Lydia Ayers

1
Expressive Performance of Five Chinese Flutes

• Lydia Ayers

2
Instruments

• Xiao end-blown notched bamboo flute with five
  frontal finger holes
• Paixiao 11 to 22 stopped tubes

paixiao
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Instruments

• Xun clay or porcelain vessel flute and one of
  the oldest Chinese instruments (at least 6,700
  years old)
• Koudi a small, flute-like whistle, frequently
  used to make flamboyant bird-like sounds

4
Di / Dizi
5
Di / Dizi

• Wrinkled membrane over one hole produces bright
  timbre

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Di / Dizi

• Each dizi in one major key

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Di / Dizi Fingerings

• Straightforward for pitches in the major scale

• Other pitches require half hole fingerings, which
  are especially difficult on small flutes

Fingering for 5
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Chinese Cipher Notation

• 1 D, sounds 8va

• The Key and Time Signatures

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Lu Chun Ling Huang Le Ge (Happy Song)
Example 1 Grace Notes in Measures 8-9
Chinese Notation
escape note
grace note
tonic
daiyin
Transcription
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Musical Examples

• Red crane bone flute Xiao Bai Cai (Little
  Cabbage) http//www.pubaf.bnl.gov/pr/bnlpr092299.h
  tml
• Paixiao Qian Zhaoxi Feng Xia Kong (Descending
  Phoenix)
• Xiao Zhuang Tai Qiu Si (Autumn Reflection at the
  Dressing Table) excerpt performed on dizi by Yu
  Xun-Fa, accompanied by zheng
• Xiao Zhuang Tai Qiu Si (Autumn Reflection at the
  Dressing Table) excerpt performed on dizi by Chan
  Hung-Yan, accompanied by zheng

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Musical Examples

• Dizi in D Lu Chun Ling Huang Le Ge (Happy Song)
• Glad Tidings Version
• Art of Lu Chun-Ling Version
• Chan Chun-Nins Version (personal recording)
• Magic Flutist Lu Chun-Ling Version
• Xun Liu Hongjun Xianren aisi (Dreaming of
  Ancestors)

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Musical Examples

• Koudi Bai Chengren Miao Ling Di Zao Chen
  (Morning in Miao Mountain)
• Dizi in F Li Da Tong Pa Mi Er Di ChunTian
  (Spring in the Pamirs)