Blurring the lines between new and ancient music, Samjjana (‘sum-ya-na’) brings together the Native American flute with the hang – percussion instrument of Switzerland. Actually it’s not a drum, the hang (‘haŋ’) is a steel disc played with the hands, and it is one of the newest instruments in the world today.

The ethereal sound that comes from it fits perfectly with the Native American flute. In this case it’s a drone flute, meaning it is two flutes made as one, with the opposite side playing a single fixed note. So enjoy the hang and listen for the harmony produced by the extra sound chamber on the flute, then Click Here to check out another wind instrument.

Unlike other Native American flutes which are played by blowing directly into the end to produce the sound, the Anasazi flute is played by forming an embouchure to blow air across the rim of the instrument. It is much longer than other Native American flutes and so produces a much deeper sound.

This instrument comes from the ancestors of the Pueblo people living in Arizona and New Mexico. Since it is not known what these people called themselves, they have been given a name and are now commonly referred to as the Anasazi. After listening to Scott August Click Here for more instrumental music.

Like many ethnic instruments of eastern Asia, the hulusi is a free reed wind instrument which is played throughout China. Made of 3 bamboo pipes and a gourd wind chest, the hulusi in this video is played by Vladiswar Nadishana, musician from Siberia who plays on more than 100 instruments from all around the world to create his unique blend of music. On percussion is Steve Shehan who has been playing with Nadishana for years. After the video Click Here to see another instrumental world video.

While most ocarinas are somewhat limited in range, this certainly can not be said of the triple chambered ocarina. Capable of playing nearly 3 octaves as well as chords, the ability of this little wind instrument is really quite impressive.

After the video of this triple ocarina, Click Here to check out another wind instrument.

The remarkable thing about the didgeridoo is that pretty much everything about the instrument is just plain strange.

I mean, traditionally the didgeridoo is crafted by termites as they eat and hollow out the inside of a eucalyptus or bamboo trunk, the origin of the instrument is of the Australian Aborigine, the name itself seems to be an onomatopoeia, and the unusual technique of circular-breathing is often used to allow for continuous play. Definitely unique among instruments.

Some modern versions of the didgeridoo are made of pvc pipe, and while these produce an interesting sound in their own right, these of course pale in comparison to the original (or aboriginal as it were…).

After the video, click here and check out some African hand-drums.

Dating back at least 12,000 years to ancient Chinese, Mayan and Aztec cultures, the ocarina is one of the oldest known musical wind instruments. Made of any kind of hollowed vessel, just about anything can be turned into an ocarina. Most commonly, ocarinas are made of wood or ceramic, but they have been known to be made out of anything from carrots to sea shells too.

Interesting that two civilizations across the world from each other would develop practically the same instrument at pretty much the same time, eh?

What makes them unique is that, unlike other flute-like instruments, the tone of the ocarina is produced by the percentage of the surface covered, not the location of the holes themselves. That and the fact that most all ocarinas are hand-made, and so no two of these are the same.

The ocarina was made popular world-wide in 1998 with the release of the Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time. Here is a little tribute to that momentous occasion. After the video, Click Here and check out another world wind-instrument.

Typically made of bamboo, the rich soulful sound of this Japanese flute more than hints at the spiritual history of the instrument. For Zen Buddhist monks during the medieval period, the common use of shakuhachi was as much for meditation as it was for music.

Today, in Hollywood the shakuhachi is a somewhat commonly used instrument in many films of Japanese setting. Enjoy this performance by Tadashi Tajima in Osaka, Japan.

After the video, Nathan Lee is ready to kick it up a notch with his Beatboxing Flute.