by Wu Promotion 吴氏策划 http://www.wupromotion.com http://www.chinamusic.cn Title: The Countryside Ballad (Tian ge 田歌) Orchestra: China Traditional Orchestra of Zhejiang Soloist: Hou Yanqiu 侯彦秋 Venue: Moscow International Hall of Music The hulusi 葫芦丝 The hulusi (which means "gourd silk", referring to the instrument's silky tone) or huluxiao 葫芦箫 ("gourd vertical flute") is an end-blown free reed pipe with gourd wind-chest. Single pipe specimens are rare, most hulusi have a melody pipe and one to two drone pipes. Each pipe has a triangular free reed made of brass. The hulusi is most commonly associated with the Dai minority (who call it bilangdao 筚朗叨), but it is also found under other names amongst other minority groups of Southern China such as the De'ang, Wa and others. The drone pipe has a finger hole, which allows it to be stopped. Advanced configurations have keyed finger holes similar to a clarinet or oboe, which can greatly extend the range of the hulusi to several octaves, and a slide-whistle like mechanism that can tune the hulusi to a desired pitch. The sound of the hulusi is hauntingly beautiful, but fairly soft, and as a result is seldom played in ensembles. The Dai men would play it to express their love to women, while other minorities often played the hulusi in the fields when taking a break from planting or harvesting. Recorded by Russia TV