Aulos

I really like double instruments. They have smaller scale but their sounds becomes much better. Well it doesn't work if second pipe just give one constant sound like in bagpipes.

Some information from Wikipedia:

An aulos was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology.

There were several kinds of aulos. A single pipe without a reed was called the monaulos. A single pipe held horizontally, as the modern flute, was the plagiaulos. The most common variety must have been a reed instrument. Archeological finds, surviving iconography and other evidence indicate that it was usually double-reeded, like an oboe, although simple variants with a single clarinet-type reed cannot be ruled out.

Though aulos is often and erroneously translated as "flute", its sound — described as "penetrating, insisting and exciting" — was more akin to that of the bagpipes, with a chanter and (modulated) drone. Like the Great Highland Bagpipe, the aulos might be used for martial music, but it is more frequently depicted in other social settings. It accompanied physical activities such as wrestling matches, the broad jump, the discus throw and to mark the rowing cadence on triremes, as well as sacrifices and dramas.

It appears that some variants of the instrument were loud, shrill, and therefore very hard to blow. A leather strap, called a phorbeiá in Greek or capistrum in Latin, was worn by the auletai to avoid excessive strain on the lips and cheeks due to continuous blowing. Aulus players are sometimes depicted with puffed cheeks. The playing technique almost certainly made use of circular breathing, very much like the Sardinian launeddas which would give the aulos a continuous sound.

How it looks:


Example of playing:

Shakuhachi

Some information from Wikipedia:

The shakuhachi is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of suizen (吹禅?, blowing meditation). Its soulful sound made it popular in 1980s pop music in the English-speaking world.

Shakuhachi are usually made from the root end of a bamboo culm and are extremely versatile instruments. Professional players can produce virtually any pitch they wish from the instrument, and play a wide repertoire of original Zen music, ensemble music with koto, biwa, and shamisen, folk music, jazz, and other modern pieces.

Much of the shakuhachi's subtlety (and player's skill) lies in its rich tone colouring, and the ability for its variation. Different fingerings, embouchures and amounts of meri can produce notes of the same pitch, but with subtle or dramatic differences in the tone colouring. Holes can be covered partially (1/3 covered, 1/2, 2/3, etc.) and pitch varied subtly or substantially by changing the blowing angle. The honkyoku pieces rely heavily on this aspect of the instrument to enhance their subtlety and depth.

Unlike a recorder, where the player blows into a duct—a narrow airway over a block which is called a "fipple"—and thus has limited pitch control, the shakuhachi player blows as one would blow across the top of an empty bottle (though the shakuhachi has a sharp edge to blow against) and therefore has substantial pitch control. The five finger holes are tuned to a pentatonic scale with no half-tones, but using techniques called meri and kari, in which the blowing angle is adjusted to bend the pitch downward and upward, respectively, the player can bend each pitch as much as a whole tone or more. Pitches may also be lowered by shading or partially covering finger holes. Since most pitches can be achieved via several different fingering or blowing techniques on the shakuhachi, the timbre of each possibility is taken into account when composing or playing. The shakuhachi has a range of two full octaves and a partial third octave. The various octaves are produced using subtle variations of breath and embouchure.

How it looks:




Example of playing:

Xaphoon

Thanks to Lothmak for this post.

Some information from Wikipedia:

The Xaphoon is a single-reed keyless wind instrument, very similar in construction to the chalumeau, a European keyless single-reed renaissance folk instrument that was the ancestor of the clarinet. The sound of a Xaphoon is actually somewhere between that of a sax and a clarinet, and overblows in 12ths, like a clarinet. The originator, Brian Whitman, still makes the bamboo instruments by hand in his home on the island of Maui, Hawaii, using local bamboo cut from the forests of the eastern end of the island.

The Xaphoon Bamboo Sax, which is available in the keys of C, B♭, and D (as well as any other key via special order) uses a regular tenor saxophone reed. Its body is 31.75 centimeters in length (for the instrument pitched in C) and has nine holes (eight holes in front, and one hole in back, for the left thumb) that resemble those of a recorder. The Xaphoon's fingerings, however, are significantly different from those of either a saxophone or recorder. It has a range of two octaves and is fully chromatic.

In the spring of 2000, a molded ABS version of the instrument was introduced, which is marketed under the trade name Pocket Sax. Currently, it is available in the key of C, with its lowest tone being middle C. Its durability, rich tone, low price, and portability made it a suitable alternative to the harmonica or tin whistle for travelers who wish to bring an instrument with them in their pocket or daypack.

How it looks:




Example of playing:

Duduk

Some information from Wikipedia:

The duduk is a traditional woodwind instrument of Armenian origins, that is popular in the Caucasus, the Middle East and Central Asia. The English word is often used generically for a family of ethnic instruments including the doudouk or duduk in Armenian, the düdük or mey in Turkey, the duduki in Georgia, the balaban (or düdük) in Azerbaijan, the narmeh-ney in Iran, the duduka or dudka in Russia and Ukraine. This instrument is not to be confused with the northwestern Bulgarian folk instrument of the same name - Balkan duduk.

Svirel'

Some information from Wikipedia:

Svirel is an old folk Russian wind instrument of the end-blown flute type. In the Old Rus’ this instrument was made either of hollow reed or cylindrical wood branches. A legend says that Lel', son of the Slavic goddess of love Lada was a svirel player. In spring he would make his svirel of birch branches.

Traditional Russian svirel has not yet been studied well enough. Specialists have long tried to relate the present day’s pipe instruments to their Old Russian names. Most often the chroniclers used three names for this type instruments: svirel, sopel (sopilka) and tsevnitsa.

Pan flute

Well i like wind instruments ^_^_^" I'm really glad that i have one of this type. But my panflute is a bit different and i will tell you about it later.

Some information from Wikipedia:

The pan flute or pan pipe (also known as panpipes) is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the Closed tube, consisting usually of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length (and, at times, girth). The pan flute has long been popular as a folk instrument, and is considered the first mouth organ, ancestor of both the pipe organ and the harmonica. The pan flute is named for its association with the rustic Greek god Pan. The pipes of the pan flute are typically made from bamboo or giant cane; other materials used include wood, plastic, and metal.

Another term for the pan flute is syrinx, from Greek mythology, the story of Pan. The plural of syrinx is syringes, from which the modern word syringe is derived. (Pan pipes is both singular and plural) Other names for the instrument are mouth organ, Pandean pipe, and the Latin fistula panis.

The tubes comprising it are stopped at one end, at which the standing wave is reflected giving a note an octave lower than that produced by an open pipe of equal length. In the traditional South American style, pipes are fine-tuned to correct pitch by placing small pebbles or dry corn kernels into the bottom of the pipes. Contemporary makers of curved Romanian-style panpipes use wax (commonly beeswax) to tune new instruments. Special tools are used to place or remove the wax. Corks and rubber stoppers are also used, and are easier to quickly tune pipes.

How it looks:


Example of playing:

Pungi

When i played recorders other people often asked me "where is your snake?". They didn't know that Indian snake flute is Pungi. Here it is ^_^_^

Some information from Wikipedia:

The pungi, also called the been, or bin is a wind instrument played by snake charmers in India. The pungi is similar to the Chinese Hulusi but has only two reed pipes, known as the "jivala". The pungi was improved to produce the Shehnai. The pungi originated in India and is still played by snake charmers in street performances. The pungi is generally available in all music knowledge books and music instrument shops.

The pungi was originally developed as an Indian folk music instrument. It is important for religious purposes and music in India. The pungi was popular in the Badagutittū about fifty years ago. However, prior to this it derived from Indian folk music and was used for religious purposes for snake charming.

The pungi is traditionally made from a dried bottle gourd. Often, the neck of the gourd is carved for aesthetic reasons. On the other end, two reed or bamboo pipes are connected. These are known as the jivala. One of the pipes has seven holes and plays the melody; the other pipe is for drone. The jivala is fitted to the gourd with beeswax, which can be adjusted for pitch modification.

Indian musical practices often coincide with religious ideals. An example would be the comprehensive practice of mantra incantation, which, can be defined as meaningful and/or meaningless syllables used to create prayer to a supernatural force or deity. The pungi, or Indian snake charmer, is believed to be one of the many avenues in which one can communicate with the gods through devotional genres. The pungi is played with no pauses, so the pungi players use a technique called circular breathing.

How it looks:

Example of playing:

Bansuri

As flutist i couldn't begin from another instrument. This one has softest sound from all Indian instruments.

Some information from Wikipedia:

The bansuri is a transverse alto flute of the Indian Subcontinent made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes. An ancient musical instrument associated with cowherds and the pastoral tradition, it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha, and is depicted in Buddhist paintings from around 100 AD. The Bansuri is revered as Lord Krishna's divine instrument, and is often associated with Krishna's Rasa lila; mythological accounts tell of the tunes of Krishna's flute having a spellbinding and enthralling effect not only on the women of the Braj, but even on the animals of the region. The North Indian bansuri, typically about 14 inches in length, was traditionally used as a soprano instrument primarily for accompaniment in lighter compositions including film music. The bass variety (approximately 30"), pioneered by Pt. Pannalal Ghosh and elevated to heights of global renown by the brilliance of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia has now been indispensable in Hindustani Classical music for well over half a century. Bansuris range in size from less than 12" to nearly 40".

There are two varieties of bansuri: transverse, and fipple. The fipple flute is usually played in folk music and is held at the lips like a whistle. Because it enables superior control, variations and embellishments, the transverse variety is preferred in Indian classical music.

Pandit Pannalal Ghosh (1911–1960) elevated the Bansuri from a folk instrument to the stage of serious classical music. He experimented with the length, bore and number of holes, and found that longer length and larger bore allowed for better coverage of the lower octaves. He eventually pioneered longer bansuris with larger bores and a seventh hole placed a quarter turn inwards from the line of the other six finger holes.

How it loooks:

Example of playing:

Zhaleika

Well, i don't have enough information about today's instrument - even english wikipedia failed to provide necessary information. That's why i will just tell all i know about this instrument and my opinion about its sounds. Not a good choice for the second article in the blog, but it's just a threshold for Bagpipes article.

Anyway you can look or even edit this article at Wikipedia
(Found later - info. I shouldn't trust wiki so much ^_^_^")

The zhaleika is a slavic ethnical single-reed hornpipe. It is the most popular Russian folk wind instrument. Zhaleika had been mentioned at 18 century for the 1st time, but there is an opinion there was another name earlier. Also this is a traditional instrument of sheepheads and some scientists believe it used at funeral rituals.

It can have 3-5 holes and usually has near one diatonic octave usually. As for sound it's enough loud and harsh.

How it looks:

Example of playing:


You can order it here. Ask me about help if you need.

Recorder

From all instruments i know, this one is my favorite because it has really nice sounds and saved me from a hunger during whole month at this summer ^_^_^

Some info from Wikipedia:

The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes. It is distinguished from other members of the family by having holes for seven fingers and one for the thumb of the uppermost hand.

The recorder was popular in medieval times through the baroque era, but declined in the 18th century in favour of orchestral woodwind instruments, such as the flute, oboe, and clarinet.

The recorder was revived in the 20th century, partly in the pursuit of historically informed performance of early music, but also because of its suitability as a simple instrument for teaching music and its appeal to amateur players. Today, it is often thought of as a child's instrument, but there are many professional players who demonstrate the instrument's full solo range.

The sound of the recorder is remarkably clear and sweet, partly because of the lack of upper harmonics and predominance of odd harmonics in the sound.

How it looks:



Sample of playing recorder in video: