Demo: Top Quality Queens' Tears Bamboo Chinese Xiao Flute

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soundofnature01 | August 14, 2008

Demo by the instrument maker Mr. Fan Di-zhi 樊迪知. This is a top quality Chines...

soundofnature01 | August 14, 2008

Demo by the instrument maker Mr. Fan Di-zhi 樊迪知.
This is a top quality Chinese vertical xiao flute made with Queens' Tears Bamboo (pronounced as Xiang Fei Bamboo 湘妃竹) found in Hunan Province (Xiang) of China. The word "Xiang" represents the Hunan Province. The word "Fei" means queens.

The mottle pattern of Queens' Tears Bamboo is characterized by its teardrop speckles. So there is a legend that the speckles were formed by the tears of two queens in ancient time. There was a story that King Xun's two queens were mourning over the death of the king. Their tears dropped onto the nearby bamboo trees and so all the bamboo trees were stained with their tears and eventually the trees were mottled with teardrop patterns. Gao Ping, a Tang poet, wrote a poem about this story:
"King Xun went for an official inspection but never came back,
The two queens were grieving by the waterside.
You want to know how much they cried?
Up till now all the bamboo trees are still mottled."

The teardrop-shaped mottles are natural and archaic.
The bamboo material is extraordinarily bold and hard.
Its natural shield against cracking extends the durability of the instrument. Queens' Tears Bamboo over 3 years of age is having higher density than other bamboo types of the same age. It is very sturdy, so the xiao and dizi made with Queens' Tears Bamboo have better resonance and higher sensitivity. The tones are deeper and stronger.

This xiao is made by Fan Di-zhi, a renowned flute master in China. ...Fan has commented that Queens' Tears Bamboo flutes have solid tones and smoother strength controls, and are easier to play. But since these bamboo materials are more irregular than other bamboo, flute-makers are sure to encounter more problems. Over the years he has been endeavoring on the use of Queens Bamboo. From material selection to material processing, positioning, holes-opening, lacquering, binding and decorating, he has accumulated experiences by doing experiments, resolving problems, reading and consulting professionals in Wuhan Conservatory, and subsequently he evolved his own flute making methodology. Now his flutes have his own style with a high maturity level in both music as well as crafts....

Queens' Tears Bamboo flutes are not susceptible to humidity change and cracking is less likely to happen. In fact in Fan's experience cracking never happens.

Bound at 10 areas to further ensure durability. Lacquer finish for both external and internal surface to make it more durable. Cow's horn at both the mouth end and the bottom end. With the carving of a Chinese poem. 3 octaves. Incredible sound & workmanship. It is in the key of F (C when all finger holes closed).There is a blow hole, 8 finger holes, 7 in front and 1 at the back. With tunable sliding joint.
With velour bag.
With fingering charts.
With a pair of Chinese tassels as free gift :)
With name of workshop and signature of the maker.
Length: around 90 cm

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All Comments (1)

  • 1 year ago

    thank you. any other pieces you can share?

    jbnewburg 1 year ago
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