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vessel flute
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toad ocarina
toad ocarina Toad ocarina, slip-painted ceramic, Nopiloa, southern Veracruz, Mexico, 700–900 ce; in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

vessel flute

musical instrument
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Also known as: globular flute
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Also called:
globular flute
Related Topics:
flute
xun
whistle
ocarina
See all related content

vessel flute, musical instrument, an aerophone with a closed, spherically shaped body and a blow hole and sometimes with finger holes. In Africa many vessel flutes are made from gourds or shells; pottery bodies are found in China and Latin America. Ocarinas are often considered globular flutes, but they typically have ducts that guide the air from the blow hole to the edge and usually have more finger holes (see also fipple flute).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski.