Approaching the millennium, we're now firmly in the realm of instruments bought for the children with various flimsy excuses. This one was a present for the young flautist in the family, but never found much use. Trying to record a half-decent video with it, I realised why - it isn't all that easy to get a proper sound out of it. Even though I spend a fair amount of time each day producing sounds by blowing across a similar-sized hole on a flute, this set of panpipes seems to want a different kind of embouchure or angle or I don't know what. I'm only playing the bottom row anyway, as the access to the top row seems to be limited by my chin colliding with the pipes of the bottom row. So this instrument seems to be trouble all round, but it is very decorative dangling from the shelves.
(The background texture in this photo is another instrument to be discussed later in the series ... )
It doesn't have any marks re origin or maker, and I can't remember where I bought it. May have been from Tumi, who had a lovely Latin American / Fairtrade shop in Little Clarendon Street in the 90s. Nowadays I believe the company still exists but only trades online. Oooh, good guess, here are the pipes, still: Zampona 11/12, although sadly sold out at the moment.
So, anyhow, here's my rather embarrassing series of attempts to play some notes on it:
I do like the sound though, on the rare occasions when I manage to produce it.
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