Quick Answer: What Is a Houguan?
The houguan (喉管, hóuguǎn) is a double-reed pipe associated with Guangdong music and Cantonese opera. A pair of reed blades vibrates at the mouthpiece. A shorter form can look like a straight bamboo pipe, while some longer forms have a bell or a curved neck.[1][2][3]
- Reed: Two blades make the initial vibration.[1][2]
- Tube: A documented bamboo form has seven front finger holes.[1]
- Role: Some forms play middle or low wind parts in an ensemble.[2][4]
The name covers more than one size and construction.[1][2]
A short houguan can look surprisingly plain from a distance. In the orchestra, a larger model may have a visible metal bell and bent neck. Those are clues to the model as much as to the instrument family.[1][2]
How the Reed and Tube Make the Sound
Two facing blades form the mouthpiece. Air passing through them sets them vibrating. Opening and closing holes changes the sounding length of the air column. The Chinese Music Archive describes a comparatively wide reed made from two pieces of cane and several different materials for the tube.[1][2]
The guanzi uses a related reed mechanism. RISM’s bilingual instrument chart groups the Cantonese houguan with traditional guan. The ANU reference contrasts its bamboo houguan with the short wooden guanzi and describes seven front holes on the bamboo example.[1][3]
Short, Middle and Low Houguan
The archive records a short pipe and a long, lower-pitched version called chentong (沉筒, chéntǒng), whose lower end can carry a bowl-shaped fitting. It also describes middle and bass models developed in the twentieth century.[2]
Its example middle houguan is about 53 centimeters long. The bass version measures about 85 centimeters and can have a curved metal neck. On a larger example, the curved neck is at the mouthpiece end. The bell is at the opposite end. Those features can make a long model easy to distinguish from the short bamboo pipe in a photograph.[1][2]
The Houguan in Cantonese Opera
A program from the 30th Macao Arts Festival lists Gao Banyi on houguan with the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe orchestra. The roster also includes gaohu, yangqin, pipa, dizi and other instruments. This is a roster for one production. In a recording of another ensemble, the list of players may differ, so check the credits before identifying a reed part.[4]
The Chinese Music Archive describes the middle and bass houguan reinforcing lower orchestral parts, sometimes with lower bowed strings. The same account describes slides and trills among the techniques used on the pipe. A note can bend into the next without a fresh attack. In a recording, listen for a wind tone that can extend under the voice or blend with a bowed line.[2]
FAQs About the Houguan
Is a houguan the same as a suona?
They are both double-reed instruments. The houguan belongs to the guan family. A suona typically has a conical bore and a flared bell, so check the tube and reed as well as any bell.[1][2][3]
Is every houguan made of bamboo?
Bamboo is documented, particularly for the short form. The Chinese Music Archive also describes wood, plastic and metal tubes.[1][2]
Fuentes
[1] Australian National University Open Research Repository. Chinese Musical Instruments
[2] Chinese Music Archive. Houguan and Other Wind Instruments
[3] Répertoire International des Sources Musicales. Bilingual Chart of Chinese Instrument Names
[4] Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao. 30th Macao Arts Festival Program