Flute known as fipple flutes. The fipple gives the instrument a distinct timbre which is different from non-fipple flutes and makes the instrument easier to play, but takes a degree of control away from the musician. Another division is between side-blown (or transverse) flutes, such as the Western concert flute, piccolo, fife, dizi and bansuri; and end-blown flutes, such as the ney, xiao, kaval, danso, shakuhachi, Anasazi flute and quena. The player of a side-blown flute uses a hole on the side of the tube to produce a tone, instead of blowing on an end of the tube. End-blown flutes should
Xiao (flute) Xiao (flute) The xiao (, pronounced ) is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It is generally made of bamboo. It is also sometimes called dòngxiāo (), "dòng" meaning "hole." An ancient name for the xiāo is "shùzhúdí" (, lit. "vertical bamboo flute", ) but the name "xiāo" in ancient times also included the side-blown bamboo flute, "dizi". The "xiāo" is a very ancient Chinese instrument usually thought to have developed from a simple end-blown flute used by the Qiang people of Southwest China in ancient period. "Xiao" are mostly made of bamboo, the best being 'purple bamboo' or . Sometimes,