Pyzhatka

[1] Pyzhatka is made of a wooden tube, 15–25 mm in diameter and 40–70 cm long, one side of which is closed with a wad (Pyzh in Russian).

The wad has an oblique incision on it, which leads the air on a sharp edge of a square opening, forming a whistle like that of a recorder.

Unlike in the majority whistle flutes, though, the whistle of pyzhatka is then wound with a waxed thread, which gives the instrument a peculiar hissing sound.

The flute has 6 finger holes (3 for the right, and 3 for the left hand), which covers one full octave.

[2] Other local alternative names for pyzhatka include pazhatka, puzhatka, pikla, travyanka.