bB Key - Chinese Hulusi Purple Bamboo Cucurbit Flute Yunnan Zizhu Cucurbit Flute Chinese Musical Instrument Handmade（Key of B Flat）

My son loves to learn new instruments so I got this for him. This is very neat and we've never seen anything like it. It has a deep flute sound.HOWEVER, my son was playing it for a while - maybe 15-20 minutes and his throat and mouth started itching and his entire neck broke out in a rash. I immediately gave him an antihistamine and I looked up what it was made of and we're pretty sure it's the hulu gourd he is allergic to as he's never had any issues with bamboo.Just be careful please. Price is very good for what it is but we're gonna have to give ours away.

This handcrafted reed-pipe instrument is apparently well known in China and parts of India. Musically, it has a pleasant quality and includes a 'drone' capability which is familiar to listeners of bagpipes (or hurdy-gurdy).A bit of research for this westerner reveals that the method of play is similar to a recorder, and command of the sound produced requires a firm breath pressure. The range is around one octave (this one is tuned to the key of "C".The instrument has a decorative, unique look, topped by a carved gourd and a finger hole main pipe (I believe) made of a bamboo stalk, along with side drone pipes. The price seems quite reasonable, and I received it before I realized it includes an ornate zippered hard storage case. There is a leaflet in Chinese with instructions and a few songs, a ribbon strap with tassel and a second mouthpiece as well.

I ordered this hulusi in the “B Flat Key.” I’m a professional musician specializing in woodwinds and strings. I’ve never played a hulusi before, and I enjoy trying less standard instruments in the Western world, such as this one.The case is pretty and functional with a good zipper, though it did have several loose threads that I had to trim (see my photo). The length of the carrying strap is adjustable, but it doesn’t ever become significantly loose so as to carry it like a cross-body item. The instrument has a pretty, decorative look to it, though it certainly doesn’t look high end; not that it should at this price point. Regardless, none of the embellishments look poorly applied. The mouthpiece is plastic, and a spare is included. I’m not sure how you would replace it, though, since the attached one does seem firmly glued in. Additionally, the spare I received exhibits some significant burring at its bottom. I’m not sure what to do with the small, included lanyard, but it’s there. The alcohol swab can be used to initially disinfect the mouthpiece. And you’ll probably want to refer to the product images to see how to attach the decorative tassel.This instrument requires very little air pressure to sound. With a gentle flow of air, a very mellow sound is created. As you add more air, something more of a harmonica sound is added to the other, playing both sounds simultaneously. A plug on a side tube slides up or down. When unplugged, this instrument only plays 2 notes no matter how you vary your fingerings. When plugged, you’ll have to blow slightly harder with some fair resistance from the instrument, similarly to an oboe, allowing more notes to be played. Still, the instrument only covers one octave, which is not much of a range. It’s also difficult to get notes to speak properly sometimes, and it obviously sounds like an extremely cheap instrument; like a toy.The fingering chart instructions are written entirely in Chinese, and so they do not signify note names. I suggest using a tuner to determine which notes correspond to which fingerings if you’re already in the habit of reading music. The fingering chart also does not distinguish which hole in a straight line of markings corresponds to the thumb hole, which is very confusing. Four short songs are written out in a notation that is not explained in English, so it’s hard to determine how to apply it. Ultimately, I think and almost guarantee you’re better off looking for tutorials for this instrument online than trying to decipher these instructions. Even being both an experienced musician on many instruments and being able to read some basic Chinese, I still can’t figure them out. Therefore, I would not consider this an easy instrument to pick up for a beginner.Finally, there’s no clear way to swab the spit out of this instrument after playing it, which always helps prolong the life of any wind instrument and reduces the likelihood of weird, microbial growths. I’ve opted to use a swab and rod designed for a piccolo, since the bore shaft is similarly narrow.

Fascinating is a good word to describe this flute for those not familiar with it, like me.It is extremely lightweight. Feather light in fact and that includes the case. Both the case and the flute are very well made. The flute is made from a gourd and it seems to work similar to a bagpipe because it holds the air and provides a steady stream of air into the flute. You have to blow very easily with very little pressure in order to yield a note. Blowing hard doesn't work. It has two pipes on the side of the main flute. Opening one side produces a different sound. The flute makes a very pleasant sound.