Hulusi

The ''hulusi'' is a wind instrument from China. It is held vertically and has three bamboo pipes which pass through a gourd wind chest; one pipe has finger holes and the other two are pipes.

The ''hulusi'' was originally used primarily in the Yunnan province by the and other non-Han ethnic groups but is now played throughout China, and ''hulusi'' are manufactured in such northern cities as Tianjin. Like the related free reed pipe called bawu, the ''hulusi'' has a very pure, clarinet-like sound.

Although the ''hulusi'' is still predominantly performed in China, it has in recent years been adopted by European composers and performers. Rohan Leach from England; Rapheal De Cock from Belgium and Herman Witkam from the Netherlands have all taken the instrument in new directions.

A similar instrument called ''hulusheng'' is a mouth organ with a gourd wind chest.

Etymology

The instrument's name comes from the Chinese words ''hulu'', meaning "gourd," and ''si'', meaning "silk" . The instrument is called ''bilangdao'' in the Dai language.

Video

* from The Musical Instruments E-book
* performed by the ''hulusi''

Listening

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