This blog is dedicated to the sublime instruments called nose flutes and which produce the most divine sound ever. We have chosen to discard all the native models from S. Pacific and Asia, for they need fingering to be played. We'll concentrate on "buccal cavity driven" nose flutes : the well patented and trademarked metal or plastic ones, plus, by a condemnable indulgence, some wooden craft or home-made productions.

Oct 28, 2014

The Nose-Monica by Happy-Flute

Through the years, Gillette and its competitors have added blades and blades to their razors. They have recently reached the number of 5 blades on a single razor, and there is no reason they stop there, and I suppose that in 20 years we'll have razors with a blade dedicated to each one of our hair. The world of nose flutes is not exempt of this More contest, and the talented and inventive Mr. Akio Takamura (Happy-Flute workshop founder with Mr. Go Nagayama), after having crafted some double-fipple nose flutes (look at this one), just finished his triple-flute. Not a triple fipple with one air entrance, but a real triple nose flute in one. Akio Takamura named his new model Nose Monica (鼻モニカ)



Why three nose flutes? Well, if you take a look at the pictures above, you can see that whether the 3 air entrances are rather similar, the 3 fipples are increasing in size from left to right, from a treble to a lower tonality range. Mr Takamura wrote (with an optimistic humour) that he hopes to reach a 7 octaves range all in all :). Great job, anyway!

4 comments:

  1. Tremendously beautiful object! I love the way the nose flute becomes a more substantial, more intricate and more visible object. I can only applaud any such efforts! Obviously, I would like to hear some sound excerpts from all three, to be able to tell the difference in tone and range, if there is one.

    My personal interest would be to incorporate different sounds, really. I would definitely want to have a reedy resonating part as in a kazoo, with a bamboo tone. I would preferably want to have a full-bodied resonating part, with a rich shiny tone, like my silver flute or the perspex Froby. My third choice would have to be a deep and rich resonating clay tone. In all of my three choices I would definitely want to achieve an intrinsic resonating sound, to give the nose flute tone more weight and more expression.

    I guess this could only really be achieved by using three different materials? Maybe a specifically designed rack could contain three inidvidual flutes, which would look even more substantial? This rack then could conceal the content and work as one form. I wonder if such a rack could also include a kazoo or other effectlike instruments.

    I would visualize this in the shape of a large ocarina, a bowl-shaped object, about 20 centimetres or about 8 inches in diameter. I guess the round shape would allow for incorporating up to 5 nose flutes in a circular arrangement. When held by two hands, one on each side, the visual impact would be so much bigger. In my view, this would definitely bring about the next level for the nose flute as an instrument.

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    1. It's really a Pan-nose-flute. I suppose you can slide from one pipe to the other...

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  2. Die spinnen die Japaner! Serieusement, c''est très créatif et original!

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    1. Yes, very creative. Japan leads in nose flute innovation.

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