Hey guys new and have a question

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mika
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Hey guys new and have a question

Post by mika »

Hey guys

Great to find that forum!

I have a question I'll be really glad if someone can help me...

I'm new to the Flute world I'd like to buy A pan flute the same one that is on the Circle of life from the Lion king film... how much octave it should have?
Oh and if you can add a pic of the Flute it would be great so I will know to what to look for:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX07j9SDFcc

Thanks
Mika :)
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Post by MTGuru »

Moved from Flute Forum - Mod.
Vivat diabolus in musica! MTGuru's (old) GG Clips / Blackbird Clips

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Tim2723
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Post by Tim2723 »

Hi and welcome!

If you're talking abut the intrumental break, it seems to encompass a little better than two octaves, so a three octave (22 pipe) flute would be needed. However, I'm not certain that the instrument you hear is actually a pan flute. It sounds somewhat synthetic to me.

If you are planning to buy a flute and begin playing, I'd recommend at least a 22 pipe flute to start with, as the extra notes are needed to play in relative minor keys. My first flute was only 18 pipes, and I quickly ran out of notes. In my personal experience, there are two important rules: Always buy a tunable flute, and get all the pipes you possibly can. A pan flute can never have enough range. If I could afford it, I would have a 30 pipe flute.

Here is the pan flute section from the catlog of a popular supplier. It will give you a good idea of the different types, sizes, and prices of these instruments.

http://larkinam.com/category.asp?sb=&c= ... 0&x=19&y=9

P.S. My advice is only relative to the Romanian style pipe. There are hundereds of other variations, as it is an ancient instrument known to many cultures.
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Post by MichaelLoos »

The instrument heard in the sound track ist definitely synthetic. If you want that sound, buy a keyboard.
If you are seriously interested in the panflute, visit www.preda-panflute.ro
This is one of the best respected makers of this instrument, if their instruments are good enough for Gheorghe Zamfir, they should be good enough for you. Don't buy cheap or you'll buy twice (or you'll give up before you even got started), especially for the beginner it is crucial to have a good instrument in perfect working order.
Tim2723
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Post by Tim2723 »

MichaelLoos wrote:Don't buy cheap or you'll buy twice (or you'll give up before you even got started), especially for the beginner it is crucial to have a good instrument in perfect working order.
That is good advice no matter what instrument is being learned! More players are lost because of the frustrations of poor instruments than any other reason.
The crwth will set you free!

Tim Smith
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mika
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Post by mika »

Thanks a lot guys for responding :)

I wanted to ask other questions like if the Flute has tenor sopran kinds?
I'm just no sure and I see that you recommend me about the Romanian one I don't know if where I live they sell it... I have keyboard but I couldn't find something similiar to that sound LOL I wonder if all the pan flutes have almost the same tones?

Thanks a lot
Tim2723
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Post by Tim2723 »

I don't know if pan flutes use terms like soprano, alto, and tenor for their sizes. Maybe they do, but I have not heard those terms used. The world of pan flutes is very large though. Almost every culture in the world has some kind of pan flute. The Andean pipes have different names for different ones, and so do the Chinese pipes.

I have played a little on Andean and Chines pipes, but these often have special scales for the music of those countries. I like the Romanian pipe because it playes the Do Re Me scale of western music that is used in the tunes and songs in America. I also like the Romanian pipe because it is very comfortable to play and easy to blow.

The pipes I have played have different tones. I like pipes made of maple. They are much more precise than the cane flutes I have tried. They have the same tone from the highest to the lowest notes and do not have any notes that are too loud or too soft like the cane pipes do. The synthetic pipes (like the Aulos brand) are very precise because they are molded plastic, but they have a diifferent sound than wood pipes. I have only played maple, cane (like bamboo), and plastic. The maple has a strong, even sound that is mellow. The cane flutes have a very soft sound like a whisper. They are very 'airy' sounding with a haunting tone. The plastic pipes have a bright sound like a tin whistle.

Wood and plastic pipes are also easy to tune. They have sliding corks in the bottom of each pipe (like in a flute) so that you can tune every pipe exactly. This is important to me because one person may play slightly sharp or flat compared to another person. You can tune the flute to work perfectly with your own mouth.

Where do you live in the world? Perhaps we can help you find a supplier in your country or one that will send you a flute.
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Tim Smith
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mika
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Post by mika »

Hello Tim :)

You know I am new to this so I have no experience with panflutes
I would like to have a pan with a very deep sound like on this clip
This is less or more the sound I like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOaoUx0Mc0Q
Any info about this kind will be very welcome oh and I live in Israel thanks for your help :)

Have a nice day
Tim2723
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Post by Tim2723 »

Hi Mika,

The flute you hear in that video is sold by this supplier:

http://pan-flute.com/letter2/

His name is Brad White and he sells very good flutes and excellent instruction materials. He also ships world-wide. It is the 22 pipe "Grand Tenor" model. He uses the word tenor, but other makers might call that flute an alto pan pipe. The names get confusing, but that is the flute you would buy for that sound. It is a Romanian style flute made of maple wood and has the low voice you like. Note also that the recording uses a reverberation effect that is added to the natural sound, but if you play the flute in a large room it will sound like the video.

If you contact this supplier, be sure to ask him if the flute is tunable with corks. Sometimes they make them both ways, and the tunable flutes cost a little more, but it is worth the extra money. Tuning the flute makes it perfect for your mouth, and a perfect instrument is the most important thing for a beginner so that you do not give up.
Last edited by Tim2723 on Sun Oct 19, 2008 10:18 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Stan
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Post by Stan »

Brad White does not make pan flutes but is
a U.S. distributor for Gibonus. See:
http://www.gibonus.com/
They are made in Poland. I have a 22 tube student model
and it has been a great instrument. Mr. White lives in Hawaii
but I found a distributor in the Continental USA.
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Post by O_Gaiteiro_do_Chicago »

Give Andy's music in Chicago a try, they have the whole line of Gibonus student panflutes, and a few pro ones too. Their website is www.andysmusic.com
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Stan
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Post by Stan »

That's the place ! I bought my 22 tube set at
Andy's Music in Chicago. Nice people to deal
with....................
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Post by O_Gaiteiro_do_Chicago »

They better be, I work there. :wink:
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Re: Hey guys new and have a question

Post by starstutu »

I've learned the hard way that with musical instruments, you get what you pay for. I have two beautiful wood panflutes from Europe. One is a tenor and the other is a base. They were in G major but I retuned them in C major. If you order direct from most makers you get a better deal instead of going through these so called "suppliers" in the States. And they don't like it when you order direct. I can name them but out of respect for this site, I won't. When I went to one supplier's studio West of California they tried to sell me a 20 yr. old panflute for $600. Even though I was very new at this, it looked really used. So I decided not to buy it. But now I have a lot of experience with panflutes and this supplier was taking advantage of my inexperience. My intuition saved me $600.
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