One pipe per note, each closed at the bottom, so each one sounds an octave lower than its length suggests.
One pipe per note, each closed at the bottom, so each one sounds an octave lower than its length suggests.
The player blows across the open top of a pipe, exactly as across a bottle. The jet flips in and out of the pipe at the note's frequency, just as on the flute.
Each pipe is stopped at the bottom, often by the natural node of the cane. A stopped pipe sounds an octave lower than an open pipe of the same length and supports only odd harmonics, which gives the breathy, hollow tone. Players bend the pitch by tilting the instrument.
None. The open tops of the pipes radiate straight into the air.
Panpipes were invented many times over. A set of 13 bamboo pipes (paixiao) was found in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Hubei, China, sealed in 433 BC. The Andean siku splits its scale between two rows, played by two people who alternate notes to make one melody. The Romanian nai, curved and with 20 to 30 pipes, reached a world audience through Gheorghe Zamfir in the 1970s.
| Pipes | 13 (Marquis Yi) to 30 (nai) |
|---|---|
| Pipe | closed at one end |
| Harmonics | odd only |
| Oldest dated set | 433 BC |
“The pan flute is a Greek instrument with one origin.”
Myth. Panpipes arose independently in many cultures; the Greek name is only one tradition.
