Traditional dizis are made of bamboo, while historically, dizis and other flutes have been made from bone, jade or other stone, or pottery. Be sure to take into account being able to acquire and prepare the materials. Choose a piece of material that is about " to 1" in diameter. Bamboo is the ideal material for a homemade dizi, as it is easy to acquire and easy to manufacture into a dizi. It is also lighter and will likely be easier to play, which is useful if you are a beginning player. Bamboo can come from a regular bamboo plant with any extraneous leaves removed, or you can repurpose another bamboo object, such as an old bamboo fishing rod. There are different strains of bamboo that can be used; purple bamboo is typically used in the northern regions of China, while white bamboo is typically used in southern China. The size of the flute will determine the musical key in which it plays. Flutes are typically available in the following keys (from longest to shortest): F, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F and F#. A good length is approximately 18-20" long. Longer flutes may have an additional finger hole (the larger dizi has this), and they play lower octaves. Small flutes with higher octaves are smaller than 16", while longer flutes are ideally 24-26" long. Choose ringed ends, capped ends, or no ends for the dizi. These will determine how long-lasting your flute is, as well as how susceptible to cracking or molding it may become. The materials for the capped or ringed ends, called ferrules, can be made of brass, bone, plastic or wood. Ringed ends: Some flutes have a brass ring around the end. This helps the flute (especially those made of bamboo or other wood) from cracking. Moisture can get underneath the ring, however, and cause molding. These can also be installed on a flute that did not previously have a ring in order to stop a crack from getting bigger. Capped ends: These ends are often made from plastic, cow bone or horn. Flutes with capped ends typically make brighter tones. Moisture can get underneath the cap, however, and cause molding. No ends: You do not need to have any rings or caps on the end of your flute. Instead, you can paint the ends to add decoration, or you can leave them bare. However, bamboo flutes especially may be susceptible to cracking more easily than flutes with ringed or capped ends. Find the correct size of plastic or metal ring or cap to fit this diameter at a hardware store. If you are not using any ends, you can also opt to wrap string around the dizi to prevent cracking.
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One-sentence summary -- Select the type of material for the dizi's body. Choose the size of your flute. Determine the style of ends for the dizi. Carefully measure the outside diameter of your flute body.

Q: If you live in a cold weather area and you are leaving during a time when inclement weather is a possibility, you want to make sure your pipes are well insulated. Frozen pipes can cause significant damage to your home, and if no one is there to check them after cold weather it may go unnoticed until you return. Go into areas where pipes are at a greater risk of freezing, like the attic and the basement, and check their insulation. Consider hiring a plumber to inspect your pipes if you are worried about their insulation. A neighbor that is checking up on your house should test the faucets while you're away. If there is no water coming from the faucets, your pipes may be frozen. Ask them to contact you immediately if this happens while you're away. Before you leave, unplug the appliances in your home that are non-essential, like your microwave, a stereo, a coffeemaker, and lamps you won't leave on. This protects your home in the event of a power surge or an electrical fire. This is also an energy efficient way to reduce your electrical consumption while you're away. Before you leave, check that each door and window are securely locked. Having locks installed will do you no good if they are not locked while you are gone! Go through every room of your home and apartment and check that each window and entry door is secure. It is also helpful do a perimeter of your house from the outside. Look for any window screens that look loose or unsecured. This is a good way to keep your electricity and natural gas costs low while you're away. Adjust the temperature on the thermostat and turn down the temperature on your water heater. You don't want to turn your thermostat completely off. Depending on your area's climate, 55 degrees is a good limit for the winter and 80 degrees for the summer. You can also consider monitoring your heat from afar. The most cost-effective way to monitor your heat while you are away is to install a wireless thermostat that you can monitor and program from your mobile phone or device while you are on vacation. Garage doors are an easy way for intruders to enter your home. Manual garage doors can be secured with a clamp or padlock to prevent them from being opened. Turn off your automatic garage door opener if you have one. This will prevent someone with a universal remote from opening the door while you're away.
A: Check your pipes. Unplug non-essential appliances. Check all locks. Turn down the temperature. Secure your garage door.

Article: Enunciate well, and focus on clarity. Speaking louder doesn't make you more understandable. Consider this an opportunity to work on your clarity of speech. If they say the word "gigantic," then they probably also know what "enormous" and "huge" mean. If they speak using basic words, then it's probably best to use the smallest words you know. If they use words like "fortuitously" and "systematic bias," then their disability probably isn't intellectual. If the person seems to struggle understanding speech, keep your sentences short and clear. Use simple subject-verb-object statements when you can. This is good practice in general too. Non-disabled people don't enjoy wading through extremely long sentences either. If the person is hard of hearing or struggles to process speech, they may want to watch you as you pronounce your words. This helps them figure out what you are saying in many cases. Avoid turning away as you speak, covering your mouth, or speaking with your mouth full. It can also be helpful to talk in quieter places, with fewer distractions, especially if the person seems bothered by environmental noises. For example, the question "Do-ya wanna eat-a pizza?" may be difficult for them to understand. One of the biggest challenges for listeners is knowing where one word ends and the next one begins. If they seem to be struggling, slow down the pace a little, giving a slight pause between each word. There's no need to use baby talk, or mimic their disability accent. (No, it won't help them understand you better, but it may make them think you're mocking them.) Talk to them with the same tone that you'd use for a non-disabled person their age. Baby talk may be appropriate for a disabled 3-year-old, but not a disabled 13-year-old or 33-year-old.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Speak calmly, clearly, and with a moderate volume. Model your vocabulary usage after theirs. Keep your sentences short and clear, if needed. Let them see your mouth if they can't understand you well. Avoid running words together if it confuses them. Use your normal pitch and tone.