Need Low G Fingering Chart (7 finger holes)

[vinh]

and finally this.

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[xindi]

4.. has never been a problem for me on an alto-D.
Most alto-D flutes I've encountered I don't have issues with 5..
But one-third of those alto-D flutes, I've had difficulty with 6..

I hope I didn't insult the flute maker, and maybe I'll by an alto-C from him as well after I see what happens to the alto-D flute. But he was polite.

Allen - no wonder your ears are hurting!

No need to worry - most chinese flute makers are very customer orientated (it's the companies who sell on their flutes who need to do some work maybe..) - at least compared to say, some American flute makers who really do have attitude. On the contrary - most flute makers appreciate the feedback. And since you're getting another from him, there's more reason to hope he'll tune it with your feedback in mind.

A question though: the website link you showed, suggests that it is a general chinese instrument company, selling his flutes?

Allen is right. My dizi look the same as the dizis made by Fandizhi. Unfortunatly, I dont know chinese to order other dizis directly from him.

It's amazing you managed to order at all!
Yes - this is the standard 7 hole construction for the low G flute. The 7th hole enables you to play F natural and F sharp for some pieces in the key of G with accidentals.

It looks like proper mottled bamboo too. I have one, but it is just a synthetic mottled print, transposed onto the bamboo. It plays rather well too.

[vinh]

The following link is the fingering chart of 7 hole:

www.chinesemusicalinstrument.com/di5.html

My Low G sound is beautiful. I can easely playing all 2.5 octaves. Just with a little bit of air, the dizi sounds already.

I tend to order 2 more Alto dizis but do not know how to do it yet.

[Blue]

The website I showed is fandizhi's own website (his own company).
Therefore, I'm directly dealing with him, and he actually handcrafted the flute himself, thus explaining the long wait time for the flute to be made. I just feel awkward dealing with him; I feel embarrassed that I was suggesting to a master maker like him that based on my own statistical experience with D-tuned flutes, I felt his flute is harder to play at both 5.. and 6..

But yes, maybe from this experience, there's more reason to hope he'll tune it with my feedback in mind. That's the beauty of a custom made to order flute, isn't it? (Only that it would have been even better if I could have met him in person . . . . like a tailor trying to work together with the client to see what looks best on the client).

Vinh's weblink is a general third-party musical instrument website.

[Blue]

Also, a proper mottled bamboo is more dense than the bitter bamboo, and therefore is theoretically more durable. It's harder to cut to an appropriate length (which is part of the reason that mottled bamboo flutes are often found tuned in lower pitches). Finally, like purple bamboo flutes, the head portion isn't a drone/false head glued to the rest of the body. I can't comment about its durability in very cold weather, however.

[xindi]

Yes - I was wondering about that! It's very hard to tell the difference between a hand made (finished) flute, from a (hand-tweaked) commercial batch flute from pictures.

Allen - a few month wait is nothing serious. I'm on a waiting list for a flute, which runs into over 1 year. You've no need to feel embarrassed either - he's clearly very gracious about customers, and he will just work away doing what he does best, producing flutes, rather than being offended!

I must confess though, I tend to prefer to figure out the 'embouchure style' or cut of a flute maker's flute. That's probably the reason, I have so many Bao family flutes. They are consistently playable (for me), and I consistently cannot get top 6.. on any

I tend to go for purple bamboo, or rosewood (rosewood is becoming my favourite, although it's not as traditional, but they contrast against each other very strongly).

The next time I find a flute I really like, I'll try and get two of the same, in case I split it like I've done in the cold. The plastic flutes are cool for cold weather playing if you're inclined

[vinh]

It's very interresting to read Fandizhi site in english. You can read chinese by translating it to english: copy from chinese site --> paste to chinese/english translator --> translate.

Below is a translating site:
www.mdbg.net/chindict/chindict.php

Fandizhi use 2 kinds of high density bamboos:
1.- Xiangfei Bamboo of Hunan province - Mottled bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides f. lacrima-deae): sounds thick, deep, mellow tone bamboo .
2.- Qichun Bamboo of Hubei province: sounds lingling translucent water feeling.

The price of his best dizi is about $200 US/each.

I believe that we can order his dizi using translator to translate english to chinese...

[Blue]

I ordered through his taobao page (he uses taobao as an online merchant platform). Taobao unfortunately doesn't use paypal, but it allows Taiwan users to use Visa or Mastercard. Fandizhi also accepts Western Union wire transfers. But I read somewhere on his site that shipping overseas is pretty expensive.

[Blue]

Here's what I found:
我给你查询了一下，邮寄到法国巴黎的费用（首重280元500 克，续重75元500克，报关税是5元）估计两支笛箫加盒子包装有4斤 左右，邮寄费用需要510元（rmb），两支笛箫的费用是2400（rmb）, 你可以折合成为外币用西联汇款的方式汇给我，我做好后就给你发过 去！

It says here that it costs about US$80 to ship two flutes to Paris, France . . . . .

[vinh]

Allen,

I translate your chinese words using translator to:
"I to you query has about, mailing to France ð 52; Lai of costs (first heavy 280 Yuan 500 grams, continued heavy 75 Yuan 500 grams, reported tariff is 5 Yuan) assessment 计 two support flute Xiao Plus box packaging has 4 kg around, mailing costs need 510 Yuan (RMB), two 支 flute Xiao of costs is 2400 (RMB), you can equivalent became foreign currency with West joint remittance of way meeting to I, I do Hou on to you made past!"

This is kind of wear english but we can understand that mailing cost of 510 Yuan is for 2 dizi boxes of about 4kg. It's must have more than 2 dizis with a weight of 4kg. I believe that the weight of a Low G dizi is less than 300 gr thus the mailing cost to France is about 280 Yuan (about $46US for 500 gr) for such a dizi. Yes, it is expensive.

The mailing cost of this site is $17 US for 500 gr and $4.35Us for the next 500 gr. They are in Chine too. www.shoppingchinanow.com/shipping-policy.html. The only problem is they charge 50% more for the same dizi.

[Blue]

"West joint remittance" = Western Union

[xindi]

That's a very good price for a hand-tuned/finished artisanal flute.

The postage costs are another matter though! 4kg is a huge overestimate though. Most shops can pack a flute weighing 0.75kg safely with 0.5kg of packing materials.

I'd love to try a Fandizi flute, but at those prices, I'd rather test first, before finding buyer's remorse!

[vinh]

My Low G dizi is just low price Fandizi dizis. I think equivalent to a Fandizi 600 yuan dizi. It's very good for me thus I wonder if the quality of his 1200 yuan dizi is that much better.

The 1200 yuan dizi is then for very high class performer.

[xindi]

I still can't tell!

Unless I hear it, I really don't know if I'm paying for a good flute, or for a savvy marketing strategy. 600 Yuan should net a fabulous flute for enthusiasts. If the postage wasn't so terrible, would it be wrong to order two flutes, and figure out which is better, and keep one, return the other? This option is available from some Irish/romantic flute makers.

[Blue]

Vinh, maybe we should leave Xindi alone rather than to temp him further

600 yuan dizi is good enough; 1200 is already an overkill.
From what I could see from his website, the 1200 yuan dizi uses what he considers to be the best pieces of bamboo for the year. But that's all subjective.

Maybe I should ask him how much it costs to ship either to the UK or the US. It costs 35 yuan to ship to Taiwan via two-day express (partially because they want to bolster their obsessive fantasy that Taiwan is part of China).

[xindi]

Haha. I wouldn't object to paying 1,200 Yuan for a handmade flute, so long as I tested it first.

On the grand scheme of things, errrmmm.... it's much cheaper than the last western wooden flute I bought, which cost over 12,000Yuan equivalent. I paid 6000 Yuan for it in its original 19th century broken state (wood however is very good condition), and over the same amount, just to get it professionally restored.

It sounds worse than my US$12 xiao flute

Can't help with postage charges - I think it's just expensive to post anything from China, unless it is by EMS.

35Yuan ~ ?3.50/US$4.75 - that's amazing! I wouldn't object

[vinh]

The mailing cost is high because it is sending from China and because Fandizi making it too heavy.

I am buying 2 Carrot dizis and each of them cost $10 US to send them to North America as I am in Canada. This's low shipping & handling cost because it's Hongkong post.

Last week, I sent an English email to Fandizi and this morning I got his answer in Chinese.

The translator translates it to english as:
"Hello, I am here of flute museum piece is $ 600 for a, the number is $ 1200, need for is $ 1800, longyin series is $ 2,600, postage is $ 190 500 grams of added weight is 45 per 500 grams, 2 flutes and packing an estimated 1500 grams, about $ 280!
I here is made, can made whole support does not with tuning tube of, you payment can select with "West joint remittance" to Office, method is simple, (as long as fill in I of surname: FAN, name: DIZHI, City: Hubei Province, Wuhan [Hu bei Wuhan]), you to has West joint remittance of bank handling good has, Bank will to you a control, you to Shi will control, and you of surname, name, currency species, to I, I here on can received remittance, and do has, I on with international express to you made past!"

I do not so sure that I understand him but you can see that 2 dizis are packed together making a weight of approx. 1.5 kg (not 4 kg). Today currency echange rate gives me $44 US for 280 Yuan.

Apparently, he also made dizi supports (). That explains why the weight of the other 2 dizis of 4kg is included 2 supports.

For 2 dizis of 600 yuan plus shipping cost of total 1480 yuan, it's $232 US.

The same dizis at www.shoppingchinanow.com/shop/maestro-dizi-flute.html will cost $144.4 US. Two dizis plus shipping cost is $310.15 US.

The trouble is how to make sure that Fandizi understand well what do you want.

By the way, my Low G sounds are very clear, easy to play.

[Blue]

Hello,

My "quality" dizi/xiao costs 600 yuan each, numbered flute (this emphasizes uniqueness of the flute) costs 1200 yuan each, top quality costs 1800 yuan each, dragon-sounding costs 2600 yuan each. Postage is 190 yuan for the first 500 grams, and 45 yuan for each additional 500 grams. Two dizis plus packaging is 1500 grams, which costs approximately 280 yuan (to ship). My (products) are custom-made. (I'm not sure what ³ÉÕû is . . . .). You can request that the flute doesn't have a tuning tube. You can submit your payment via Western Union. The payment method is simple: pay to the order of Surname: FAN, First Name DIZHI, Province: Hubei, City: Wuhan. When you are done with the payment, Western Union will provide you with a reference number. Please provide this reference number along with your full name and currency amount and then I will receive your order. (Gasp, Chinese is not my first language, and reading simplified Chinese is like a Spanish person reading Italian. Somehow got this roughly translated in 15 min).

[Blue]

Does your low G flute sound very loud, or is it nice a mellow like a xiao?
I envy people who have the piper's fingers. My hands can't handle low-tuned flutes, even though I like mellow sounds.

[vinh]

Allen,

My Low G sounds very nice mellow. I love it but I need to blow lot of air to it because it large.

I can play 3 octaves for each fingering but the highest octave notes require a lot more air. All notes, including highest octave notes are very clear and pure. Fandizi does really a good job.

Thank you for making the translation clear.

[Blue]

Very interesting:

I found a review of fandizhi's flute. This review is exactly the same problem that I have.
(Yet, I don't have a problem like this for a Queen's Tears flute pitched in alto C bought from someone else).

item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=4911142338

这两天一直在适应。竹材用料没得说。蕲竹确实如樊老师描述的，有种水灵灵的感觉。个人感觉谐波高，而且多。音色很独特。喜欢与否属个人审美。也是因为材料厚实，高音比较难，筒音作低音2，高音3还可以，高音5就很有些费力了。个人功力不到吧。音准没有问题。部分转音有时也感觉有些涩，吹热了就又流畅了，也许要一个月或更久才能适应这把笛子。总体说，物有所值。

The past two days has been adapted. Bamboo materials used did not have to say. Fan Qi Zhu Indeed, as the teacher described the feeling of a kind of juicy. Personal feeling of high harmonics, and more. Sound is very unique. Like it or not is a personal aesthetic. Also because of thick material, more difficult to treble, bass drum sound for 2 treble 3 also, some very laborious a treble 5. Personal skill than it. Intonation is no problem. Part of the switch to sound sometimes feel a bit astringent, blowing hot and smooth on, maybe a month or more to adapt to the flute. Overall, value for money.

[xindi]

The review sounded rather promising to me! But then perhaps I have misunderstood the translation. The top octave is always harder to produce well...regardless of the flute. On a good weekend I manage 1.. (above) but mostly a solid first and second octave would please me lots....