Origins
There are many suggestions for the source of dizi. While legend suggest it was the invention of the Yellow Emperor, who wanted to make the bamboo a musical instrument, others suggest that dizi was imported into China during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).
Recently, archaeologists have discovered evidence suggesting that the simple transverse flutes (though without the distinctive mokong of the dizi) have been present in China for over 9,000 years. Fragments of bone flutes from this period are still playable today, and are remarkably similar to modern versions in terms of hole placement, etc. The Jiahu neolithic site in central Henan province of China has yielded flutes dating back to 7,000 BC - 5,000 BC that could represent the earliest playable instruments ever found. These flutes were carved with five to eight holes, and is capable of producing varied sounds in a nearly accurate octave. The dizi was we know it today roughly date to the 5th century BC, although form of transverse flute have existed as early as the 9th century BC. There are examples of bamboo dizi dates back to 2nd century BC that has been found. These flutes share common features of other simple flutes from cultures all around the world, including the ney, an end-blown cane flute which was depicted in Egyptian paintings and stone carvings. In fact, recent archeological discoveries in Africa suggest that the history of such flutes may date back a very long way in human history indeed.
On traditional dizi the finger-holes are spaced approximately equidistantly, which produces a temperament of mixed whole-tone and three-quarter-tone intervals. During the middle of the 20th century dizi makers began to change the finger hole placements to allow for playing in equal temperament, as demanded by new musical developments and compositions, although the traditional dizi continue to be used for purposes such as kunqu accompaniment. A fully chromatic version of the dizi is called xindi. Pitched in the same range of western flute, the xindi's extra tone holes prevent the effective use of the membrane, therefore, this instrument lacks the stereotypical timbre of the "dizi" family. While the both the bangdi (pitched in the same range as western piccolo) and qudi (pitched a fourth or fifth lower than the bangdi) are the most predominant, other dizi include the xiaodi/gaoyindi (pitched a fourth of fifth higher than the bangdi), the dadi/diyindi (pitched a fourth or fifth lower than qudi), and the deidi/diyindadi (pitched an octave lower than qudi.)
Read more about this topic: Dizi (instrument)
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