Banhu

According to the pronunciation level and range of use of banhu, it can be roughly divided into the following three types:

1. High-pitched banhu (commonly known as bangzihu, daxian) or ladle), mostly used in Hebei Bangzi, Ping Opera, Henan Opera, Shandong Bangzi, Lu Opera and singing and dancing, singing, solo and ensemble, etc. This Banhu is the most widely used.

2. Alto Banhu (commonly known as Hu Hu, Qin Hu) is mostly used in the accompaniment of Qin Opera, Pu Opera, Xihu, Long Opera, Northern Shaanxi Daoqing, Lanzhou Drum, etc. as well as instrumental ensembles and solos . The speaker is larger than the treble panel, semicircular in shape, with a money hole on the back, and the piano rod is longer. The tuning is five degrees lower than the treble panel, and the tone is rich and soft.

3. Tenor Banhu (commonly known as Coconut Hu) is mostly used in Jin Opera and Shangdang Bangzi. The speaker is slightly larger than the mid-range speaker, and is also carved with gold flower holes. The tuning is a minor third or a perfect fourth lower than the alto banhu. The sound is rich and loud, suitable for playing slow and low tunes.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, continuous reforms were carried out on the banhu. There is now a kind of alto banhu, which uses steel strings instead. Banhu has changed from an accompaniment instrument to an ensemble and solo instrument.

There are many varieties of banhu. In addition to the banhu used for solos and orchestra ensembles, there are also banhu used in various local operas. They vary in the size of the piano tube, the thickness of the piano rod, the length and length of the string axis. There are obvious differences in the use of strings.

1. For solo banhu, the piano tube and panel are larger, with a diameter of 8 to 10 cm. The piano rod is thicker than the erhu, with a total length of 70 to 73 cm. Steel strings are used for the outer strings, and silk strings are used for the inner strings. Or use all steel strings. The tone is broad and soft, and can be played at higher positions.

2. High-pitched Banhu, also known as "Hebei Bangzi Banhu" or "Pingju Opera Banhu". The shape is slightly smaller than the solo banhu, and the pronunciation is high-pitched, crisp, and bright. It is suitable for accompaniment to Hebei Bangzi and Pingju Opera. The ladle used to accompany Hebei Bangzi is larger, while the ladle used to accompany Pingju Opera is smaller.

3. Alto Banhu, also known as "Henan Bangzi Banhu". The length of the piano rod is 70 cm, the diameter of the panel is 8.5-9.5 cm, the pegs are thick, the outer strings are made of ordinary old strings, and the inner strings are made of thick old strings. The sound is rich and soft, and is used for Henan Bangzi accompaniment.

4. Qin Opera Banhu, also known as "Hu Hu". The barrel is made of larger coconut shells, and the strings are all old strings. The pronunciation is lower than that of the previous banhu, and it is mainly used as accompaniment to Qin opera.

5. Shanxi Banhu, also known as "Jinzhong Banhu". The bow is larger than the banhu of Qinqiang opera, and the bow is thicker. The bow is made of bamboo boards with a width of 3 cm. The outer strings are old strings, and the inner strings are wrapped strings or casing strings. It has a rich tone and loud volume, and is suitable for playing slow and low tunes. It is the main accompaniment instrument of Shanxi Bangzi.

In addition, there is a banhu with the same structure as Jinghu, except that the piano tube is slightly larger and not covered with snake skin. The piano rod and piano tube are made of bamboo, and the pronunciation is crisper than other banhu. It is used in high-pitched music in Shaoxing, Zhejiang It is extremely popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

6. Double Thousand Jin Banhu, inspired by Double Thousand Jin Erhu. It changes the original waist horse into a camel horse and moves it up, which plays the role of supporting and balancing the pressure of the strings, increasing the effective string length, and extending the musical range downward by fifths. A movable jack that can move up and down is installed under the camel, and a transfer jack is added below the movable jack. The base of the double jack is placed in the piano rod and can slide up and down. After the banhu is installed with this kind of movable double jack, it is very convenient to change the pitch, the range reaches three and a half octaves, the sound quality is soft and beautiful, and it has the timbre characteristics of the high-pitched banhu and the alto banhu, which enriches the banhu's playing skills and performance ability.

7. Sanxian Banhu, a new Banhu variety successfully developed in the late 1970s. The lower end of the piano rod is curved in a bow shape and inserted diagonally into the piano tube. The headstock is the same as the three-stringed instrument, in the shape of a flat shovel. The pegs (2 on the left and 1 on the right) are arranged on both sides. The strings are made of mahogany and are in the shape of a beveled trapezoid to facilitate the equidistant arrangement of the strings. The string horses are bamboo ladder tripods, and the three strings are placed on steps of different heights. On the instrument, the bow is played outside the string, and double tones, chords and simple polyphonic melodies can be played.

According to the different characteristics of music in different places, the use of banhu can be divided into different sizes. For example, the music in northern Shaanxi uses banhu, and the Qintong is slightly larger; the music in Hebei and Northeast China uses banhu, and the banhu is slightly larger. The piano tubes are all smaller.