Queen's tears flutes

[Blue]

Sometimes i wonder if those online vendors study our discussion about flute material on the forum. Suddenly I find Carrot Music offering Queen's Tears flutes as part of their regular product line:

www.carrotmusic.com/servlet/the-277/Dizi-Shinobue-Shakuhachi-Flute/Detail

www.carrotmusic.com/servlet/the-278/Dizi-Shinobue-Shakuhachi-Flute/Detail

[edcat7]

I think they do. Though at the end of the day the skill of the player matters the most. I was using my/your DXH and my teacher was using my yellow sandalwood. The DXH sounds better, hands down than the YS. But in his hands he took it to a level I can only dream about.

[davidmdahl]

So Ed, are you now less impressed with your yellow sandalwood dizi? The last I remember you were liking it better than your DXH.

I have two dizi in D, a DXH and another by a different maker. Both have good sound, but the non-DXH is easier to play in the highest octave. I have a lot of trouble getting the 5 with the dot above to sound on the DXH, while the other dizi is more manageable.

I have considered the green sandalwood dizi in hopes that the upper octave notes are reliable, and the overall sound is good. I am not crazy about buying another dizi, but the non-DXH has several cracks, and I worry that more will come if I play it a lot.

Best wishes,

David

[edcat7]

I like the yellow sandalwood and I dont know why but all 4 or 5 C dizis I have are way too high. According to my teacher even the DXH is slightly, ever so slightly, high.

If only the yellow sandalwood was tuned lower, then it would be ideal. As it is, top quality dizis are expensive and so ideally one only wants to buy just one.

I haven't practise much lately due to ridiculous hours in my new cheffing job and so my embrochure has gone.

[davidmdahl]

I find that the way I normally blow, the pitch on any dizi is flat. On a jointed dizi at least this is more inconvenient than too sharp since you can always pull out. I am usually flat with the head joint all the way in. I can usually adjust the pitch enough just by rotating the embouchure hole out. You might try rotating in. This should flatten the pitch.

I have trouble finding time to practice dizi as well. However, even 15 minutes here and there helps me to keep in some kind of shape.

Best wishes,

David

[edcat7]

Unfortunately my DXH, a gift from Allen, is only one piece. The YS needs extending out about 1 cm. I have tried rotating the dizi but I don't find that too helpful. With my embrochure my teacher's (cracked) dizi is clearly deeper in tone.

Unfortunately, cigarettes, long hours and the Chinese kitchen almost goes hand in hand... but not at the same time

[dragona]

I haven't practise much lately due to ridiculous hours in my new cheffing job and so my embrochure has gone.

[Blue]

Maybe if we post enough discussion about green sandalwood or yellow sandalwood dizis, those online sellers will take notice and we'll see a line of sandalwood dizi being advertised ;D

Yes, playing skill is very important (compare a maestro playing the same flute as a rookie), but a good dizi is designed for easy playing especially with respect to high notes. As one online seller friend kept on insisting to me in Chinese "笛子的音色要好, 要可以省氣力, 要吹奏起來又通透; 最重要是高音真的好上." That's the reason that online seller friend of mine allowed returns, which is rare in Taiwan. But usually I visit her directly and try out the flutes myself. Since she's a dizi player herself, she would also provide her input.

Additionally, edcat, that Bb flute that I gave you (and which Xindi felt was a pretty good flute despite the lack of the flute maker's name) came directly from that online seller friend. Even though the price may seem like a relative low end and the horns are plastic, she personally chose the best from the bunch because she liked loyal customers.

[Blue]

Which reminds us that sometimes certain flutes are overrated, while other's are underrated. First impressions without trying the flute can be deceiving!

[davidmdahl]

Different flutes from the same maker will play differently. A really good maker will hopefully be reasonably consistant, so you expect good things without testing. However, it is inevitable that some will play better than others, even from a great maker. Sometimes it is a matter of the flute being a better fit for the player. Unfortunately, those of us who order from overseas have to gamble that the flute will be a good fit.

Best wishes,

David

[Blue]

This looks familiar, doesn't it, edcat?

[edcat7]

Wow, I'm curious as to how it sounds, the C equivalent of my Bb. So far all of my C's except the DXH are too high. Though i'm not in the position to splash out on any instruments for the time being.