What is this flute? *Picture*

[Jasyan]

Flute by jkp92, on Flickr

I was watching an episode of Firefly and heard this incredible flute being played and I'd love to purchase one but I have no idea what kind of flute it is.

Would anyone be able to tell me what kind of flute it is? I'm sorry for the poor quality photo.

Thank you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53007149@N05/8217940144/

[pied_piper]

The flute in you photo appears to be a simple bamboo flute. There are many different types of bamboo flutes. Some have six or seven holes and are tuned so that they can play traditional western style music. Others have fewer holes and are tuned to play ethnic music. The one in your photo is a small, high pitched flute probably pitched close to the range of a piccolo. Since the photo does not show the holes, there is no way to know whether it is tuned to a western or ethnic scale.

One of the best sources for bamboo flutes is Erik the Flutemaker:
http://www.eriktheflutemaker.com/

He makes bamboo flutes in dozens of styles and tunings. Take a look at his website and browse through his flutes. He has some videos and audio files too so you can hear what some of them sound like. He is quite a character and his videos are often quite humorous. He is a very well respected flute maker. Some of his flutes are reasonably priced, but others have very elaborate carvings and finishes and are more expensive. Send him the photo and he can probably suggest one of his flutes that is similar.

[Jasyan]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!

I had a look through his website but couldn't quite hear what I was looking for. So I thought this might help in identifying the flute, it's the song in which it's played: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSxy8h6Iz-4

Thank you!

[pied_piper]

OK. The instrument in the YouTube recording soundtrack is not the instrument in the photo you posted.

The soundtrack features a traditional sounding Irish song and instrument in the soundtrack is an Irish tin whistle (also known as a pennywhistle, an Irish whistle, or sometimes just whistle). They are made in many different keys, but the most common one is a "D" tin whistle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_whistle

Here are some other YouTube recordings featuring a tin whistle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ByPLjTQmw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDUFtW2KIvY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tIl0DD0Ta0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE-fWvL04j0

Inexpensive D tin whistles can be bought for under $10. They are often made of brass and/or various plastics. Really good ones made of wood and silver can cost as much as $500. Here's an example. Do a Google search and you will find them available from many online stores.
http://www.amazon.com/Waltons-Whistle-E ... 0786664509

I have several tin whistles in various keys. They are quite fun to play and easy to take with you anywhere you go.

Generation G Tin Whistle
Generation F Tin Whistle
Generation Eb Tin Whistle
Waltons D Tin Whistle
Waltons C Tin Whistle
Generation Bb Tin Whistle
Clark's 'Meg' D Tin Whistle (Conical bore and plays really sweet)
Shaw D Tin Whistle (COnical bore - Tweaked by Jerry Freeman - also a sweet player)
Homemade D Tin Whistle (I borrow the fipple from my other D whistle)
Chieftain Low D Whistle

[Jasyan]

Oh okay, thanks! I'll have a look at some tin whistles.

Wow, 'Firefly' really got the instrument wrong. Sorry about that!

Thank you so much for helping me! I really appreciate it!