Xun
Chinese ocarina called xun has a history that goes back more than five thousand years. It was used in both court music and Confucian rituals. An egg-shaped clay flute with a hauntingly beautiful sound, it is classified by the Chinese as an earth instrument. Black clay, with 7 holes in front, 2 in back. Played with a flute embouchure (like blowing into a bottle). Two sizes with gift box.
Quena
Notched flute from Chile. This hand-crafted flute from a fine artisan in Chile has a lovely tone. It is held vertically like a recorder, but to play it the stream of breath is split by the notch. This is the flute you will often hear the Andean musicians playing. The larger holes are 1/2" in diameter. This Quena is 14.5 inches long. $80.
Panpipes and Zamponas
Panpipes are found in the oldest civilizations. The ancient Greeks said that Pan, the god of the woods, was in love with a water nymph who ran away from him and changed herself into a reed. Brooding over the loss of his love, Pan made pipes from the reeds and played them to comfort him in his loneliness. Panpipes are rather simple to play. The embouchure needed is the same as blowing through a bottle, however, with much more pleasing results. To change a pitch of a pipe by a half step tilt it toward or away from you, depending on whether you want it higher or lower. The bamboo panpipes here are from the Andes. Zamponas are panpipes having two rows of pipes.
Khen
is a free-reed mouth organ from Thailand. Ancestor to the Western pipe organ, this unusual instrument has a sandlewood body with a mouthhole in one end. It is held vertically between the hands so the fingers can stop the holes on either side of the instrument. Gaps where the pipes pass through the body are sealed with beeswax.
Small 17", 12 pipes $40