HuLuShi: Calabash Flute

Unlike other weeks, we will be staying put in China to look at my favorite Chinese instrument, the HuLuShi. The name of hulusi comes from Mandarin Chinese where "hulu" means gourd from the calabash fruit. It is also called "Bottle Gourd Silk "because of its soft and graceful sound as shaking silk. The Hulu has many different types of meanings such as good fortune, blessing, longevity and prosperity. It is also said to have the ability to improve one’s health and wealth. Since it is hard to find a similar magic instrument which can really produce “sounds of nature”, the Dai tribe men often used it as an instrument to express their love to women.

As accustomed to many of the instruments that we've gone through so far, there's a backstory to all of this. It all started when a beautiful young girl’s life was threatened by a surging flood. A young man, her "lover", saved her by holding a big bottle gourd and rushed through the waves. His stromg love and compassion to the girl touched the Buddha, who inserted bamboo pipes into a gourd and gave it to the brave man. Holding up the gold bottle gourd, the man played heartfelt music.  All of a sudden, the flood retreated and the area flourished with flowers and wildlife. From that point on, lovers flourished in the areas wherever the HuLuShi has been played.

The instrument is primarily made out of bamboo and the dried version of a calabash or often called a bottom gourd. Three bamboo sticks are attached to the gourd where two serve as drone pipes. One purpose of the bottom gourd is to be a piece of artwork that tells a story of the individuals personal life.

The sound of the HuLuShi is definitely a unique one. The drone pipes make the instrument have a sound complemented with the Chinese Clarinet known as the xiao. It can be compared to the bagpipes played in Ireland and Scotland because of the unique nature of the drone pipes. The sounds that are produced from this instrument could be said to sound like birds singing. Most of the time, if not always, the HuLuShi music represents cheer and celebration. The other instruments such as the Chinese Bamboo Flute, the zither, and the xiao are instruments that have a greater emotional and tone range as opposed to the HuLuShi. 

Below is a video that I’ve found that basically sums up the cheerful sound that the HuLuShi makes.

Personally, as a player and performer of the HuLuShi for about 6 years, I’ve always liked this instrument for its sound. It always brought my spirit up when I heard its bright and cheerful sound. When I first started playing the instrument I found it to be rather difficult. I was always accustomed to playing the Bamboo Flute where the mouth was made to a specific shape that made the sounds. Adjusting my playing structure and breathing took a while to get used to, but I would still definitely choose this instrument out of the many that I have played over the years.