Probably the least attractive instrument in my selection – the player is made to look like a cheery Hannibal Lector – it is also one of the weirdest. The sound is very similar to a recorder but with a much more song-like edge because you can slide the notes all over the place, more like a Swannee Whistle. I hardly ever see these in the UK, but for some reason, they are very popular in Germany and Holland, where they sell cheap plastic ones in nearly every music shop. Here’s me playing the James Bond Theme as it was (probably) originally conceived:
You play it by blowing into the flute through your nose and changing the shape of your mouth to alter the notes. It’s a bit like blowing into the mouth of a bottle, with your mouth acting as the body. My wooden one was given to me, and you can watch a clip of the guy who made it HERE. It’s very easy to sound like one of the Clangers. For more info about the noseflute, you can visit www.noseflute.org.
