Quick Answer: What Is a Bawu?
The bawu (巴乌, bāwū) is a Chinese wind instrument shaped like a side-blown flute. A small free reed at the blowing opening vibrates when the player blows into it. Bawu-type instruments are documented among several communities in southwest China, including the Hani and Yi.[1][2][3]
- Shape: A straight bamboo or wooden tube with finger holes.[1][2]
- Sound: A soft, mellow reed tone that can carry a sustained melody.[1]
- Playing position: The player holds a transverse model sideways and blows into the reed opening.[1][3]
A sideways playing position identifies how the pipe is held. The reed identifies how it sounds.[1]
From the far side of a stage, a player holding a bawu looks as if they are playing a bamboo flute. A close view of the mouthpiece reveals a small reed. In a recording, listen for a note that carries a rounded tone even through a slide into the next pitch.[1][2]
How a Reed Sounds Inside a Bamboo Pipe
A free reed is a flexible tongue fitted to a small opening. Blown air moves the tongue through its slot. The tongue flexes back and forth, sending pulses of air into the pipe. Opening and covering finger holes changes the pitch. The study held by the Australian National University describes a tongue-shaped copper reed at the blowing hole of the transverse bawu.[1]
The University of Würzburg’s collection holds a twentieth-century example, StW 45. This bamboo instrument measures 68.6 centimeters and comes apart at a brass joint. It has six front finger holes and a thumb hole. The museum distinguishes the tuning hole from the finger holes. The ANU study describes a model with seven front finger holes and one below.[1][2]
How the Bawu Differs From the Dizi and Hulusi
A dizi is also held sideways. The player blows across an edge, setting the air in the tube in motion. A traditional dizi can also have a separate membrane that adds a buzz. On the bawu, the player blows at the reed opening and the reed supplies the vibration that starts the note.[1]
The hulusi is a closer comparison in how it sounds. Both are free-reed instruments. A hulusi is usually held downward from a gourd wind chamber, with the melody pipe and any additional pipes below it. The transverse bawu has a simple tube with the reed mounted at the blowing opening.[1][4]
From Southwest China to the Concert Stage
The ANU study explains that bawu is a Mandarin term for a type of instrument with other local names. It documents examples among Yi, Miao and Hani communities. Grinnell College also includes Dai traditions in its account. A label that gives a community and maker can identify the local instrument more precisely than the Mandarin term alone.[1][3]
Grinnell also documents a factory-made bawu built for composed repertory. Its collection includes a performance by Zhang Changpin with pipa player Yang Hui. The sustained wind notes and short plucked attacks make it easier to follow each line. In a solo passage, listen for the slide between pitches that the Würzburg catalogue identifies as a feature of bawu ornamentation.[2][3]
FAQs About the Bawu
Why is the bawu often called a flute?
The straight tube and sideways position resemble a transverse flute. The bawu makes its sound with a vibrating free reed, which places it among reed pipes in classifications based on how sound starts.[1][3]
Do all bawu have the same finger holes?
Documented instruments have different hole counts and arrangements. The Würzburg example has six front finger holes and one thumb hole.[1][2]
Sources
[1] Australian National University Open Research Repository. Chinese Musical Instruments
[2] University of Würzburg, Institute of Music Research. Bawu, Object StW 45
[3] Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection. Bawu and Demonstration Recording
[4] University of South Florida, Florida Center for Instructional Technology. Hulusi