanFengChune]

BLOB!

have you gotten ur dizi?

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Hello!
No I have not, no sign of it last week anyway, and none yesterday..
When did you dispatch it? Maybe if you can give me a tracking number i can check as well?

Oh yes, and perhaps send (email or pm) the address you posted it to so I can double check (just in case, I am pretty sure I have got it right anyway)

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woo hoo! Mrs. blob informs me that the dizi has arrived. I have not personally seen it yet.. (long story about work and stuff). Will see it tommorow and tell everyone how it is Ahh.. something to look forward to

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Before I forget, yinhao, thank you for the dizi selection. Pleasure doing business with you and Cadenza I like the dizi sent was very good and I am satisfied with it