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Post by keyofa on Oct 19, 2013 20:49:47 GMT
This my first post to this forum, so want to say hello to everyone. I've been interested in finding a porcelain / ceramic xiao for some time now, and miraculously I searched on ebay and found one. Anyway for those interested, here's the auction, it is buy it now. I am not the seller, so please don't think I am spamming the forum. Just wanted to share this find with everyone. The small research I've done via google about porcelain / ceramic xiao show that there are not many examples, but there are some exquisite examples of fine porcelain xiao that are in some museums. Here's one example housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I think there is another in the Bejing Museum as well. Of course, the one on ebay is not as artistic or of the same value, but might be fun to play. |
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Post by Flolei on Oct 20, 2013 6:58:36 GMT
Welcome to the forum!
The one in museum is beautiful (thanks for pictures), but... brrr... I would be so afraid to break it!
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Post by keyofa on Oct 20, 2013 16:05:25 GMT
Yep, I would be afraid to break such a beautiful and valuable artistic instrument. Though I can't read Chinese, I did find the exact same ceramic xiao as the ebay auction on tabao. The one on taobao is much cheaper, just 160 Yuan or about US $27.00. Though it is less expensive then ebay, after paying a third party service and then the shipping the cost would go up. For those living in asia, it would be better to buy from taobao. Anyway, here's the taobao link. Here's a few pics and links I found online. Dehua area in China is known for their fine ceramic / porcelain works. I think a few of the ones in the pics were made in Dehua.    Chinese web site with ceramic xiaoChinese forum for Xiao fluteToo bad I can't read Chinese. Maybe I'll run this through google translate to see what they're discussing. |
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Post by ziman on Oct 20, 2013 18:37:53 GMT
Gosh, the seller shouldn't have referred to the xiao on sale as also a "shakuhachi", the two are historical cousins, yes, but the auction title makes it look as if they are the same thing, which is not true. Quite misleading to inexperienced buyers... Btw, the Hong Kong based xiao master Mr. Tam Po Shek (谭宝硕) has in his possession an antique ceramic xiao which seems to be from the same series as the one in the Metropolitan Museum. He has posted some pictures of it on his blog： tamposhek.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post_05.htmltamposhek.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post_8786.htmltamposhek.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post_7680.htmlIn other news, speaking of ceramic xiao, I have now received the two composite-material xiaos made by Ren Jin (任瑾), which I mentioned before in the past. Have been insanely busy of late, so I haven't had time to write up a detailed impressions post on here. But my view so far is that they're great. Not so amazing that Dong Xue Hua needs to worry about losing business, but good enough that makers of low-end to midrange xiaos should start feeling very worried-- especially since each of these xiaos cost only about $14~$16 each. (These are the xiaos: momoxifeng.taobao.com/category-653462175.htm?spm=a1z10.5.0.0.U04nAk&search=y&parentCatId=255582565&parentCatName=%B6%B4%F3%EF%C7%F8&catName=%BA%CF%B3%C9%B9%DC%B6%B4%F3%EF) The tuning accuracy of these composite xiaos is particularly respectable- they are deadly accurate on all notes, including the tricky 4 and 4#. They're also the first xiaos I've had that are capable of a range of three full octaves, instead of the usual 2 1/2. The main thing, IMO, that makes them still less preferable than my DXH is that the tone color of the DXH is still nicer, more melodious and smoother-sounding. And finally, with these composite xiaos, I can play all I want in the Minnesotan snow without fear of cracking. Hooray! |
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Post by billdsmall on Oct 22, 2013 0:35:27 GMT
Ziman, you bring up one of my pet peeves. On Ebay there's at least a few dozen vertical flutes listed for sale as both Xiao and Shakuhachi, which as you point out is misleading (and even deceitful). Xiaos are often described as Chinese Shakuhachi, but curiously I've never seen a Shakuhachi described as a Japanese Xiao! I suppose the sellers want to cast a wide net, but it's infuriating...buyer beware!
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Post by davidmdahl on Oct 22, 2013 17:41:48 GMT
Not that I have played a lot of ceramic flutes, but I have not been very impressed with the flutes that I have tried that were not bamboo or wood. Some years ago, I did play on a jade dizi at Lark in the Morning in Seattle, and it was quite good. However, the price was around $600. I found a cheap "jade" flute on Ebay but it was a complete waste of money. Once a ceramic flute is fired, I don't know that there is much that can be done to fine-tune its musical qualities. As the museum link mentions, it would be necessary to make a lot of ceramic flutes before a good one results. For a price of roughly $30, I don't imagine that the makers of the ceramic xiao throw away very much. If a musician could play-test a bunch of ceramic flutes (xiao, dizi) it might be possible to find a really good one, but I wouldn't want to take the next one off of the pile. Several years ago, Eason Music had a batch of dizi flutes made of something unconventional. I don't remember for sure, but I think they were made of horn. The photos were quite attractive, and I was tempted to order. When I inquired about them, I was left with the impression that while they were well-made and selected, their musical qualities did not quite justify the price. Wood and bamboo are wonderful materials for making flutes, and the musical qualities can be easily adjusted by a skilled maker. Other materials can be very attractive and exotic, but watch out for the expense and musical qualities. In the world of Western Classical flutes, I have played on some wonderful instruments priced way above what we are used to for Chinese instruments, from $10,000 to $20,000, and maybe above. One was a cut glass flute by the French maker Claude Laurent.  orgs.usd.edu/nmm/Exhibitions/BeethovenBerlioz/BBLaurentflute.htmlAnother was an ivory flute such as the following:  |
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Post by Blue on Oct 22, 2013 17:57:34 GMT
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jock
Intermediate
Posts: 44
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Post by jock on Nov 6, 2013 5:52:26 GMT
Yep, I would be afraid to break such a beautiful and valuable artistic instrument. Though I can't read Chinese, I did find the exact same ceramic xiao as the ebay auction on tabao. The one on taobao is much cheaper, just 160 Yuan or about US $27.00. Though it is less expensive then ebay, after paying a third party service and then the shipping the cost would go up. For those living in asia, it would be better to buy from taobao. Anyway, here's the taobao link. Here's a few pics and links I found online. Dehua area in China is known for their fine ceramic / porcelain works. I think a few of the ones in the pics were made in Dehua. Chinese web site with ceramic xiaoChinese forum for Xiao fluteToo bad I can't read Chinese. Maybe I'll run this through google translate to see what they're discussing. Hi, keyofa, We can directly shop the Dizi here: www.pabbos.com/17817314367.shtml |
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Post by Flolei on Nov 6, 2013 9:28:34 GMT
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