How the danso makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the danso belongs to the flutes (edge-blown): an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating – flutes, recorders, whistles and panpipes.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The danso (also spelled tanso) is a Korean notched, end-blown vertical bamboo flute used in Korean folk music. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but since the 20th century it has also been made of plastic. It was imported from China in the 19th century, where it is called duanxiao (simplified Chinese: 短箫; traditional Chinese: 短簫; pinyin: duǎnxiāo; lit. 'short xiao'). The Korean name is the transliteration of the Chinese one, a short variant of the xiao.
The flute has four finger holes and one thumb hole at the back. The playing range is two octaves, going from low G to high G. The lower sounds are made by just blowing, whereas the higher ones are made by difference in the strength of the blowing. The tone is clear, and it is also used as a solo instrument, but is mainly used for ensemble with other instruments in chamber music.
Other flutes
More instruments from Korea
Frequently asked questions
What does a danso sound like?
As one of the flutes, its sound comes from the way an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating.
What type of instrument is the danso?
It is classified as flutes (edge-blown) (Hornbostel–Sachs 421.141.12).
Where does the danso come from?
The danso originates from Korea.
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q846109 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Danso – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Rémi Cormier – CC BY-SA 3.0