Renaissance sopranpo rauschpfeiff in c  300 dpi JPEG

Rauschpfeiff

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The rauschpfeiff is a double-reed wood-wind instrument with a conically bored tube with a bell which is integrated in tube. The double-reed resides in a windcap. Rauschpfeiffs have eight medium sized fingerholes whereby eight hole is fingered with left thumb. Cross fingerings can be used. Rauschpfeiffs have a scale range of about a twelfth whereby it's overblown once. Today rauschpfeiffs are build in c/f-pitch in sizes sopranino (lowest tone f¹), soprano (lowest tone c¹), alto (lowest tone f⁰) and tenor (lowest tone c⁰). Rauschpfeiffs have a large range to slide tones in relation to European wood-wind instruments. Rauschpfeiffs are typical instruments of the Renaissance and were developed from medieval shawm. Simply constructed tube was maintained. Cone has a larger gradient in comparison with the Renaissance shawm of same pitch, that results in a shorter length of the instrument and a louder sound. Strongly changing sound of rauschpfeiff is very different in comparison with Renaissance shawm. Sound has a very nasal timbre in lowest range. Sound is similar to Renaissance shawm in middle range. Sound in overblowing range is very unique. This unique sound may be a reason for name "Rauschpfeife" in German language.

More recently rauschpfeiffs in d/g-pitch are build for an easier playing together with Marktsackpfeife. Smallest instrument with lowest tone g² sounds an octave higher than chanter of Marktsackpfeife. Largest instrument with lowest tone g⁰ sounds an octave lower than chanter of Marktsackpfeife. Three other sizes are build. Instrument with lowest tone d² sounds a fifth higher than chanter of Marktsackpfeife. Instrument with lowest tone g¹ sounds equal to chanter of Marktsackpfeife. Instrument with lowest tone d¹ sounds a fourth lower than chanter of Marktsackpfeife. These instruments are derived from chanter of Marktsackpfeife. These instrumnets can often be used as chanters in Marktsackpfeifes of same producer.

Soprano rauschpfeiff shown above has a scale range of c¹d¹–g² and it's tuned up to tuning pitch a¹ = 440 Hz.

Shawm

Zurna

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© Sönke Kraft, Hannover 2002 last update: 25.10.2015