Collection of Instruments

Jim has a huge collection of musical instruments representing all the continents except Antarctica. He plays most of these instruments, using them in both recordings and concerts, as well as for teaching workshops and classes

Flutes and Related Winds:

1. Ceramic Flutes and Ocarinas - close to 100 different designs in collection, some producing two or three notes simultaneously. Tonal qualities range from deep and warm to high and shrill to resonant and reedy. Primarily of Mayan, Aztec,Toltec, Costa Rican and Incan origin
2. Panpipes - wide assortment of sicus, samponias, etc. from Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, France, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Ranging in size from three inches to three feet long
3. Kenas - the clear toned end-blown flute of the Andes
4. Mosenos - very unusual and beautiful long wooden flutes from Bolivia
5. Tarkas - shorter, strident-sounding wooden flutes from Bolivia
6. Small Bamboo Flutes - transverse and fipple designs from various native Mexican cultures, including the Purepecha and Raramuri
7. Giant Bamboo Flutes - 3 contemporary transverse designs from Hawaii and Florida, ranging up to 6 feet long
8. Plains Indian Courting Flute - the classic Native North American flute
9. Shuar Transverse Reed Flute - from the upper Amazon
10. Polynesian Nose Flutes - both bamboo and gourd types
11. Papua New Guinea Large Flutes - made of wood and bamboo
12. Japanese Shakuhachi - classical bamboo flute
13. Thai Bamboo Flute - end-blown design
14. Balinese Bamboo Flutes - small and medium
15. Bansuri Flutes - the classical flute of India, made of bamboo, small and medium
16. Khaens - multi-tone bamboo mouth organs from Thailand, 1 to 4 feet long
17. Nepalese Snakecharmer’s Flute - melody and drone pipes together; very reedy
18. Turkish Shepherd’s Flutes and Double Reed Recorder
19. Nai - the classic Middle Eastern Flute
20. Egyptian Oboes and Double-Reed Bamboo Pipes
21. Sweet Potato - the European Ocarina
22. Yugoslavian Wooden Double Flute
23. Kenyan Wooden Flutes
24. Fulani and Dogon Wooden Flutes from Mali
25. Wai-Wai Amazonian Whistles - made of reed and feathers
26. Brazilian Carnival Whistle - made of wood
27. Zapotec Bird Whistles - from Mexico, made of black clay
28. Javanese Bamboo Bird Whistles - with sliding tones

Trumpets and Related Winds:

1. Conch Shell Trumpets - various sizes and types from Mexico, Peru, the Caribbean, Tahiti, the Philippines and Tibet
2. Mayan Gourd Trumpets - known as “Hum Tah”, they are about three feet long and produce a rich bellowing tone
3. New Guinea-style Headhunter Trumpets - made from bamboo, warm and resonant
4. Trutrukas - Mapuche long necked trumpets from Chile
5. Pu - two foot long wooden trumpet from the Marquesas Islands
6. Giant Sea Kelp Trumpet - from South Africa
7. Australian Aboriginal Didjeridoo from the Cape York Peninsula

Drums:

1. Huehuetl - Aztec standing drum with skin head; large and small
2. Teponaztli - Aztec log drum producing different pitches; large and medium
3. Bamboo Teponaztli - Same as above, but smaller and made of bamboo. Many sizes and pitches
4. Tunkul - Mayan ceramic drums with skin heads; many designs, variable pitches
5. Boxel Ak - Mayan turtle shell drums played with deer antlers
6. Nahuatl Festival Drum - wooden body with skin head at both ends
7. Raramuri Hoop Drums - skin heads, many sizes, some sound like gongs; from Northern Mexico
8. Taos Pueblo Drums - classic North American Indian style
9. Native North American Hoop Drums
10. Yupik Native Alaskan Hoop Drum
11. Nepalese Shaman’s Hoop Drum
12. Daf - Persian hoop drum
13. Egyptian, Moroccan and Uzbek Hoop Drums - various sizes
14. Achininga Wooden Drum from Brazil - made of wood with two heads of boar skin
15. Ecuadorian Jungle Drum - known as “Tumba”, pitch can be changed by pulling strings stretched along the sides of the drum
16. Kultrun - Mapuche shaman’s drum fromn Chile - 2 designs
17. Boran - Scottish hoop drum played with a bone (wooden stick)
18. Akamba Drum - tall standing wooden drum from Kenya with cobra skin head
19. Kenyan Hand Drum - supported by a stick, it is twirled while beads attached to strings strike both heads simultaneously
20. Dumbeks - hourglass-shaped drums; different sizes, from Morocco and the Middle East
21. Burmese Double Headed Drum - similar to mrindingam from South India
22. Ossi Drums - contemporary box drums, each producing 4 to 6 pitches; 2 sizes
23. Toere - Tahitian log drums, both small and medium
24. Marquesian Log Drum
25. Pate - Cook Islands large log drum
26. Vanuatan (Melanesian) Log Drum
27. Papua New Guinea Hourglass-Shaped Drum - made of wood, with lizard skin head
28. Clay Pots - from Mexico, played with the hands; 3 sizes

Other Percussion:

1. Rattles - over 30 different designs from various Mexican and North American Indian cultures, as well as many Native Amazonian rattles from the Karaja, Wai-Wai, and others
2. Raramuri (Northern Mexico) Bamboo Dance Belts
3. Raramuri and Botswanan Butterfly Cocoon Dance Belts
4. Botswanan Giant Seed Pod Leg Rattles
5. Aztec Ankle Rattles - made from special seed pods called “ayoyotes”
6. Vanuatan Seed Pod Ankle Rattles
7. Tlingit Ankle Rattles - from Alaska, made of scallop shells
8. Andean Llama Toenail Rattles - known as “chapchas”, they are worn on the wrists while drumming
9. Giant Mexican Seed Pod Rattles
10. Dogon Baobab Fruit Rattle - from West Africa
11. Rainsticks - traditional Amazonian instrument made of bamboo; 4 sizes
12. Guiros - Caribbean scrapers made from gourds
13. Armadillo Shells - from Mexico, played like Guiros
14. Raramuri Ratchets - wooden noisemakers
15. Bamboo Tubes - played by striking the hollow end on the ground
16. Pu ili - Hawaiian bamboo percussion instrument for dancing
17. Maori Macadamia Nut Instrument - sounds like miniature woodblocks
18. Australian Aboriginal Wooden Clap Sticks
19. African Box Shaker - made from reeds sewn together
20. African Kalimbas - also known as “thumb pianos”, 3 designs
21. Large African Balafon - like a xylophone, from Senegal
22. Egyptian Tambourine
23. Tahuitl - Seri - Northern Mexican Indian musical bow, struck like a berimbau
24. Tibetan Cymbals - different sizes
25. Tibetan Bells - called “tingsha”
26. Balinese Gongs - giant and medium
27. Burmese Gongs - medium and small
28. Burmese Hanging Bells - different sizes
29. Peruvian Hand Bells - different sizes
30. Egyptian and African Sistrums - 3 styles

Strings:

1. Valiha - the bamboo tube harp of Madagascar
   

Other:

1. Bullroarers - Creek and Hopi styles, make the sound of the wind