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Post by phoenixiao on Jan 11, 2018 16:36:24 GMT
Dear fellow music lovers, I’m relatively new to notched instruments and already have a G xiao (affordable and accurate tone, from Taobao). It’s a single piece bamboo so I’m thinking of getting a more portable sectioned xiao for overseas travel. Would love to hear first hand reviews from those who play the Ren Xiao B17 (任箫). Here’s how it looks like: www.sgshop.com/taobao/tao-bao/searchdetails?tbid=45320474954I plan to play mainly for relaxation and casual performance to friends. What brought me to learn the xiao is its natural, soothing tone, so I hope to minimise disappointment before deciding. I’ve heard the Ren xiao demos online by Momoxifeng (默默西风) and it seems clean sounding (too clean?). How’s the full experience like with this xiao? Is it as enjoyable as bamboo? |
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Post by ambientflute on Jan 12, 2018 16:23:43 GMT
Unfortunatly I have no answer, but I'm very interested in the Xiao you mentioned. Thanks for the link!
Also: does anyone have an answer for the meaning of the options:
E tune backhand
E tune adjust forehand?
I assume lef- or righthanded, but which one is which?
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Post by phoenixiao on Jan 13, 2018 9:03:27 GMT
It’s an approximate translation from Chinese.
Backhand comes from 反手 , which means left hand holds lower part of Xiao. So the 1st(lowest) hole slants more to left side of the Xiao body. It’s for left handed players.
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Post by Blue on Jan 14, 2018 3:27:46 GMT
Looks like I've fallen victim to the advertising of this new user. Just purchased one and will see how it turns out. In the past, I've found that many plastic dizis and xiaos seem to have more difficulty reaching the highest notes.
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Post by dawei on Jan 14, 2018 6:09:25 GMT
Looks like I've fallen victim to the advertising of this new user. Just purchased one and will see how it turns out. In the past, I've found that many plastic dizis and xiaos seem to have more difficulty reaching the highest notes. When I worked at a wholesale musical instrument distributor, I had the chance to compare wooden/bamboo/cane flutes of various types to the synthetic versions; neys, xiao, dizi, quena, fifes, recorders, Irish flutes, etc. I found that the material is less significant than the shape of the bore and the accuracy of the casting and finishing on the synthetic flutes. So if the PVC xiao is well designed and made it could play and sound very much like a natural bamboo xiao. Unfortunately, not all plastic flute makers design their instruments well. Often small details make a difference. For instance, no one has yet made a PVC Turkish ney with a slight reverse conical bore, which the natural cane ney have due to the way the cane grows and which end of the flute is used for the blowing end. thus, although the plastic ney sound OK, they do not sound exactly like the real thing. If a maker would stop using cylindrical tubing, which is easy to make into a ney, and would take a really good ney, and make a top-grade casting of it and then reproduce it, then the tone would be almost indistinguishable from a real cane ney. So I am curious how you PVC xiao turns out. |
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Post by ambientflute on Jan 14, 2018 11:06:58 GMT
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Post by davidmdahl on Jan 15, 2018 22:16:03 GMT
<snip> I found that the material is less significant than the shape of the bore and the accuracy of the casting and finishing on the synthetic flutes. So if the PVC xiao is well designed and made it could play and sound very much like a natural bamboo xiao. <snip> I agree. The main trouble with flutes, including dizi and xiao, made out of man-made material is that we don't like to pay full price for them. It is often just as much trouble and expense to make a flute out of delrin or other resin as it is to make it of bamboo or wood, in the same quality. In my experience, wood or bamboo is not necessary for a good sound, if the flute has been made with care. Monty Levenson makes a line of shakuhachi with a cast bore, so that the internal shape is more predictable, and doesn't need to be carved by hand every time. I am not a shak player, and have not played one of Monty's, but Monty has a great reputation. I love a beautiful wood/bamboo whistle or flute, but the peace of mind that my resin instrument will not crack is becoming more important to me. I expect that the use of resin is a trend that will increase as favorite woods become more scarce and expensive. Best wishes, David |
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Post by ambientflute on Jan 26, 2018 10:42:47 GMT
Last week I got my Ren Xiao in. Very nice, well built flute! I'm new to Xiao, but I play Turkish ney (and have dabbled with Shakuhachi). I have chosen for the low E (or B) flute, since that suits my ambientmusic best. Several months ago I discovered the xiao and built a trial version from pvc-pipe which worked surprisingly well, but due to the large diameter I found it difficult to play the higher register. I first bought a bamboo Xiao from ebay but turned out to be a turd... not in tune at all.
So I have not much experience with xiao but I really like this Ren Xiao.
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Post by phoenixiao on Jan 27, 2018 16:31:54 GMT
Great to hear some feedback. I ordered the G Ren Xiao and it’s shipping over soon. While doing that, also ordered a Dong Xue Hua bamboo F xiao  to spice up the learning journey. |
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Post by theblackadder on Feb 28, 2018 16:21:20 GMT
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Post by das on Mar 7, 2019 8:25:39 GMT
The link don't work. I'm trying to find it again in Taobao, but it's impossible for me. Can anyone help me to find it? Thank you very much!! |
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Post by lyscanthrope on Sept 27, 2019 9:05:24 GMT
Hello, Just wanted to give a bit of feedback on the Ren Xiao (the b18 version, which seems to be the 2018 version). I play a bit of tranverse flute but was drawn to the xiao for the sound and versatility. I read here about the Ren Xiao in resin ...I thought it would be a good fit for me : - 4 parts: so very easy to move around - Resin: not to worry about cracking or maintenance - Light: always good to have ! I had to order throught taobao as I couldn't find it anywhere else and ... I received it a few days ago. It is fine but with some scratch on the resin (it won't be the last) - not a big deal. Overall I'm satisfied with it! My remarks: - As Phoenixiao said it in its Xiao comparative review, the Ren need to blow very precisly. I found it hard to keep it consistant while moving fingers around. - Perhaps due to slimminess of the body I tend to grip on it, and have a wrist pain after a few minutes (despite being in piper grip) - The best sound I get from it .....is way 20-40% too low in pitch (compared to 440Hz) @_@ For the pitch issue, I believe that it is player-related  What do you think ? When I try to tilt a bit and to move the edge farther from the lips (like rolling tranverse flute outward) my tone suffers a lot ... and balance get "comlpicated" best regards |
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Post by ambientflute on Oct 1, 2019 20:47:22 GMT
- The best sound I get from it .....is way 20-40% too low in pitch (compared to 440Hz) @_@ For the pitch issue, I believe that it is player-related What do you think ? I had the same problems regarding pitch: too low (about the same amount as you describe). I found DIY-kit versions of the Ren Xiao for sale online (you get a box with 3 flutes; so it becomes a lot cheaper and you can afford to make mistakes when drilling the holes); it's basically the flute without the holes. It comes with a piece of sheet plastic with the (wrong) placement of the holes. My solution was to Xerox the plastic sheet at 98% (so it basically becomes a smaller thus higher pitched flute) and then drill the holes with a Dremel. Works like a charm and it has become my main flute (in C). I just got home from a concert in Paris @ the Festival Ambient de Paris where I used this flute for the majority of the concert. I also made a version in B; for this flute I offset the holes (in particular for the right hand) to compensate for the wider stretch. One thing to keep in mind when drilling the holes: since the flute is made from plastic it tends to melt when drilling; some holes almost flowed back again to their closed state. |
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Post by lyscanthrope on Oct 7, 2019 12:11:31 GMT
Ohhh that's a great and clever idea ! I've been in contact with a tieu maker (vietnameese xiao) and he told me that sometime they use 430Hz for the A ... it could be that for the Ren ? PS : I have been told that for drilling on PVC, it is advised to drill from very small holes to bigger, and very slowly. |
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Post by ambientflute on Oct 9, 2019 9:45:59 GMT
PS : I have been told that for drilling on PVC, it is advised to drill from very small holes to bigger, and very slowly. Yes; that's the way I work as well; the bigger the holes the higher the pitch; this way you can control the tuning of the flute as well. |
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Post by crawforde on Oct 12, 2019 12:11:37 GMT
You guys have tempted me to make my own now.
I’ve made whistles from PVC and copper, I think I’ll try a xiao next.
Maybe in pvc so the trial and error is a bit quicker and less expensive.
Anyone done this, or have any pointers?
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Post by ambientflute on Oct 12, 2019 20:44:07 GMT
You guys have tempted me to make my own now. I’ve made whistles from PVC and copper, I think I’ll try a xiao next. Maybe in pvc so the trial and error is a bit quicker and less expensive. Anyone done this, or have any pointers? Lots of trial and error I'm afraid. Several forummembers and flutebuilders were kind enough to send me detailed measurements of several flutes. The problem is that bamboo is a natural product so every piece is different and thus the bore also is different. It's always a crapshot when drilling the holes. I opted for resin/plastic flutes since you can always fill up the holes and start over again. Also see my previous post about my conversion of a plastic shakuhachi (Yuu) into a xiao. |
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to spice up the learning journey.
What do you think ?