My first xiao

[xiaolee]

Hello everyone ~

So, I have a couple of questions regarding a new xiao that I got (f key, 8 holes)

- First of all, there are 6 additional holes on the bottom part of the instrument, I'm not sure why they're there. My guess is that they help produce a deeper sound or something?

- Is there a specific lip positioning that can help me produce a proper tone? (sometimes the sound gets pitchy and higher than it's supposed to be) And where exactly should I aim the air flow?

- Where can I learn to play the scale? I'm completely clueless as to how to switch between notes. What happens is that most times I get the same tone when I cover/uncover a hole, I'm probably doing something wrong



Thanks for any help in advance, and please excuse my ignorance. I'm a total beginner when it comes to wind instruments

[Flolei]

Hello,
and welcome to our little society!

I will try to answer to your questions:

- Yes, you're right, you don't need to care about bottom holes.

- It's difficult to describe the position. Maybe something like smiling and sighing at the same time.

- Here is the fingering chart I made for the F xiao.
F xiao fingering.pdf (72.11 KB)
It works very well with my 2 xiaos, but be careful! Each instrument is a little different and maybe you will have to adjust some fingerings to your instruments (for examples F# and highest notes).

Feel free to ask questions! We are all learning from each other! That's the main goal of all forums!

Best wishes,

Flo.

[xiaolee]

Hi, Flo! Thanks so much for your reply. I'm going to try out your chart and see how it goes. ^^