hulusi
Illustration — A hulusi • Illustration — The free reed of a hulusi The hulusi, also known as the cucurbit flute and the gourd flute, is a free reed wind instrument from China, Vietnam, and the Shan State, played also by the indigenous people of Assam. It is held vertically and has three bamboo pipes that pass through a Calabash gourd wind chest; the center pipe has finger holes and the outer two are typically drone pipes. It is not uncommon for a hulusi to have only one drone pipe while the second outer pipe is merely ornamental.
Also recorded as gourd flute
hulusi
F.Schmidtke · Public domain
- Field
- free reed aerophone
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Illustration — A hulusi • Illustration — The free reed of a hulusi The hulusi, also known as the cucurbit flute and the gourd flute, is a free reed wind instrument from China, Vietnam, and the Shan State, played also by the indigenous people of Assam. It is held vertically and has three bamboo pipes that pass through a Calabash gourd wind chest; the center pipe has finger holes and the outer two are typically drone pipes. It is not uncommon for a hulusi to have only one drone pipe while the second outer pipe is merely ornamental.
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Etymology
Etymology
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. The hulusi was originally used primarily in the Shan State of Myanmar, Yunnan province in southwest China, and Assam in northeastern India by a number of ethnic-minority groups, in particular the Dai people who call the instrument "pi lamtao" (Chinese: 筚朗叨 or 筚郎叨); the word means "woodwind instrument," and the word lamtao comes from namtao, meaning "gourd." Additionally, the Achang call it paileweng (拍勒翁), the De'ang call it 'wogebao (渥格宝), and the Wa call it baihongliao (拜洪廖). The hulusi has gained nationwide popularity throughout China and is also used by various indigenous ethnic groups of Assam; similar to the popularity of the harmonica in the West, and "improved" versions have been produced outside the indigenous realms. In Vietnam, the instrument is referred to as the sáo bầu, which means "gourd flute." Like the related free reed pipe called bawu, the hulusi has a very pure, mellow clarinet-like sound. A similar instrument called hulusheng is a mouth organ with a gourd wind chest.
The instrument's name comes from the Mandarin Chinese word (葫蘆絲/葫), meaning "Calabash gourd," and, meaning "silk" (referring to the instrument's smooth tone). The instrument is called pi lamtao in the Dai (Tai Nuea) language of Dehong and "pi namtao" in Lue language (Sipsong Panna), Khun language (Kengtung), Yuan language (Northern Thailand), Lao language and Thai language. It is also called Huluxi in Assam.
Performers
Performers
• Illustration — A member of NENU Folklorical Orchestra performing in Torrent, Valencia. Although the hulusi is still predominantly performed in Yunnan (China), Shan State (Myanmar) and Assam it has in recent years been adopted by European composers and performers. Rohan Leach and Jack Reddick from England, Raphaël De Cock from Belgium, Sara Bentes from Brazil, Nadishana from Russia and Herman Witkam from the Netherlands have all taken the instrument in new directions.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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