This web site is dedicated to the proposition that anybody who wants can play Chinese traditional flutes. The techniques described in these pages can be used with end-blown and transverse flutes from many lands and cultures. Everyone is encouraged to experiment. If you have questions or comments please contact me at mailto:dick@DickValentine.com. If enough new material accumulates, it will become a FAQ page.
These beginning flute lessons were inspired by many conversations about flute playing with professionnals, experienced amateurs, and people who recently got a pretty Chinese flute. Everyone pointed out a need for some simple songs and studies available on the web. I finally started to make good on my promise to create a site for this, by creating four first lessons for Xiao:
Response to my beginning xiao Lessons was encouraging. Many questions I received showed there should be some explanations about the scales natural to the design of particular flutes and also about the basic versus upper octave tones. So, the beginning Dizi lessons emphasize exercises more than tunes.
I plan to make more simple songs and other studies available, as time allows -- also known as Real Soon Now (tm). Feel free to let me know if you have specific requests.
Contents of these pages Copyright © 2005 Dick Valentine