Bamboo Types for Dizi

[rpereira]

Dear all,

First I would like to congratulate the creator of the forum and to all of you that contribute to it!


My question is related with the type of bamboo that is used to make the Dizi.
I am trying to understand the differences between the bamboo types and their characteristics that follow:

- Sound quality
- Intonation
- Robustness

After searching all over the forum I found some info about bamboo selection that I present you at the end.
However I still do not have a proper answer about sound quality, intonation over time and material robustness

1. Is it normal for the PURPLE bamboo to change the intonation/pitch over time (why not let it to fully cure before crafting the instrument)?
2. Is the BITTER bamboo that so fragile despite being more stable in intonation?
3. Regarding the QUEEN'S TEARS bamboo, how it compares with the other ones about sound quality, intonation over time and material robustness?
4. And what about the WHITE bamboo comparing with the others above?

I will apreciate all your thoughts about this subject.
Thanks to all for taking the time to read my questions and information below.

Kind Regards,
Ricardo


Below are excerpts from the Forum and from Easton regarding the bamboo types to make Dizi:

starvoid.proboards.com/thread/559/enquiries-dizis-places
“...the white ones are very easy to keep in tune, as they are relatively stable.
Purple bamboo, its still "alive" and you may have to tune the bass notes (lowest 3 notes) every month for six months before it stablizes."

starvoid.proboards.com/thread/2347/which-dizi-buy
“Bitter bamboo is easier to play than purple bamboo especially at the higher notes.
Some people feel that the bitter bamboo sounds more nasal than purple bamboo and prefer purple bamboo which sounds more “harder”..."

starvoid.proboards.com/thread/2026/first-dizi
“Most flutes are made of bitter bamboo. It's wood is the least dense. Usually the skin of the bitter bamboo is totally peeled off so the flute has to be lacquered on the outside. Even then, there's always the risk that it might crack.
Purple bamboo uses real dark colored bamboo, and the wood is more dense. The skin is never peeled off, so it really feels like a piece of bamboo!
Queen's Tears Bamboo is even more denser than purple bamboo. It has spots brownish spots.
When non-purple bamboo gets dried and cured, the green color turns yellow.
Different people prefer different bamboo wood densities. It simply depends how "hard" you like your flute to sound like."

www.easonmusicschool.com/chinese-orchestra-instruments/chinese-woodwind-instruments/dizi/faq-dizi-6/
“Dizis made out of bitter bamboo - an old, rare strain - have stable tuning. On the other hand, dizis made out of purple bamboo - derived from the selection of only the top 10% bamboo in a plantation - are more prone to cracking and changes in tuning, but are brighter and sharper in tone. These qualities make purple bamboo the popular choice fordadis and xiaos.”

[ck2998]

Hi Ricardo,

Like you, I have been curious about the different bamboos used in making the Chinese dizi.
There are good sources of information online and you have integrated them well into one place.
Until I try the different types of dizi, I could not answer your question .
I bought the bitter , purple and Queen's tears dizi from the same maker, so there is some basis for comparison.

1.Is it normal for the PURPLE bamboo to change the intonation/pitch over time (why not let it to fully cure before crafting the instrument)?
None of the bamboo types should change their tone/pitch over time.
A good dizi is made with bamboo that is aged over several years.
Dong Xue Hua recommends using bamboo with at least 4 years of natural ageing.

2 Is the BITTER bamboo that so fragile despite being more stable in intonation?
Bitter bamboo is relatively softer compared to purple bamboo and Queen's tears bamboo which is the hardest .
When I play the bitter bamboo dizi, I can feel the vibrations through the bamboo, less so with Queen’s tears bamboo dizi
Bitter bamboo is not fragile, compared to other musical instruments.  If well taken care off, it will last decades.

3. Regarding the QUEEN'S TEARS bamboo, how it compares with the other ones about sound quality, intonation over time and material robustness?
The bitter bamboo gives a more buzzy note, while the other two are sharper in tone.
Personally, I find that the QUEEN'S TEARS dizi requires more blowing force to bring out the tones. It is harder to make because (according to Mr Dong Xuehua), the intermodal distance is shorter and there is more variation in internal and external diameter along its length.
The type of dizi one prefers will depend on the songs one likes to play.

4. And what about the WHITE bamboo comparing with the others above?
White bamboo is the same as bitter bamboo

[ck2998]

Bitter, Queen's Tears and Purple bamboo dizi

Attachments:

[meoweth]

Hmmm, from my limited knowledge of buying dizi from taobao. The top one is the most common version, and widely recommended for most players.
The black bamboo versions (bottom on pic) gives it more of a natural, windy, xiao-sound. I personally would go with this one as I like that sound.

You could perhaps liken it to the difference between a jiari and jinashi shakuhachi. The first is louder, more precise, more balanced. While the latter is a bit more unpredictable, natural-sounding.
Its harder to make a jinashi correctly, so if you get a black bamboo version make sure its from a respected maker.

I would imagine the middle one is similar to the black bamboo, but I havent seen this offered alot on taobao, so Im not sure if its a thing or not.

The most important thing to consider is the maker. If you are buying from taobao, its easy to select a price range, say 500RMB+, or 1000RMB+ which is already super premium, and sort by the most amount of buyers. That's far more important than the aesthetics from a random shop.