| CLASSIFICATION: | |
| Aerophone, End-blown flute, Vertical flute, Wind instrument – Western Equivalent – flute | |
| HISTORY: | |
| The xiao, also known as dongxiao, is made of bamboo and originated over 2000 years ago. It was some time during the Tang and Sung Dynasty when the vertically-played flutes were categorized as xiao and those horizontally-played flutes as dizi. | |
| PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: | |
| The xiao is often made from a nine-joint black bamboo with six finger holes, five at the front and one at the rear, and other 2-4 air holes at the lower end. | |
| SOUND PROPERTIES: | |
| Its sound is gentle and sweet which makes it most suitable for playing lyrical melodies. | |
| RANGE: | |
The xiao typically comes in one of two keys. In the key of G, the range is d1-e3. In the key of F, the range is c1-d3. | |
| Xiao | ||
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| Photo courtesy of Lark In The Morning |
See also Bangdi (piccolo); Gudi (flute); Qudi (flute); Dizi (transverse flute); Di (transverse flute); Xiao (vertical flute); Dongxiao (same as xiao).