Pan Pipes and Pan Flute Music

The ever-growing popular pan pipes shows that music leads the way in joining people from different cultures in unison. From Irish pubs to the mountains of Mourne the special delicate melodies of pan pipes is appreciated the world over

The Pan pipes are a very simple instrument consisting of a five or more pipes of increasing length bound together and which you blow down upon whilst moving the pipes back and forth. Perhaps it is this simplicity which makes them so relaxing and calming.

The Greek god PAN was the god of shepherds, wild creatures of the mountains and other wild places and kept the company of nymphs. The fact that Pan played pan pipes and hence the name, and lived in naturalist simplicity is somewhat symbolic of the very essence of the pan pipes. They are not a complicated instrument and yet the combination and structure of sounds can construct images and invoke strong emotions. In this regard simple is strong.

Have you ever tapped a tune on a table, dishes and bottles or blown into a part empty bottle and noticed how the sound changes as the level goes down.

Yes, this is music started. Stone Age man taping or banging one surface against another making a percussion sound or blowing down a hollow twig or piece of bone, making the first wind instruments. Music has moved on leaps and bounds since then but the basic human desire to make a recognizable sequence of sounds and be able to repeat that sequence remains with us

We all have our own musical preference and these preferences change according to the activity we are engaged in, our age or other personal circumstances. There is however an almost universal appreciation of music in one form or another and this lens celebrates the popularity of pan pipes and pan flute music.

Please take a look at the Beer Bottle Symphony Orchestra video which is not only amusing but shows how tapping and blowing can be brought together with interesting results.

The Beer Bottle Symphony Orchestra video is just a bit of fun, but it does show how air blown down a tube creates different sounds according to the depth of liquid in the bottle. Pan pipes work along the same principle, but instead of bottles containing different levels of liquid the pan pipes are cut to different lengths. By sequentially placing the pipes from shortest to longest the flutist can create a scale of notes.

Cultural links between the generations through Music

When you think of Celtic music images of Ireland and Scotland come to mind, and there is almost a mystical element to this particular type of folk sound. Pan pipes are not unique to Celtic music, but the haunting (far away - misty field's image) lends itself firmly in the family of Celtic music.

This image was selected as picture of the day on the English Wikipedia for October 6, 2005.

Taken by Fir0002, flagstaffotos.com.au

Format: CD

Label: Sunflower Records

Genre: WORLD/CELTIC & IRISH

Barcode: 671765200129

They have outstanding intonation and a clear, dark tone

The pipes are mounted in a curved frame with individual channels, assuring stability, accurate placement, and precise control.

This 15-hole model plays two full octaves, moving diatonically from G to G.