Hulusi

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The hulusi (traditional: 葫盧絲; simplified: 葫芦丝; pinyin: húlúsī) is a free reed 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 drone pipes.

The hulusi was originally used primarily in the Yunnan province by the Dai 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 timbre.

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

1 Etymology
2 External links
- 2.1 Video
- 2.2 Listening
3 See also

[edit] Etymology

The instrument's name comes from the Chinese words hulu, meaning "gourd," and si, meaning "silk" (referring to the instrument's smooth tone).[1] The instrument is called bilangdao in the Dai language.[2]