Hulusi is called "筚langtao" in Dai language. "筚" is the general name for wind instruments in Dai language, "lang" means direct blowing, and "tao" means gourd. It is also called in local Chinese Calabash flute. Hulusi has a unique shape and structure. It is made of a complete natural gourd, three bamboo tubes and three metal reeds. The entire gourd is used as an air box. Three bamboo tubes of different thicknesses are inserted into the lower part of the gourd. Each tube is inserted into the gourd. The bamboo tube part is inlaid with a copper or silver reed. The middle bamboo tube is the thickest and has seven sound holes on it. It is called the main tube. There are attached tubes on both sides. There are only reeds on it and no openings. The sound hole (referring to the traditional cucurbit silk) can only produce a harmonious sound with the supervisor's melody. Usually the left attached tube pronounces a "3" sound, and the right attached tube does not pronounce (or pronounces a low 6 sound).

This kind of musical instrument uses a gourd as the speaker and the gourd mouth as the mouthpiece. Commonly, three bamboo tubes of different lengths each equipped with a reed are inserted into the gourd side by side. bottom. The whole body length is about 30 cm. There are also single tubes, double tubes or four tubes. No matter how many bamboo tubes there are, the middle one is usually the main tube and the rest are deputy tubes. There are 7 sound holes on the main pipe, six in the front and one in the back. The traditional Hulusi auxiliary pipe has no holes on the top, only the bottom of the pipe body, which is blocked with a plug. There is a wire between the plug and the pipe body. Use your little finger when needed. Turn it on. Nowadays, the improved Hulusi does not use the traditional stopper, but has a sound hole above the tube body like the main tube. This makes it easier to use the secondary pipe sounds repeatedly during performance, and allows for free control and flexibility. When playing, your fingers control the sound hole of the main pipe to play sounds of different pitches. If the main and auxiliary pipes are turned on at the same time, the pipes will sound in unison when playing. The melody only comes from the main pipe, and the auxiliary pipes only use harmonious and sustained single notes to set off the sound, usually One tube pronounces the a sound, and the other tube pronounces the e sound, producing a harmonious effect and giving people a subtle and hazy beauty.

The gourd silk of the Achang people is similar to that of the Dai people. It is called "Paleweng" in Achang language and is made of gourds and golden bamboo tubes. The blowpipe is 6 cm long, the main pipe is 50 cm long, and the auxiliary pipes are 33 and 17 cm long respectively. On the side of the two auxiliary pipes closest to the main pipe, there is a bamboo piece left on each side, which is tied with the main pipe with thin bamboo branches.

In the Wa people of Ximeng, the gourd silk is called "Baihong Liao". Three bamboo tubes are inserted into the bottom of the gourd and sealed with wax. The upper end and the bamboo blowpipe are only two centimeters long. What is particularly unique is that in addition to the seven sound holes on the main tube, there are also two air holes at the bottom of the front. The supervisor plays the melody, and the two assistant pipes produce continuous sounds of pure fifths to accompany the melody. If continuous sound or single continuous sound is not required, the auxiliary pipe can also be blocked.

Edit the range of this paragraph

1. Super treble (hulusi handicrafts): minor B, minor B flat, minor A, minor G

2. High notes: F minor, E minor, E flat minor, D minor

3. Tenor: minor D flat, minor C (first choice for beginners), B

4. Alto: B flat (first choice for beginners), A key

5. Tenor: A flat, G

6. Bass: G flat, F major

7. Sub-bass: major E, major D, major C

Edit this section's performance posture and posture

The requirements are: the body stands naturally, with the feet slightly apart and in an outward shape. Stand firm, with your legs upright and the center of gravity of your body between your legs (you can move left and right if necessary). The upper body is straight, but not stiff. Tilt your head straight and lift your chest naturally. Look straight ahead. Shoulders are relaxed and balanced. The elbows should hang naturally, and the arms should not clamp the body. They should keep a certain distance (about ten centimeters) from the waist and be located on the center line directly in front of the body. The instrument forms an angle of 45 to 50 degrees with the body.

Sitting posture

The requirements for the upper body are the same as those for standing posture. Generally, sit in the front third of the chair, with your feet on the ground separately, one foot slightly forward and one foot slightly forward. But do not cross your legs or cross your feet. The height of the sitting position should be appropriate so as not to affect the full movement of the respiratory muscles.

Hold the method

The fingers are required to relax naturally and hold the cucurbit in an arc. The muscles of both arms and elbows should be relaxed. The contact holes on the fingertips should have a peripheral edge. When playing, Under the action of airflow, the fingertips vibrate and feel slightly numb, and the tone is elastic. If the pressure is too tight, the hands will be sore and the sound will be choked, which is detrimental to the performance. In addition, when making holes with your fingers, you should not lift them too high, otherwise your fingers will become stiff and your playing speed will be affected. Generally, it is enough to lift your fingers to 2-3 cm above the sound hole.

Fengmen, mouth wind and mouth strength

1. The damper

refers to the gap between the upper and lower lips where the breath passes when playing. The damper can be large or small, and it changes with the pitch of the sound. When playing low notes, reduce the damper and when playing high notes, enlarge the damper. The position of the damper should not be deviated to the left or right, but should be in the middle of the lips. The upper and lower lips should hold the cucurbit blowing hole. This depends on the production of the cucurbit blowing hole to determine whether the upper lip is slightly more protruding than the lower lip (usually Under normal circumstances, the upper and lower lips should be consistent), and the cheeks should not be bulging, but should be pulled inward with force.

2. Mouth air

The breath blown out through the damper is mouth air. There are different degrees of blowing, and the choice of blowing can control the intensity and volume of air blowing. Since the cucurbit flute is a vertically blown reed-coupled vibration instrument, it is mainly composed of reeds and bamboo tubes coupled with vibration to produce sound. When playing, hold the mouthpiece with your mouth, and use the overblowing method to let the air flow through the air box (gourd), vibrating the tongue part of the reed, and stimulating the sound of the air column in the tube to produce the sound. Genes are generally not used when playing (tube notes blown using slow blowing methods). The emergency changes of the damper are controlled by the activities of the high abdomen, diaphragm and chest, and these three parties must be controlled well.

3. Mouth strength

The size of the mouth strength is determined based on the size of the damper and the urgency of the breath. Be sure to pay attention to the close coordination between the mouth strength and the wind at the mouth. Although there are differences in the tone and strength of the mouth when playing Hulusi, because playing Hulusi uses the over-blowing method, the priority is relative and has a limit, that is to say, it changes within a certain range. The reason is that it is limited by the conditions of Hulusi itself (the sound range is too narrow).

Fingering

For Hulusi, the commonly used fingering is 1. Press all the way to make 5

Press all the way to make 5

[4]

2. Press all the way to 1

Press all the way to 1

[5]Edit How to play this section

(1) Use the ring finger, middle finger, and index finger of the right hand to open and close the first, second, and third sound holes respectively with the pads of the first finger, and drag the thumb under the main tube. The ring finger, middle finger, and index finger of the left hand use the first finger pad to open and close the fourth, fifth, and sixth sound holes respectively, and the thumb opens and closes the seventh sound hole located in front and below the main tube.

(2) Take a deep breath and inhale as much air as possible. After inhaling, the breath sinks so that the airflow can be exhaled evenly and evenly under control. The breath should be steady and cannot be ignored. Strong and sometimes weak.

(3) When playing, use the slow blowing method (air flow decreases) when playing high notes, and use the rapid blowing method (increasing air flow) when playing low notes.

Note:

1. The little finger attached to the left and right sides of the sound pipe cannot be fixed and should be flexibly controlled according to the playing situation. For example, when playing with the upper three fingers (that is, opening and closing the four, five, and six sound holes), the little finger of the right hand should be attached to the first note. The lower side of the hole, and the little finger of the left hand can be raised naturally with the performance, so as not to affect the flexible use of the upper three fingers during playing. When playing with the lower three fingers (that is, opening and closing holes 1, 2, and 3), the little finger of the left hand should Return to the auxiliary pipe position, and the little finger of your right hand can be raised naturally with the performance.

2. When each sound hole is pressed (that is, closed), the sound hole must be pressed tightly with the first pad of the specified finger to prevent air leakage, otherwise the intonation and timbre will be affected. When playing Hulusi, you should relax your arms and wrists and bend your fingers inward moderately. When opening the sound hole, the finger should not be raised too high. Too high will affect the playing speed and flexibility, but it should not be too low. Too low will affect the intonation and volume.

Performance Techniques

Compared with ethnic wind instruments such as bamboo flute and suona, Hulusi is simpler to play to a certain extent and does not have so many complicated techniques. This is also because it Due to the limitations of its construction, its sweet tone seems to be extremely expressive. The following techniques are commonly used in playing Hulusi:

1. Tongue. Tongue sound is an important technique in Hulusi playing. There are three types of pronunciation: single pronunciation, double pronunciation and triple pronunciation.

① Vomit alone. Use the tip of the tongue to press against the front half of the palate (that is, the state before the word "vomit" is pronounced) to cut off the airflow, then quickly release the tongue, and blow out the breath. Through the continuous action of lifting and releasing, the airflow enters the mouthpiece intermittently, so that the effect of single blowing intermittently can be obtained and the process of single blowing can be completed. Single vomiting is usually marked with a "T" above the note.

According to the needs of musical performance, single vomiting can be divided into two types: intermittent vomiting and continuous vomiting.

② Double vomiting. Double spitting is a technique used to complete rapid and continuous parts. First, press the tip of your tongue against the front palate, then release it to pronounce the word "spit". In short, after the word "vomit" is pronounced, the word "ku" is immediately added, and the two characters "vomit bitter" are connected to form double vomiting. The symbol for double spitting is "TK".

③ Three vomiting. Three vomiting is actually a combination of single vomiting and double vomiting in a certain rhythm pattern. The symbol is "TTK" or "TKT", which means "vomiting the bitterness" or "vomiting the bitterness".

2. Legato. Legato is one of the commonly used techniques. Suitable for lyrical and cantabile phrases or sections. It is represented by the symbol "⌒" (legato line). Except for the first sound in the legato line, there is no need to pronounce the rest of the sounds. When playing the legato line, the emphasis should be on coherence and smoothness.

3． portamento. Portamento and techniques are widely used in cucurbit performance, and its effect is smooth and gorgeous. The application of portamento technique can simulate the wiping effect on the human voice and string instruments. There are three types of portamento: up portamento, down portamento, and compound portamento.

4. Tremolo. The use of tremolo techniques can produce a singing-like "sound wave" effect, which greatly enriches the expressive power of music. It is one of the important techniques for people to reveal their inner activities and express their inner emotions. There are two types of tremolo: air tremolo and finger tremolo.

5. vibrato. Tremolo is a rapid alternation of two notes of different pitches. The specific requirement is that after the original sound is emitted, the sound hole of the second or third tone above it is quickly and evenly opened and closed. The symbol is "tr" or "tr ~~~~"

6. Overdubbing and playing. The techniques and effects of the two performances are similar, and there are different opinions on their definitions. It is to play a very short note with a high second and a third higher at the moment before a certain sound appears. The overlapping sound is represented by the symbol "and", and the beating sound is represented by the symbol "扌".

Hulusi

Tuning skills

Hulusi is a wind instrument, and all wind instruments are more or less affected by temperature and humidity. Due to the influence of changes, pitch will change slightly under different geographical and climatic conditions. In order to cope with this change, the pitch needs to be adjusted appropriately, which leads to the creation of an interface tuning socket. Tuning socket

Hulusi

Through the expansion and contraction of the copper interface, the length of the air column inside the instrument can be extended or shortened to achieve changes in pitch to meet the needs of performance and teaching. The principle is that when the interface is unplugged and the air column in the bamboo tube grows, the overall pitch will be relatively lowered; conversely, the overall pitch will increase, so that the instrument can be adjusted from 10 cents to a minor second to achieve The purpose is to coordinate with the band and CD music.

When using the tuning type Hulusi, be careful not to use too much force when unplugging or plugging in the interface, nor to pull or push straight. Use appropriate force to rotate left and right while pushing and pulling until the pitch is adjusted. The right height. Try to avoid letting outsiders or people who don't understand it use the instrument to avoid incorrect operation, which may cause deformation, damage or air leakage of the interface. In terms of maintenance, it is necessary to add an appropriate amount of lubricating oil to the copper interface regularly or irregularly to avoid corrosion and rust of the interface.

It should be noted that tuning is only a small-scale appropriate adjustment of the absolute pitch of the intonation, and cannot be used as a modulation. Because the tuning of cucurbit flute has different adjustment ranges for different pitches, in principle, the closer the reed is to the reed, the more sensitive it is to the adjustment of the tuning interface, and the farther it is, the slower it will be. Moreover, the tube tone 5 will not be adjusted. Controlled by changes in the sound interface.

Breathing methods

Generally can be summarized into three types: chest breathing, abdominal breathing, and thoracoabdominal breathing (mixed breathing method). The most scientific method currently recognized is the mixed breathing method. Its superiority is reflected in the coordinated actions of the entire respiratory muscle group, forming a whole movement, so the amount of breath inhaled is large, the breath is deeper, and it is easy to control when exhaling. Now the mixed breathing method is introduced below: The so-called breathing includes the two aspects of "inhalation" and "exhalation". When inhaling, relax all parts of the body and inhale through the mouth and nose at the same time. Be careful not to lift your shoulders or make any noise. Mixed breathing involves breathing into the lower abdomen, between the chest and abdomen, and into the chest. Lifting the shoulders will hinder the sinking of the breath and store the breath in the chest, which becomes chest breathing. To be avoided.

Inhale as much air as possible to expand the lung lobes, and the middle and lower parts of the chest and abdominal cavity will naturally expand outward to lower the diaphragm.

After breathing, the breath sinks. At this time, the abdomen and waist feel full of breath, while the chest feels lighter. The correct gas storage sites should be the lower part of the chest and abdominal cavity. Therefore, when inhaling, not only should the abdomen not contract inward, but it should also bulge outward slightly, and the waist should also expand to the surrounding area.

Practice of the inhalation method is very important. Wind instruments use the most breath. If you use the wrong breath, you will not only not be able to play well, but will also seriously affect your health. Here are several methods: First , first blow out all the breath in the chest and abdomen, and then inhale while the whole body is very relaxed. If there is a feeling of cold air entering the chest and abdominal cavity at this time, it means that the inhalation method and gas storage location are basically correct. Secondly, you can also experience the inhalation action of taking a deep breath after smelling the fragrance of flowers or strenuous exercise (such as long-distance running, mountain climbing, etc.). Inhalation when playing requires inhaling a large amount of air in a short period of time. Therefore, it is generally necessary to inhale through the mouth and nose at the same time to relax the larynx.

When exhaling, the abdominal muscles, psoas muscles and diaphragm are required to be controlled at all times (that is, to maintain a certain degree of tension), so that the breath can be exhaled outwards in a controlled and even manner. As the breath is exhaled, the abdominal muscles, psoas muscles and other related muscle groups gradually contract, and the diaphragm also resets. One point needs to be emphasized here: when you first exhale, you must not immediately tighten your abdomen (should "push" it slightly outward). Because immediately tightening the abdomen will cause the abdomen to be squeezed inward, forcing the originally descended diaphragm to reset in advance, thereby pushing the breath into the chest and increasing the burden on the chest. In this way, not only is it not conducive to controlling the speed of exhalation, but it will also affect the player's health over time. When the breath is blown out by about half, the abdomen will naturally draw in. This exhalation process is relatively correct. Also, don’t wait until all the breath is used up before taking a breath.

In short, the exhalation during playing must always be transported evenly under a certain pressure. The breath should be steady and should not be strong or weak suddenly. To achieve this requirement, repeated practice is necessary. You can practice by blowing a long note, or you can practice by exhaling into the back of your hand. Through practice, learners will feel the speed, pressure, stability, etc. of their breath, thereby enhancing their ability to consciously control their breath. Explain two points: length, strength and other specific conditions, and flexibly grasp the inhalation volume.

There are "quick blowing" and "slow blowing" in blowing. Those who blow quickly have greater air pressure and faster air speed. Slow blowing means breathing out slowly. Generally speaking, when playing the bass, use the sharp blowing method, and when playing the medium and high notes, use the slow blowing method. Mastering and applying correct breathing methods is crucial for playing cucurbit flute and other wind instruments, and must be paid great attention by learners.

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