Xiao Nan's chromatic bamboo flute - an invention & modification

Bamboo flutes (dizi) have over 2000 years of history in China. The basic construction of a traditional Chinese bamboo flute is quite simple, a piece of bamboo with a set of holes cut on it. This basic design has not been changed in 2000 years. Chinese bamboo flutes are used to play music written on a five-notes or seven-notes scale. The traditional bamboo flutes do not have half notes. As a result, they are not suitable for playing most western music.

Since 1981, Xiao Nan Wang had made many attempts to redesign the bamboo flute such that it can play half notes. Furthermore, he also redesigned (introduced) a mouth piece for the flute. A traditional bamboo flute has no mouth piece (it has a simple hole on the bamboo). Xiao Nan calls his flute a “chromatic” bamboo flute.

This chromatic bamboo flute still retains the basic characteristics (tone color) of a traditional bamboo flute. However, with the ability to play half notes, players can play a different repertoire.

Xiao Nan’s mouth piece is an important part of the new design (see Attachment C for a picture of the “chromatic” bamboo flute and the new mouth piece). It enables the player to have better control on the tone color disregard on the diameter of the bamboo. It also enables the flute to produce a more vivid and dynamic sound. After many years of trial and error, he finally created a set of bamboo flutes equipped with mouth pieces that can enable him to express his music as he envisages in his mind.

On February 11 2006, he showcased his chromatic bamboo flute in the 2006 Winnipeg New Music Festival. He performed a concerto entitled “North Wind” with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. This piece was composed by Jim Hiscott especially for Xiao Nan. It is a heterogeneous mix of East and West. Technically, this piece is very challenging. The technique required is unattainable with a traditional bamboo flute. Xiao Nan performed beautifully. Gwenda Nemerofsky, the music critic for Winnipeg Free Press, commended that “the evening’s highlight was Chinese flute player Xiao Nan Wang in Jim Hiscott’s North Wind …. Xiao Nan, a charismatic performer, employed a strong throat vibrato and demonstrated a wide range. His solo had an improvisatory and hypnotic appeal”.

Xian Nan has become a rising star in Winnipeg’s music community. He has successfully demonstrated his new bamboo flute to be a piece of versatile and expressive musical instrument. Presently, his flutes are one-of-a-kind prototypes. He is the only one who knows how to play them. Xiao Nan wishes to pass his experience and expertise to the future generations.

His first album, Chromatic Flute Selection Vol.1, using the chromatic flute, debuted December 2008.