The ''danso'' (also spelled ''tanso'') is a Korean notched, end-blown vertical

bamboo flute The bamboo flute, especially the bone flute, is one of the oldest musical instruments known. Examples of Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest flutes currently k ...

used in Korean folk music. It is traditionally made of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

, 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 (). 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 Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...

. The ''dan'' in the instrument's name means "short", and ''so'' refers to the notched, end-blown vertical bamboo flute. To match its name, It is the shortest wind instrument played vertically. Another Korean end-blown vertical bamboo flute, the '' tungso'' (), is longer.

References

Korean musical instruments End-blown flutes Bamboo flutes {{Flute-stub

See also

References