Lew Paxton Price
The Oldest Magic

This is Price's magnum opus for the ethnic folk flute. Encyclopedic in scope. it details the ancient history, nature and early influences of folk flutes around the world on human culture. Especially interesting is a discussion of the development of musical scales musical from the time of ancient Chinese civilization and Pythagoras and to the present. As a flutemaker, Price pays particular attention to the structural aspects and nuances of indigenous wind instruments. He traces the evolution and legacy of a variety of these instruments including the panpipe, Native American flute, quena, shakuhachi, Middle eastern nay, Indo-European flutes and wind instruments of South east Asia. The book also analyzes the acoustical physics and design aspects of folk flutes which Price has studied, as well as practical hands-on techniques used in their construction. 211 pages. CM-10