Chiff and Fipple Forums

I've just found a podcast about the dizi which is well worth a listen: https://chinaplus.cri.cn/chinaplus/mych ... 43501.html - the audio plays at the top of the page. A fascinating instrument with a great sound. Presumably the membrane could be built into other types of flute to create the same effect. I wonder what the rules are about placement of the extra hole with the membrane, and why, according to the wikipedia page, it isn't effective on a chromatic version of the instrument.

Nice thanks for sharing

David Cooper wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 2:49 pm I've just found a podcast about the dizi which is well worth a listen: https://chinaplus.cri.cn/chinaplus/mych ... 43501.html - the audio plays at the top of the page. A fascinating instrument with a great sound. Presumably the membrane could be built into other types of flute to create the same effect. I wonder what the rules are about placement of the extra hole with the membrane, and why, according to the wikipedia page, it isn't effective on a chromatic version of the instrument.

It's lovely - love this instrument! It has way more powerful dynamics than the low grunting Irish flutes I play.

Antoine builds bamboo dizi flute headjoints - which can be used on simple system flutes (pitch changes) and Boehm flutes (standardised at 440Hz):

https://www.facebook.com/malopelli.instruments

He is more skilled in answering the questions about the dimo membrane hole placement. I think it can be placed in different positions - on the double dimo membrane flute system, there is one adjacent to the embouchure (2-3cm) and on the tenon side (2-3cm above). As the distance moves away from the embouchure, the high intensity vibrations of the dimo diminish dramatically.

I got one of his bamboo headjoints and loved messing around with it. It works spot on with chromatic open hole Boehm flutes and wooden flutes - Wikipedia is inaccurate and needs updating. Antoine designed his headjoint specifically for chromatic flutes btw.

Tonehole wrote: ↑Thu Apr 04, 2024 10:42 amIt works spot on with chromatic open hole Boehm flutes and wooden flutes - Wikipedia is inaccurate and needs updating. Antoine designed his headjoint specifically for chromatic flutes btw.

Thanks for that information and the link. I'd certainly like to give it a go, and I've got a couple of bad prototype flutes that I could drill extra holes in to do the initial experiments with different placements and sizes. It sounds as if the main factor for placement will be how strong or subtle you want the effect to be.

I think so...! The main feature of the dimo hole is that it is constant: with a low bass flute or a high pitch flute - the size does not vary since the membrane stretch - if it is too narrow - there is insufficient vibration and if it is too wide - then the membrane flops creating a sizzling bumble bee sound instead of the characteristic brightness.

The pitch of the flute also is significantly lower than A=440Hz. For example - when the dizi membrane hole is plugged up with blu-tack or in-filled, it never attains A=440Hz which it does attain with the dimo membrane.

One of the most common errors is the use of sellotape to cover the dizi membrane hole. This alters the pitch adversely and the dizi always plays flat due to the thickness of the sellotape. Thus a flute headjoint calculated for play at A=440Hz with a newly drilled/added dizi membrane hole, will always and undesirably play above A=440Hz when the correct reed membrane is added.

That might be useful then to help bring a flat flute up to pitch by adding a dimo, and it would still play flat when you want it to. I can't hear any tuning difference in this demo though, so it may be a very subtle effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP_FpIj ... usicPteLtd

David Cooper wrote: ↑Sat Apr 06, 2024 12:28 pm That might be useful then to help bring a flat flute up to pitch by adding a dimo, and it would still play flat when you want it to. I can't hear any tuning difference in this demo though, so it may be a very subtle effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP_FpIj ... usicPteLtd

Player compensating by lipping - he's very good. Sellotape attempt still way out in the second octave - this is where the dimo membrane comes alive and the pitch holds as it should.