syrinx

[Yuri Terenyi]

I just got an order from the same guy that I made a pair of auloi to make a reconstruction syrinx.
Anyone knows any firm evidence for this? I mean, I know perfectly well what a set of panpipes are like, and have made a very few in the past myself. I'm interested in real ancient Greek (possibly Roman or other related cultures, but primarily Greek) evidence.
Thanks.

[Stephen Bacon]

http://spyros-syrinx.blogspot.com/2011/ ... _5359.html
Some real nice examples at the bottom of the page.

[Yuri Terenyi]

Thanks, Stephen. that's a great resource there.
Now, the next question. Anyone has any idea what exactly those stepped panflutes were like? I mean the ones with what looks mostly like 6-7 pipes arranged in the "normal", familiar step-by-step order, then the shortest one linking onto another 6-7 pipes all being the same lengt?

[Stephen Bacon]

It is a recurring theme as are the sets made from equal length pipes. My guess would be movable stoppers. In Chinese pan pipes the external tube length and pitch are not always related. Will you be tuning them in Pythagorean temperament?

[Yuri Terenyi]

I know that the equal tubes obviously have stoppers somewhere there that are not equal. When I did make a few panpipes a while ago, I didn't make a definite stop, (though they were the traditional, slanting shape) as in wax or whatever. Instead I cut little corks that could be pushed both up and down by a stick. I found that different players have a different playing technique, so when a set is just right for one player, it isn't for another. Hence the cork solution, so players can tune them themselves to suit. As a bonus, you can tune in different scales, too.

What I cannot figure is the (quite frequent) pipes depicted that show the set looking as if composed from two unrelated ones, one slanting, the other straight, stuck together. It just doesn't seem to make sense. I just can't think of any logical reason.
Any ideas, anyone? ANYONE?!?!? YOOHOOO!!?!?!?

[Stephen Bacon]

Know the old Tetrus 1-2 2-3 3-4 = 10=1=9/8 , Ancient Greek modes are descending modes, the Christian monk modes ascending.Also learn about tetrachords. The same size pipes must be tunable as your cork method, for various modes. It could be that at binding method used works poorly with shorter pipes. The numbers of low varied length pipes and the number of high equal length pipes are not consistent, but the longest pipe length in relation to the shortest appears 1-2= 8va. The other short pipes must be in the second octave. I find no mention of individual pipe tuning in the ancient texts. Altho, a descending mode of mixolydian may be a good choice. Back to the old Apollo vs Dionysian debate of the 19th century.

[Yuri Terenyi]

The binding idea sounds quite logical. I haven't thought of that. Though, in a few instances there seems to be a configuration where the shortest pipe of the slanted row of is about twice as long as the following same-lenght raft. Maybe the long ones were open, and the raft lot were stopped, so the pitch went on uninterrupted?
I need to really settle down with a basic book on Greek musical theory. I have in the past tried reading some, but frankly speaking they boggled th mind. What with me having no formal musical training at all... I did sort of hazily realize that the ancient Greek modes are not quite the same as the equivalent Medieval ones, but just didn't really want to believe it. It's so much simpler to use the Medieval stuff.

[Stephen Bacon]

Not stopped , interesting, had not thought of that. My first response is that they are somewhat short and the blowing technique is quite different, not very seamless. Like Aulos, variations on the theories of Greek music abound, I just gave you a little piece that might help you in your tasks. Boethius, Aristoxenus and Plato all give a sense of who Pathagorus was and what he had to say on music as well as how music was used in their time. I know of no one book that has it all.