Xun - Globular Flute

A globular flute, in these synthetic times, is an instrument that is classified in the family of traditional instruments. This flute has a water drop or globule shape, and is formed with soil. It is characterized by its energy and softness. It excels when it takes the reverberation of places where it is played; just as an organ would do.

You can hear it, for example, at the end of “Du Shi Bai Ling” track : it is played in a large room and the instrumentalist varies the pitch by reducing the power of his breath.

Why traditional? Because this instrument exists at least since the Shang dynasty (- 1500/-1000 before j-c) and is lately indexed in the Book of rites which also transmits a classification of the musical instruments according to material of manufacture:

- metal: small bells with wood leaf, held with the hand; heavy suspended bells, with metal leaf.
- stone: phonolites made of jade or limestone.
- leather: various drums, as Tang-gu with two membranes and held on the belly.
- calabash: an mouth organ called Sheng and still used nowadays.
- bamboo: panpipes called Pai-xiao, long flute with 3 holes called Yo and with 6 holes called Di, Zhi flute.
- wood: for example the Zhu wood drum or the Yü scraper, with parallel notches cut in one side and having a shape of tiger.
- silk: the 5-7 strings zither called Qin have strings made of silk; the current form of this zither measures about 1,20 m long - 0,20 m width; goes back at the origins of the Shou Dynasty; the Se zither, more recent, is approximately 2,10 m long and counts 17 to 50 strings.

In ancient times, music was related to celestial religion: it orders notes of the pentatonic scale according to their cosmological equivalent; the fundamental note assign the whole and following notes the particulars. Music is the reflection of the world and the interior life of the man.

For young chinese people, this kind of timbres brings back to the old generations and sounds very dated. It has nothing to do with a certain future.

This flute is often used in n-Naos to personalize the nostalgia the young people test, but also to represent Nationalism. It is glorified by the Party through its chinese cultural richness rediscovery programs. It is a mean to find back chinese spirit, to tighten the rows ; as one would use a beret, Camembert cheese and a bottle of red wine, not so long ago, in France. Or with a national soccer team nowadays. Using sports in general and Olympic Games in particular.
nota bene: do not miss the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games!