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.
Before launching the ABS plastic Bocarina™, Mr Chris Schuermans was used to model (and still crafts) clay nose flutes (among other clay instruments). Indeed, he began creating nose flutes with clay, improving the model (there were 3 major ones) until satisfaction.
Here are 2 samples of the last clay flute model, which follow exactly the shape of the plastic Bocarina™ (well, it's more truly the inverse, plastic came later). So I won't write a review for them, since they follow the same technical specs and dimensions. Just a presentation.
Both the clay Bocarina™ presented here are beautiful... One is made of 3 different colour clay, mixed in swirled patterns and just coated with a simple glaze, and the other is made of white clay, and coated with a stunning irregular Delft blue stained glaze.
So, what are the differences between the plastic and the clay Bocarinas™ ?
For sure the look, the plastic ones more "modern" and the clay one with a "traditional handicraft" character.
Then, the weight. The plastic flute weight a bit less than 20 grams (precisely 19,5g), and the clay ones at least the double (44g for the blue one, and 52g the swirled mixed clay one).
Then the feel. Holding a clay Bocarina™ on your face gives a cool and fresh contact.
And then, the fact that the clay flutes are made in one piece, and not by clipping a part (the duct cover) on the shield, like on a ABS Bocarina.
For sure, while the technical specifications are the same, and the clay Bocarinas are made with a mould to insure a certain regularity (and efficiency) in the production, they are finished by hand, and more the clay is not as regular and precise as hot ABS injected under pression in a mould is. Therefore, obviously, some very tiny details are not 100% the exact perfection, but certainly not impinging the playablitity, which is quite similar to the ABS model.
Last little but noticeable difference : the clay Bocarinas™ are marked with Chris Schuermans' logo, symbolizing the four elements, each at work in pottery crafting.
It's quite rare to attend the birth of a new nose flute. For us, lovers of this small instrument, it's a real event, and that is what is happening now. Mr Chris Schuermans, craftsman and designer from Pretoria, South Africa, is launching the Bocarina™, a new hi-end plastic nose flute.
Well, Mr.Schuermans is not a 2011 newcomer in nosefluting : he began creating those instruments 4 years ago, after having read about them. As a potter, he first hand-shaped his first models, then created moulds. The first shape evolved to new models, leading to the beautiful current Bocarina™. During these years, Chris Schuermans thought also of developing a plastic production, in order to satisfy greedy mass-customers and lessen the fabrication costs.
It took Chris Schuermans around a year to achieve the final specifications of the plastic Bocarina™, using simultaneously his designing and nose flute playing skills, with the help of a 3D modelling software. It has been a very precise work to refine the fipple specs, dimensions, angles...
Finally, a first series of 2000 pieces were produced, in ABS plastics, according to 5 different colors, pure black, Delft blue, coral red, plain orange, and milky pink.
The first feeling comes from a visual appreciation. Indeed, the object is stunningly well designed, with beautiful curves but character, very equilibrated. It could have been designed by Pinninfarina for Ferrari... producing a mixed sensation of sweetness and power.
Taking the Schuermans' flute in the hand is another cool sensation. ABS is a very good quality of plastics, smooth, rather dense and solid. The Bocarina™ is thick. Nothing comparable with the other well-knowned thin polystyren instruments. The Bocarina™ is not made of a sheet of plastics curved to get the 3D shape, with rough edges. The South African flute was originally conceived as a volume, as a sculpture. Let's remember Chris Schuermans is a potter...
There are no angled edges on the Bocarina™ - excepted where needed (labium) - and even the border edges are rounded, giving a pleasant feeling in the hand or on the face, as a light and concave pebble would. And the thickness increases from the edges (~2mm) to the center (up to 4 mm).
The Bocarina™ is made with 2 parts : the biggest one, let's call it the shield, and a small piece, the duct cover, clipped onto the shield in order to close and form the air duct. This small part features a nose scoop, and is perfectly adapted to european noses. Quality of the ergonomics may be subject of individual appreciation, fitting more or less a face shape. In my own case, the Bocarina™ fits tightly my anatomy, providing a very good hermeticism. No air leaks, and a nice playing comfort.
Anyway, the fact the nose scoop is located on the so small duct cover could lead to have optional clips adapted to different nose shapes...
The mouth cap is huge, falling down to the chin, and allowing quite a wide open mouth position without air leak. With this feature, it is possible to play a wide range of notes even without touching the instrument with the mouth, which is very peculiar and surely practical for many mouth shapes.
The labium is double angled, but asymetrical, with a rather flat angle on the front, and a more open one on the inside (approx. doubling the slope). The mouth hole is quite narrow, just a bit less than 4 mm (~19 mm wide). The air duct, rounded, is as thin as 1.x mm at the air exit, while it is larger and ergonomically shaped at the entrance.
On the playability side, the Bocarina™ needs a very little time to accustom to, and almost immediately shows its great sound abilities. The sound is powerful, thanks to the ABS rigidity, the technical design and the absence of air leaks, with a beautiful texture.
While it is a bit difficult to reach the very high notes with a regular mouth position (they can be reached by shaping the tongue in L, almost touching the palate), the Bocarina™ ability to reach bass notes with easyness is absolutely stunning.
This is clearly the flute in my possession with which I get the lowest tones, and with loudness (not an out-of-blow bass, but a frank note).
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Has Mr. Schuermans reached a "plastic Grail" with the Bocarina™ ? Well, I would say this nose flute is very near perfection. Now, I have to find some flaws to show I'm honest. Indeed, there are, but very minor...
- First, we could dream of a better or easier ability to reach the very high notes without loosing the bass range.
- Then the way the duct cover is moulded leads to have a junction along the nose scoop, and the plastic artefact there is not pleasant. We would have prefered to have a nice rounded border there, for better comfort (since, I smoothed the joint line with very soft grain sanding paper).
- The Bocarin™a is not hand free, and it could be very easy to change that for the pleasure of ukulelists or fiddlers...
- The color choice is not wide enough (so easy to broaden!) and currently not well adapted to the european market.
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Here are some sound samples. I made the first one (i'm not a good player, sorry...) to show the range, and particularly the easyness to get the basses. Both next ones by Birdy Kuck (they were really first Birdy's tryings with the Bocarina™) some scales or so, to show the abilities, then Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
Here is a technical doc of the Bocarina™ :
And here, a presentation video by Mr. Chris Schuermans :
