Panpipes as a musical instrument

Child Care Facility

There are few instruments are as primal or ancient as the panpipes. Indeed, other than percussion instruments, the panpipes are perhaps the most ancient instrument in current use. Furthermore they are one of the best instruments for facilitating understanding how sound is made. For this reason, there is much research about the panpipes. This paper will focus on three aspects of panpipes, the history of the instrument, the cost and manufacture, and the physics.

As previously mentioned, the instrument currently known as the panpipes is ancient. Its origin is unknown, considering that it was first created well beyond the veil of written history. Acclaimed panpipes teacher and historian Mr. Costel Puscoiu argues that primitive man "probably accidentally discovered sound production by blowing a pipe, stems of plants (reed or bamboo) or animal bones" ("History of Panflutes"). Over time this single flute became multiple reeds bound together to create several different notes. The instrument has been found across Eurasia (and even in Meso-America), but an approximate estimation of where it was originally created cannot be made. Due to its vast spread, the panpipes more than likely were created at different times at different places. Regardless, the panpipes eventually fell out of use as more sophisticated instruments became available. The jaunty notes of panpipes were replaced by the haunting tones of the clarinet and other "modern" instruments. In modern times the panpipes have achieved a degree of popularity as niche musicians pick it up and make it their own.

Since there is very little demand for the instruments, panpipes are usually handmade. Indeed, the appeal to many musicians is the personal nature of the instruments. The simplistic nature of panpipes makes for ease of creation. This fact, combined with cheap materials, results in a relatively inexpensive instrument. A quick internet search reveals that panpipes are among the cheapest instrument one can procure, ranging from $20, for simple wooden models, to $100 for the "Romanian" models. Musicians who purchase these pipes can be expected to play as solo artists, as panpipes are rarely used in orchestral settings. They are usually too quiet to use otherwise.

The physics of panpipes is based on the concept of the closed tube. Imagine blowing into an old rum bottle. We know that blowing into the bottle correctly creates a tone. Old-time bands often used just this sort of instrument to create rhythm for the fiddler to play off of. The same principal applies to the panpipes. Panpipes are merely closed pipes of various lengths bound together and organized by size. According to the website Sound on Sound, a website devoted to music technology, describes the way air creates the notes thus, "At some point in time, the air at the mouth of the pipe is rarefied, and sucks in the air that the player is blowing across the top." ("Synthesizing Pan Pipes") When the player blows air across the entrance to the pipe the pressure forces some of the air inwards. Soon the air is blown outwards by the continued pressure. This is what makes the noise, the wave of air that comes out of the pipes. The length of the pipes can create different tones for the same reason. The amount of air which is moved creates either a tighter wave or a looser wave. Less air will create shorter waves, and thus a higher pitch.