What are pan flute holders?

This post is also focused on a question that customers often ask: What are pan flute holders, and what are they used for?

The pan flute is a wind instrument that is normally played by holding it with both hands and placing it against the musician’s lips. However, it is also possible to use a holder that keeps the pan flute in position. This frees the musician’s hands and makes it possible to play another instrument at the same time.

A pan flute holder positions the instrument in front of the musician’s face. In the case of single-row pan flutes, the musician usually moves the head horizontally to reach the different pipes. In the case of sikus, or double-row pan flutes, the movement is both horizontal and vertical. Because of this, playing with a holder requires familiarity, practice, and skillful control of the instrument.

Pan flute holders can be useful because the pan flute is often a melodic instrument. This means that it usually plays the main melody, but does not easily provide harmony or accompaniment by itself. By freeing the hands, the musician can add a supporting instrument, such as a guitar or, more commonly in South America, a charango.

This makes the pan flute a very versatile instrument. Unlike instruments that usually limit the musician to either melody or harmony, the pan flute can be adapted so that it can be played at the same time as another accompanying instrument. In this way, the musician can play the melody on the pan flute while also providing harmony and rhythm with the charango or guitar.

From a cultural perspective, it is common to see performers in Peru playing the siku and the charango at the same time. From my perspective as an academic, I would say that this kind of multitasking has become part of the performative dimension of pan flute playing. In other words, the “show” is not only the song being performed, but also the visible difficulty of playing the siku, with both horizontal and vertical head movement, while maintaining the melody and simultaneously playing harmony or rhythm on the charango.

I find this interesting because this display of skill offers a different perspective on pan flute performance. The pan flute is often associated with a standard image of indigeneity connected to sorrow, melancholy, and pain. However, this kind of multitasking performance emphasizes virtuosity, bodily control, and technical skill. It shows another side of the instrument and its cultural performance.

This type of skill-based performance can also be placed in conversation with other Peruvian traditions, such as the scissors dance, where performers display bodily ability through demanding movements, including jumps, stretches, balancing, and acrobatic gestures. In both cases, the performance is not only musical or symbolic, but also a demonstration of discipline, coordination, and physical mastery.

I want to end this post by sharing a YouTube video I found by Roberto Moreno. In the video, he shows how a Hohner FlexRack harmonica holder can be adapted for pan flutes. He also demonstrates how to use it while playing the charango. I encourage you to please like his video and support his channel by following him. His channel has amazing pan flute music and educational videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRIPfIUQbTI

Lastly, it is indispensable that you measure your pan flute beforehand so that you make sure that it fits whichever holder you are looking to purchase.

Ron Godoy