How the Anasazi flute makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Anasazi flute 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.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The Anasazi flute, named for the Anasazi people, is a prehistoric end-blown flute replicated today from findings at a massive cave in Prayer Rock Valley in Arizona, United States by an archaeological expedition led by Earl H. Morris in 1931. The team excavated 15 caves; the largest among them had 16 dwellings and many artifacts, including several wooden flutes, which gave the site its name, the Broken Flute Cave.
The flutes found in the cave were dated between 620 and 670 AD. They were all made of box elder, have six finger holes and are end-blown. It is similar in many respects to a Hopi flute, which has only five finger holes.
Other flutes
Frequently asked questions
What does the Anasazi flute 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 Anasazi flute?
It is classified as flutes (edge-blown) (Hornbostel–Sachs 421.111.12).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q4751792 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Anasazi flute – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by American Museum of Natural History – Public domain