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Post by haru on Dec 25, 2011 17:16:36 GMT
hi i'm new here. interested in learning xiao and dizi but decided to learn xiao first because dizi seems troublesome with the membrane thing =\ wondering where do i get a affordable xiao? still schooling currently, hence can't get a too expensive xiao. i saw carrotmusic on ebay selling some affordable xiaos. are they good? i read somewhere that the tune is kinda bad? thank you in advance  |
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Post by Flolei on Dec 25, 2011 18:38:01 GMT
Hello, Wellcome! I hope you will enjoy in playing the Chinese flute as we do! About dizi, you know, the membrane isn't so "troublesome" it seems to be. And the xiao isn't so easy to control. To choose which instrument you want to play first, it is better to consider the music style you would like to play. About where to buy a xiao, which is not too expensive, I would not recommand you carrot, especially not the "professional serie". It isn't a good value for the price. Personally I'm very satisfied with the xiaos I bought from Zeyu Liu on ebay: cgi.ebay.fr/High-Grade-Chinese-black-bamboo-3-joint-Xiao-/140651087955?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20bf754853I bought three xiaos in the two last years. The tone is beautiful, the quality of work too. I must be honnest and confess that one xiao cracked a few days after I received it, but I think that the problem occures because of the transport, not because of the flute quality. The both others xiaos play very well and are really very good. With best musical regards, Flolei |
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Post by edcat7 on Dec 25, 2011 19:21:57 GMT
Hi Haru
Merry Xmas and welcome to the forum. I agree with Flolei, the dimo on the dizi is not as complicated as you think; you can always use stickly tape to start with. I think the xiao's embrochure control alot more difficult.
If you have difficulty playing the dizi you could always ask someone who plays the western flute' they're not a million miles apart. The nearest thing to the xiao, in western terms would be the Arabic Ney.
Do you have experience with woodwind instruments? as a few lessons with a teacher would be invaluable. I started my musical journey on the hulusi and then progressed to the dizi. Had i started on the dizi I would have struggled.
As regards to Zeyu Liu, I've bought a soso hulusi and an excellent bawu and loads of hulusi/bawu reeds from him and find him an excellent seller.
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Post by davidmdahl on Dec 25, 2011 21:54:03 GMT
Welcome to the forum, Haru. The xiao is a wonderful instrument, but I agree with the other comments that it is not going to be a simple alternative to the dizi. You can buy a dizi for much less than a good xiao, and the blowing and handling of the latter will likely be more of a challenge. You will probably have better luck with a medium-sized dizi, such as D or C. The most commonly available xiao keys are G and F, and the finger stretch can be a bit much for a beginner.
The membrane is really not that hard to attach after some practice, and there are some helps on the Web, including Youtube. If you don't want to mess with it at first, just cover the membrane hole with tape. This is very commonly done.
I do not agree with the comparison of the xiao to the ney (sorry Ed). The Japanese shakuhachi is the closest more commonly known relative. The ney is blown very differently.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by edcat7 on Dec 25, 2011 22:25:56 GMT
Yes, David is right about the shakuhachi being closer to the xiao than the ney, After a few xmas sherries I couldn't spell shakuhachi :0
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Post by Flolei on Dec 25, 2011 22:32:24 GMT
Hi,
An other closer instrument is south-american quena or kena. Xiao, shakuhachi, quena: all are notched flutes!
Yes, I agree. If Haru isn't used to woodwind playing, he will easier manage to get some help for dizi than for xiao.
Enjoy the last hours of Christmas day!
Best greetings to all of us!
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Post by haru on Dec 26, 2011 3:15:28 GMT
hi everyone and merry christmas! thanks for the reply friendly people over here!! after reading everyone's comments, i decided to take up dizi instead. i don't have any music background so i shall start with the basic first. i will take up David's advise on buying a D or C flute. thinking of buying from Eason now |
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Post by phillipr on Dec 26, 2011 3:39:00 GMT
Since you have no musical background, you'd be best off purchasing a "C" Dizi (either a DHX or an XB) from Eason (Carrot Music also carries XB dizis). This way you can also purchase Tim Liu's "2 Measures at a Time" program for learning dizi. Master Liu's program will guide you through the basics into more advanced techniques. It's well worth the money. He also uses a "C" dizi to teach the program.
Good luck to you. The journey is well worth it! Merry Christmas.
Phillip
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Post by song on Dec 26, 2011 10:15:44 GMT
Hi!
You might be interested to know that our new stocks of DXH flutes just arrived 3 days ago! So if you are interested to get one, please ignore all the out of stock signs (which will be removed soon).
You might also be interested to know that this is the last batch of flutes at the current prices. We regret to inform that there will be a 20% price increase in the next batch of DXH flutes.
SW
Eason Music
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Post by edcat7 on Dec 26, 2011 13:45:40 GMT
Arrrrrrhhhh...... I just bought a concert grade XB, partially because there was no stock of D DXH dizis.
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Post by xindi on Dec 29, 2011 2:19:08 GMT
hi i'm new here. interested in learning xiao and dizi but decided to learn xiao first because dizi seems troublesome with the membrane thing =\ wondering where do i get a affordable xiao? still schooling currently, hence can't get a too expensive xiao. i saw carrotmusic on ebay selling some affordable xiaos. are they good? i read somewhere that the tune is kinda bad? thank you in advance Hi there, I'm on the same wavelength as Flolei! The dimo is less troublesome than the embouchure control of the xiao. I'm still struggling with the xiao in this respect.. then add the extra breath control required for the xiao ... and sometimes the longer finger span or pipers grip and suddenly, the dimo of the dizi seems easy to manage! You can tape over the dimo of the dizi - it will offer a duller less rounded and less resonant sound - a bit like a xiao lol. Yup - the D key or C key (if you're into southern music - a lot of C key music) dizi is great. In fact, the shops I've been to seem to have more C keys than D keys dizi flutes. Lots of average ones ... lots of cheap student ones; some with painted insides; some with lacquered outsides. Mostly, they are all under US$75 and its rather painstaking, having to trawl through each one. Eason (Singapore) or Henry Wang at Datungarts (California) are as good as the internet sellers get. Henry is a flute player too, so you might have to email him with your requirements and he'll test it before he mails it out to you, or even do a sound clip of the prospective flute. Yes ... definitely get one before the new year. The Sterling Pound & US $ are crashing against the Yuan and Asian currencies :/ |
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Post by phillipr on Dec 29, 2011 19:45:57 GMT
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Post by xindi on Jan 12, 2012 17:22:46 GMT
Kant reed chinese but the website looks fascinating.
Some of the locals tell me that inflation in the mainland has soared. It certainly feels this way will major currencies crumbling against the Yuan.
That low G in the link is already 25% more expensive than last year, solely due, to our weakened economy's exchange rate. Looking for another low Alto range G, the makers agent has agreed to, let me visit to demo it since none of the shops wiah to buy upfront and risk a non sale....
Tried over 20 xiao flutes in 2 weeks. Same problem as dizis.....the majority are average with weak or no overtones. US$100 is the threshold for a decent one piece hardwood. I explained to my regular flute supplier that I had a few bamboo flutes crack on me. He laughed and said what did I expect.....my colder dry climate entails CRRacckk.
So I.ve moved over to hardwood this year. I can't even translate the name of the wood, however its resonance and penetration is superb. Denser sounding yet melodic and powerful compared to the cracking bamboos I.ve been overusing in the cold..
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Post by phillipr on Jan 12, 2012 21:26:15 GMT
I'm considering figuring out a way to make my own xiao out of PVC in order to avoid both the prices and the cracking (not to mention the left-handed flute problem). I've found plenty of good instructions for making shakuhachi out of PVC, some of them very detailed going into the acoustics of the instrument, the effect of different blowing edges, etc. I figure I can use something along those lines to get myself started, then just experiment from there.
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Post by xindi on Jan 28, 2012 19:15:39 GMT
starvoid.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Wind&action=display&thread=1420Don't know how far ou've got doing this, but Francois has worked out accurate tuning for a number of notched flutes - based on the quenacho, but the xiao version is identical to the xiao fingering (except in 6 holes - no rear hole). If you need measurements, he can be contacted on his website. 
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