A few years back I purchased a flute made in a ring shape. It a mouth opening similar to a bansurai flute , six holes on the top side of the ring and one thumb hole on the bottom.
I can get some basic ( very, very basic) sounds out of it.

Anyone every played one or have some tips on how to play this style of flute.

Thanks

Terry

Yep, I bought one, the plastic model, just because someone with that imagionation
deserves some sales. Mine plays nicely, in the hands of someone who can play
a transverse flute.
I plan to modify mine by adding a fipple mouthpiece, then opening the tuning hole,
then retuning as needed.
I can not imagion how unique and beautiful the wood version would look, but
the price keeps me from owning one just to display.
Keep working with your ring flute. I have heard mine sound wonderful in the
hands of a player who can play it.

Now that is about the coolest thing I've seen in a long time... I'm thinking, the way you hold it, it might be a bit easier to play than a standard transverse, because you can hold the flute itself a lot more stable. That's my biggest problem with emboschures, I keep twisting the flute.
Is it blocked off where the little tail end shoots off? I would imagine it would have to be...
Wow, I would love to try and make one, or a variation with an SAC, but where would you even start???
Train a young bamboo shoot to grow in a circle? That would be a real long term project...lol...

Quick Edit by me...
I'm just thinking outloud, I won't actually steal the idea and try one...

Isn't that always the case .......

Thats how I end up with all these cool toys and I always end up chasing the sounds that caused me to get one in the first place .

Were you in the main tent with me at Echoes when the lady working there (I apologize I can't remember her name... Karen maybe???)
Anyway, were you in the tent with me when she played my walking flute? I know someone else was... OMG, it was amazing! I couldn't believe what she was doing with it, it sounded so beautiful. I was told later she has a couple decades of transverse experience under her belt, and she played like it!
I'm actually embarassed to try and play it now that I've heard what a pro can do with it!!!

As a flute maker, with little playing talent, it always amazes me to
hear someone play one of my flutes and make it sound like I dream
it could sound. A member of our group, Harold, can pick up any old
thing that looks like a flute, and make it sound like the finest flute
ever made. If I have him take the lead playing, I can then join in,
and actually sound like a player. He has the ability to draw players
into his music, and give them the chance to play as they wish they
could.
I have the greatest respect for those who have the natural ability to
channel music thru themselves and treat listeners to such wonderful
music as the NAF is able to produce.
For this reason, I have bought other makers flutes, to show them I
respect their ability to make and play their flutes. I keep those flutes
on display and let people share them ay flute circles to honor the
ability of those other makers.

Last November I was talking to Mark Holland for a few minutes, and I mentioned I had started making my own bamboo flutes. I had my little high-G bamboo screamer with me, still to this day one of the best sounding I've been able to do, and I showed it to Mark. He blew a couple notes with it, grinned and said it was a really nice little flute... and then ripped into something... I don't know what, but his fingers were a blur! My jaw about hit the ground... it was amazing, and sounded so great! I kept thinking "that's my flute???" You're right, it was amazing to see what arguably one of the best players in the world could make my little flute could sound like.
I'm also finding I still really like other makers flutes a lot, even though I can make my own now. Well, more or less...hehehe... I still have more learning to do. But even though I can make my own, I have several I love by other makers and I wouldn't replace them with one of my own for any reason. I definitly respect all of you guys that have been playing and making both for way longer than I've been around.
I'm just the new kid in the flute maker world, and if I have the $$$ or can make a good trade, I still definitly want to get my hands on a few more makers flutes (I still don't have a G-man flute... ).
I don't see that ever really changing.

I may have to get one of these some day. I love playing my transverse flutes but I have physical limitations that make it painful for me to play for more than a few minutes at a time. I end up putting down the transverse flute in favor of an end blown.

With the round flute I could hold my neck in the same position as my endblowns which would be way more comfortable for me.

BTW: I don't see a picture of the ring flute at all.

Art

http://www.ringflute.com/

I can't say that I'm very thrilled with the one short sound clip of the Ring Flute offered on their website. In fact, I'm rather unimpressed with it. It sounds to me like either amateurish playing or a poorly tuned instrument (or possibly both, but the problem is that it's impossible to tell). It's likely the former scenario instead of the latter, but you'd think that after putting "11 years of research and development" into this product, that they could find someone who can seriously play the thing well enough for an impressive sound sample. If the clip they have on their site is representative of the best that this flute has to offer, then I'm not inclined to spring for even the $36 plastic version, much less shell out $499 for the wood. I'd love to hear someone really put this thing through its paces, but I can't find any other examples of how it sounds (searches on YouTube only result in music from Lord of the Rings and videos of some idiot farting into his camera). Has anybody stumbled across any other recordings of the Ring Flute?

Interesting flute, but I think if I were to get a ring flute, I'd get one of Nash's snakes:

https://ssl.perfora.net/www.flutesbynash.co...ndex.shopscript

The snake flutes are really interesting. I'd consider ordering one but there's abolutely no contact info on his website other than the shopping cart system. That makes me a tad cautious.

Does anyone know where Nash is located, other than the "sierras north of Oaxaca?" I've been to Oaxaca. There's a lot of sierras north of Oaxaca, with a zillion tiny villages tucked away in them. It could be fun to go visit next time I'm down there if he's anywhere near where my friends live. Just wondering...

Coatlique

He lives and works down in Irvine, California and is a very nice guy. I have several of his creations. My favorite is one of those double Mayan clay flutes. It's in absolutely perfect pitch and when I play it for people, they're stunned. And he used to apprentice to Xavier Quijas Yxayotl.

Also, look at the bottom of his page. There's a contact button that leads you to all his contact info in Southern Cal. Address, phone number, email, etc.

Nash makes great flutes. "One that got away" was a drone that he brought to our local flute circle. It was a little out of my price range at the time but boy did it sound sweet. I have played and heard his clay pieces as well and they really sing!

Nash's snake flute does not look look comprable to the ring flute. It probably has a fipple mouthpiece instead of an embouchure.

I agree with Stephen about the ring flute. I was just about to order the ABS vesion last night when I read his post. The audio on the website does underwhelm. I would like to have a true "ring flute" but I'm not so sure I want a "ring ocarina". I would also like to hear more sound files and/or Youtubes so that I could see if this thing is worth having.

Art

Oh, DUH!!! Thanks!

Coatlique

http://www.ringflute.com/ There is the link to the ring flute website so you can check it out.

Terry