Is there such a thing as a fully chromatic bamboo flute with keys? Has anyone ever seen one?
I’m not aware of any keyed bamboo flutes.
I’m guessing, here, but bamboo has a tendency to crack all too easily, note that bamboo flutes sometimes have sections that are tightly wrapped with thread, apparently for reinforcement, and because a key mechanism could be an expensive thing, perhaps no flute maker would choose to put such a mechanism on a wood that could crack so readily.
keyed bamboo flute? what for?
never heard of such a thing…
It would be hard to mount keys without destroying the flute.
Generally these have thin walls. Even if you glued on blocks,
it’s hard to see how such a flute would long survive.
…i remember that somewhere i saw a bamboo headjoint for bohem flutes…
and somebody asked flute-maker casey burns to make a bansuri in mopane-wood with low C# and C keys…
i guess that if you make a cylindrical body in mopane (with keys) and put a bamboo headjoint the result will be close to a “keyed bamboo flute”…
It’s not a keyed bamboo flute, but just when you thought you’d seen everything:
A keyed crystal flute from 1815. The website says, “We have never heard a reasonable explanation of how Laurent made these flutes; reproducing them today is considered impossible.”
Oh come now.
Do these folks have no understanding of manufacturing processes?
The only thing holding someone back would be the cost.
I can think of a number of ways these could be produced right of the top of my head.
You cast and core form then you drill and cut.
Sheesh.
The guy did this in 1815.
Its not magic nor is it rocket science… which by the way isn’t all that problematic either.
The magic hasn’t really panned out though but I’ll keep at it. 
A keyed flute with tailfins … Now that would be awesome!
Seriously, are there any Chinese keyed instruments? They invented everything else. It would greatly surprise me if there were not some sort of attested key or extension mechanism for native instruments.
I think I’ve seen a photo of a bamboo saxophone with at least one or two keys. It’s not a flute, but it’d show that mounting keys is at least possible.
Ah. Found it.
Pentatonic. Who needs keys?
Maybe this guy:
Or this guy:
PIc #1: WTF?
Pic #2: I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything with that many keys. It looks like some kind of serious, miniature organ.
Oh, my goodness! Did I say that??
LOL! Yeah, I quoted that for the (apparently inadvertent) humor, not the insight. Shoulda put a smiley in.
I don’t think the phrase they were after is really “impossible;” I think “cost prohibitive” works much better.
–James