Overview
In 1971, the famous Chinese Flute player Yu Xunfa, who was inspired by original prehistorical instrument, made the first Koudi. This instrument contains one octave, and two years later this instrument went to public by playing the recomposed Romanian folk song Ciocârlia (《云雀》). After that, to expand the range, Xu made the five-hole Koudi, and Bai Chengren (白诚仁) composed ''Morning of A Miao Village''《苗岭的早晨》(MaoLing de ZaoChen). Therefore, Koudi became famous in China. The instrument comes in two sizes. The smaller size, called ''gaoyin koudi'', which is only 5–6 cm in length, has only the holes on the sides, where the thumbs can control the full range of pitch by incrementally opening the holes. The larger size, referred to as ''zhongyin koudi'', is 8–9 cm long and has an additional 2–4 holes on the front (played with the fingers, these holes give slightly more precision to pitch changes). The ''gaoyin koudi'' is pitched an octave above the ''xiao di'', whereas the ''zhongyin koudi'' is pitched an octave above the ''bang di''. The range of the ''koudi'' is about a ninth or tenth, and it can bend notes over the entire range of the instrument. A related instrument in Hunnan province called the '' tuliang'' is also center-blown and open-ended but is much larger (about the size of the '' qudi''). One of the most famous compositions for the ''koudi'' is"MaoLing de ZaoChen" and ''YunQue'' (, Romanian: Ciocârlia, lit. "The Skylark"). The instrument is also used in Chinese orchestral pieces such as ''Fei Tian''.Basic skills
Basically, a Koudi has two octaves, but it is not easy to get on the correct pitch. Audio sampleMiaoLing de ZaoChen by Yu Xunfa
Notable players
Notable gaohu players include: * Yu Xunfa ( 俞逊发) (1946–2006), in China *Zhan Yongming ( 詹永明) (1957- ),in ChinaSee also
* Dizi * Chinese flutes * Traditional Chinese musical instruments * Bamboo musical instrumentsReferences
External links
Video