Flutes

Creation is home to a number of flutes, with a wide variety of sounds and construction methods, most commonly bone and Bamboo (or other canes such as the Sugar), though sometimes carved of wood or forged of metal.

Ascending Flute

The Ascending Flute is an end-blown flute constructed of Bamboo. In Creation today, it is well regarded: it is simple to construct, allowing even peasants to bring musical performance into their villages, and yet has vast versatility in terms of sound and tone when in the hands of a master, able to play a repertoire of songs far beyond any of its peers given the right control of breath and fingers.

The Ascending Flute is mentioned in the Geya of the Bamboo Grove, one of the Immaculate Texts, which provides instructions for basic play and construction. It was of particular importance to the (now heretical) Melodic Insight sect, who used it in their ‘blowing meditations’ as they cultivated their own Essence and enlightenment.

Dragon’s Wing Flute

The Dragon’s Wing Flute is a transverse flute constructed of Bamboo, with a lacquered interior and an exterior that may be lacquered or wrapped in bark. Its sound is said to evoke the flight of dragons, though the meaning of this is subject to many interpretations: some cults devoted to Gaia or the lesser elemental dragons consider it to match the literal flight of draconic spirits, while those in the orbit of the Immaculate Order hold the dragon’s flight to be a symbolic term for the connection between Heaven and Earth demonstrated by the Immaculate Dragons and the Dragonblooded who enforce the Perfected Hierarchy.

The Dragon’s Wing Flute is mentioned in the Geya of the Bamboo Grove, one of the Immaculate Texts, which provides instructions for basic play and construction.

Beaked Flute

The Beaked Flute is a tapered end-blown flute, typically carved of hardwood or bone (though there are some examples known forged from Adamantine Glass). Its music is considered to be clear and sweet, with a high pitch.

These instruments take their name from the beak-like shape of the mouthpiece, known as the fipple, which constricts airflow to produce the instrument’s distinct sound. Beaked flutes also have a thumb hole on the back of the instrument, in addition to the finger holes at the fore. Beaked flutes and others with such a fipple design require different techniques to master than other end-blown flutes, and to prove skill in both Beaked and Ascending Flutes is a point of pride for the expert flautist.

In traditional Shogunate theatre and musical troupes, the beaked flute was considered the lead instrument in scenes of romance, as well as to produce effects evoking birdsong.

Syrinx

The Syrinx is an end-blown flute, diverging from its cousins significantly in that rather than a single or double column with finger holes, it instead employs one to three rows of multiple pipes, varying in length and girth to allow the player to produce different notes by blowing over different pipes. Syrinxes are typically constructed of bamboo or local reeds.

Embracing Flute

The Embracing Flute is a close relative of the syrinx, but rather than arranging its pipes in rows it connects them in a circle, the musician rotating the instrument to reach the required pipe. It is most common in the Southeastern Threshold, where it is manufactured from cane-like grasses.

Ocarina

The Ocarina is a flute consisting of a projecting mouthpiece and an egg-shaped main body, punctured by four to twelve finger holes, formed of clay or (in the case of upper class versions) porcelain. It is commonly found amongst the peasants of the Blessed Isle, particularly Eagle Prefecture, where it replaces the Ascending Flute as accompaniment for dances and local folk music. Amongst these peoples, the instrument is often called a 'Singing Sweet Potato'.

In contrast, ocarina music amongst the upper classes of the Realm (played on beautifully decorated porcelain instruments) tends not towards dance but towards haunting or melancholy melodies.

Ocarina in the Threshold often bear animal shapes, most frequently birds, but such iconic designs raise the ire of the Immaculate Order, leaving those on the Blessed Isle much simpler in shape, decorated instead with coloured glazes in geometric patterns.

Fife

The Fife is a small transverse flute, constructed of metal (typically Tin or Brass. Its high, sharp notes carry well for great distances over the din of battle, making it popular for organizing marches and for signalling in military music, particularly amongst the armies of the Scavenger Lands and coastal northeast northward to Whitewall. The fife is also the key instrument in the folk music of Azerban.

Snake Flute

The Snake Flute is a wind instrument originally from Yane, commonly used by snake charmers in their performances. The instrument has two pipes, and to play it a musician needs to learn a technique called 'circular breathing', as the melodies normally do not allow for pauses.

Buzzing Flute

Buzzing Flutes are transverse wind instruments originating in the Shogunate Era, traditionally made from two pieces of Bamboo joined with a , with six finger holes and a hole into which breath is directed. There is also an additional hole, covered by a 'paper' of very thin shaved reed, held in place by placing a small amount of garlic juice around the hole and slightly moistening the paper as it is placed into position. The paper is then dried to the proper tension, when it produces a loud buzzing sound as the instrument is played... the specifics of which can be controlled by forming particular wrinkles and folds in the paper, an art form as complex as the music itself.

Although a relatively easy instrument at first, the standard for good Buzzing Flute playing is extremely high, with alternate keys, accidentals and slides requiring very subtle adjustments of the fingers to cover only a quarter or half of a hole. The instrument is thus popular in musical circles, where it allows musicians to compare their mastery, but is not favoured for performances as many consider it to lack emotional depth. An exception to this is in theater productions, due to the Buzzing Flute's ability to replicate certain types of birdsong.

Glass Flute

The Glass Flute is a rare wind instrument dating from the First Age, constructed of Adamantine Glass, similar in appearance to a Fife but far different in sound. Played solo, the glass flute grants a haunting quality to its music, while some performing troupes have found that when paired with another flute it marries beautifully to provide a wistful echo to the tune.