Description
A bamboo flute is a wind instrument made from a bamboo stem; many types are used worldwide, particularly in folk music, as shown in this list of bamboo flutes. The oldest types of bamboo flutes are played like a transverse flute, meaning that the player controls the tone entirely with their lips. Some such instruments are literally played transversely, such as the North Indian bansuri, others semi-transversely, such as the kaval from the Balkans or the ney from Asia Minor. Still others use a sharply ground edge and are played straight, such as the shakuhachi from Japan or the kena from South America, which has an additional slit cut into the edge to facilitate tone production. The playing style of more modern instruments is sometimes similar to that of the recorder: the tone is largely produced automatically within the instrument by the construction using a small block. The tone of a bamboo flute is always relatively soft, due to the softness and light weight of the material.
