The panpipe, sometimes called a pan flute, is one of those inventions that seemed to pop up everywhere all at once, dating all the way back to the Neolithic period. A panpipe is an aerophone (or wind instrument) that combines two or more end-blown tubes into a single instrument, usually bundled into a raft. The instrument takes its name from the goat-legged and horned Pán, the Greek god of shepherds, flocks, pastoral music-making, and wild spaces.
According to myth, when Pán became infatuated with a wood-nymph named Syrinx, she ran away and was transformed into a reed that sang plaintively in the wind. Enraged by loss, Pán smashed the reeds into pieces. Realizing what he had done, he began to kiss the reeds in remorse and found that they could produce music with his breath. Pán selected multiple reeds and bound them together. From that day forward, Pán would carry the voice of Syrinx with him in the form of an instrument still known by her name in Greece today (more on this here).
Typically, a panpipe will have between 4 and 18 cane tubes, with pipes of cane, bamboo, ceramic, bones, or clay all fastened together in a neat row, progressing from high to low pitch. While some panpipes can fit in the palm of one's hand, others from South America and Melanesia can be longer than a meter, with deep bass tones. By blowing across the tops of the holes, much as you might blow over the mouth of a bottle to make a sound, it's possible to create as many different pitches as you have pipes!
An instrument with origins around the world, the pan flute can be traced to almost every continent, with such a long history in each place that it is difficult to determine which came first. There are prehistoric examples of the instrument from regions as far-flung as Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Some of the oldest and best-preserved examples of Asian panpipes include two bamboo instruments in the tomb of Chinese Marquis Yi of Zeng, who died in 433 BCE.
While commonalities exist between all panpipes, they don't all follow the same construction and design principles. For example, Viking panpipes from the 10th century used tubes of different lengths drilled into a small 10cm box to create a small instrument for travel (find more prehistoric examples here). In Europe, the Greek syrinx has pipes of equal length, with wax to fine-tune each to a unique pitch. The Etruscans are commonly credited with popularizing the instrument throughout Europe. Roman colonies in France and near the Black Sea both made common use of the panflute, and texts exist that point to the prevalence of the instrument in Romania from the early 16th century, linking it to the modern Romanian panflute or nai.
Panpipes can be found all around the world, but the instrument seems to be the most popular throughout South America, as well as Melanesia (a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean). The panpipes have great cultural significance in both regions.
The oldest example of South American panpipes was found in Peru, predating both the Inca and Maya civilizations. Examples of silver, cane, and ceramic panpipes were located in tombs of the Paracas, Nasca, and Moche cultures. Panpipes have maintained a strong presence in South America from pre-colonial times as far back as 300 CE, up to the present day (more on this here). Mexico, Bolivia and Peru all feature statues of people playing panpipes. Today, Andean music regularly features pan flutes, known as siku in the Aymara language, antara in Quechua, and zampoña in Spanish (find out more about Andean music here).
The panpipe examples in Oceania display some similar characteristics to those found in South America (with two rows of pipes, dual instruments, as well as cane splints to hold tubes together), and it is possible that pre-colonial Trans-Pacific contact took place between these regions. However, with an instrument as simple in design as the panpipes could very well have arisen independently, with many different varieties in South America alone (more on this here).
Regardless of where and when the instrument originated, it has become incredibly popular worldwide. If you can blow over the top of a bottle, you can play the panpipes! Much as with a flute, you make a slight smile and purse your lips, then blow down over the top of the pipes. Using articulation with the tongue – releasing a breath of air preceded by a T, B, P, or D consonant – can help create different textures of sound. Tilting the instrument away from the lips while blowing can bend the pitches, and fluttering the tongue can create a trill (more on this here). There is a bit of a learning curve, but as with all things – practice makes perfect!
A few videos for inspiration:
- Matthias Schlubeck
- Ulrich Herkenhoff, Simion Stanciu, & Andreea Chira
- Noortje van Middelkoop
- Gheorghe Zamfir
The panpipes are a great instrument for beginners and seasoned musicians alike. Some of the performers of the panpipes with widest acclaim are well-accomplished musicians of other instruments. That being said, the panpipes are an instrument of the people, and carry with them a great folk tradition, from all corners of the globe! No matter what kind of music you want to play, chances are there is a panpipe out there that can play it...
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