Advice on Pan Flutes

Is the Pan Flute easy to learn?
Does it require good manual dexterity.

WHAT?!?

the SDMB doesn’t have one member who knows anything about this?!

This board just isn’t the same since Zamfir let his subscription lapse. :slight_smile:

Sorry, I’m no Zamfir, but it had to be said.

I don’t know, Stan and Kyle seemed to pick it up pretty quickly.

Try this site.

How to Play the Pan Flute

OK, jokes are over.

Several years ago I was attacked & robbed when work a night shift at a store.

I suffered some neuro damage, & have reduced manual dexterity.

I went from a guy who won prizes painting miniatures, to a guy who has trouble typing.

Does the Pan Flute require manual dexterity? If so, how much?

Not to talk you out of Pan Flute, but have you thought about harmonica? There is very little manual dexterity involved. You do need to have a tiny bit of dexterity in your mouth though, and the ability to control your breathing.

Something less…cheesy, please.

Meh, ok. I think the harp rocks and wish I could play it better, but to each their own. I would take a look at the linked video’s in that case. My guess is no, there is not a lot of manual dexterity involved, but the vid’s should let you know for sure.

Beat me to it. Here are some harmonica instruction videos.

Adam Gussow’s Harp instructionals:

Big Walker’s instructionals:

JP Allen - especially good for beginners:

Dan Gage:

“How to play pan flute” search at Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+play+pan+flute&search_type=

Harps are cheesy, huh? And Pan-flutes aren’t?

You’re just http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10414099#post10414099 different

You can’t get better harp than BLUES HARP … Check out Charlie Musselwhite, who learned directly from BIG WALTER HORTON. I’ve been trying to play blues harp for over 30 years, and I STILL CAN’T !!! (sheds tears of anger and self-pity)!

BTW, There’s Big Walter, Little Walter, and, no lie, there was a Middle Walter :cool:

There’s also Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee Williamson) and Sonny Boy Williamson II (Alex “Rice” Miller). I could go on … :smiley:

I play harmonica a bit and panpipes a bit less - of the two, I’d say Harmonica is harder to learn, but easier to play

With panpipes, its all blowing - making it an exhausting instrument to play - at least it is for an amateur. That sounds sillier to say than it is in practice.

This helps.

the videos don’t, my computer is too much of a junkheap for this to be a good option.