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New Instruments at Gandharva Loka – December 2010

Dec 9th, 2010
by Vajin.
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Looking for interesting and stimulating gifts for Christmas?
Gandharva Loka Christchurch is very happy to announce that we have just received several shipments of new instruments and are expecting more within the next few days from India and Europe. We will post an update when they arrive but in the meantime, here is a list of some of our newly arrived world instruments. (You can click on the instrument icons to see a larger version of each instrument.)

Bagpipe Practice Chanter

Bagpipe Practice ChanterThe bagpipe practice chanter is a double reed woodwind instrument that is similar in appearance to a recorder. It can be considered an instrument in its own right but its main function is as a practice instrument for the Scottish bagpipes. Gandharva Loka now has in stock some beautifully finished practice chanters.

Balalaika

BalalaikaThe balalaika is a Russian fretted stringed instrument with a triangular body and three strings (one steel and two nylon) that are typically tuned to E, E and A. The balalaika Gandharva Loka has just received is the most common size, the prima balalaika, which is the smallest of the balalaika family. Comes with a hard case.

Celtic Lever Harps

Celtic Lever HarpsGandharva Loka now has a range of Celtic lever harps. The small and medium harps are lap harps and the larger size is free standing. They are all lever harps with nylon strings.

  • Small – 19 string lap harp.
  • Medium – 22 string lap harp.
  • Large – 22 string free standing harp

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Native American Flutes at Gandharva Loka

Nov 22nd, 2010
by Admin.
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Southern Cross FlutesGandharva Loka in Christchurch is very proud to offer a new range of exquisite Native American flutes from local flute maker Todd Chaplin of Southern Cross Flutes. Todd’s flutes are crafted from a variety of imported and New Zealand timberss. They are beautifully finished and often feature decorative inlays such as wood, semi-precious stones and paua shell.

Todd makes single and double Native American style flutes in a variety of sizes that offer a wide range of sounds. His flutes have lovely clear tone and, as is typical of this kind of flute, they are very easy to play. They also come with a comprehensive instruction manual and a flute bag. There are some lovely samples of Native American flute music on the homepage of Todd’s website – they are very expressive, soul stirring wind instruments.

About Todd Chaplin

Todd ChaplinTodd was first exposed to Native American flute music while living in Korea. In 2006 he bought his first Native American flute and has been an ardent player ever since. When the opportunity of an apprenticeship in flute making came his way with Matt Shooting Star of Spiritsong Flutes in Australia, Todd jumped at the chance.

After finishing his time with Matt, and at Matt’s recommendation, Todd decided to visit the master flute maker Guillermo Martinez in Southern California where he spent five months studying and making Native American flutes. He has now returned to Christchurch to set up a workshop and continue his journey. Read more »

About Native American Flutes

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New Instruments at Gandharva Loka – September 2010

Sep 4th, 2010
by Prasasta.
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Gandharva Loka Christchurch has just received an instrument shipment from Ghana in eastern Africa which includes small african djembes and brightly coloured cloth drum bags, plus patica and caxixi. We have also received an instrument shipment from America which includes boomwhackers and Remo buffalo shaman drums.

Caxixi

CaxixiCaxixi (pronounced ‘ka-shi-shi’) are a percussive instrument consisting of a closed basket that is usually made from coloured woven cane with a flat wooden base and filled with seeds or rice. Similar to the maraca, it is sounded by shaking. It is found across Africa and South America, but mainly in Brazil.

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New Instruments Arrive at Gandharva Loka

Jul 8th, 2010
by Vajin.
19 comments

Several new shipments of musical instruments have recently arrived at Gandharva Loka in Christchurch. These include a wide range of instruments from India, crystal singing bowls from America, tunable bodhrans and squeeze horns.

New Instruments from India

Gandharva Loka Christchurch has just received a long anticipated shipment from India. It takes about six months from when we place our order until when we receive the delivery as everything is hand-crafted and made to order. Chakra tuned Quartz Singing Bowls – new instruments at Gandharva Loka in ChristchurchBut good things are worth waiting for and Gandharva Loka now offers new tabla sets, shruti boxes, harmoniums, sitars, tanpura, dholaks, digital tabla and a number of small percussion instruments.

Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls

Imported from America, Gandharva Loka’s new range of chakra tuned crystal singing bowls are made of the highest quality (99.992% pure!) quartz crystal – making them incredibly resonant. The tones produced by these crystal singing bowls are not just heard by the ear, but also felt in the body. Certain tones have a positive affect on the subtle energy centres (chakras) and this makes the crystal singing bowls particularly conducive to healing, balancing and meditation.
More: Crystal Singing Bowls.
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