sihu
The sihu (四胡 pinyin sìhú) is a Chinese bowed string instrument with four strings. It is a member of the huqin family of instruments.
Construction
The instrument's name comes from the words sì (四, meaning "four" in Chinese, referring to the instrument's number of strings) and hú (胡, short for huqin, the family of instruments of which the sihu is a member). Its soundbox and neck are made from hardwood and the playing end of the soundbox is covered with python, cow, or sheep skin.
There are several sizes of sihu; the lowest of these is generally tuned C, C, G, G; the medium size is tuned G, G, D, D; and the smallest size is tuned D, D, A, A.
Technique
The instrument is held vertically, with its soundbox on the player's lap, and its strings are tuned in pairs. The hair of the bow passes between the two pairs of strings.
Use
The sihu is primarily associated with the Mongolian culture, and is played by Mongolians in Mongolia and also in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. It is also used as a traditional instrument in the Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang provinces of China.
It is also used as an accompanying instrument in various Chinese narrative genres, including Beijing dagu, plum blossom dagu, xihe dagu, Tianjin new tunes, Shandong qin book, Northeast dagu, Hubei song, Shaoxing lotus flower falls, Shanxi er ren, Inner Mongolia er ren, northeast dance duet, lucky play, Beijing opera derived drama from ballads, Hebei pi ying (shadow theater), and Henan erjiaxian traditional entertainment involving talking, singing, and drama.
A similar instrument, the byzanchi, is used in Tuva.
External links
- Photo of a sihu
- Sihu article (Chinese)
- Sihu photo
Listening
- Sihu MP3 (click headphones to listen to individual tracks) page appears to have moved or been deleted
See also
| Traditional Chinese musical instruments | ||
|---|---|---|
| █ Silk (string): Plucked: Guqin • Se • Guzheng • Konghou • Pipa • Sanxian • Ruan • Liuqin • Yueqin • Qinqin • Duxianqin █ Bowed: Huqin • Erhu • Zhonghu • Gaohu • Banhu • Jinghu • Erxian • Tiqin • Yehu • Tuhu • Jiaohu • Sihu • Sanhu • Zhuihu • Zhuiqin • Leiqin • Dihu • (Xiaodihu • Zhongdihu • Dadihu) • Gehu • Diyingehu • Laruan • Matouqin • Yazheng █ Struck: Yangqin • Zhu | ||
| █ Bamboo (woodwind): Flutes: Dizi • Xiao • Paixiao • Koudi █ Oboes: Guan • Suona █ Free-reed pipes: Bawu • Mangtong | ||
| █ Gourd (woodwind): Sheng • Yu • Lusheng • Hulusi • Hulusheng | ||
| █ Percussion: Wood: Muyu • Guban █ Stone: Bianqing █ Metal: Bianzhong • Fangxiang • Luo • Yunluo █ Clay: Xun █ Hide: Daigu • Bangu • Paigu • Tanggu | ||
| █ Others: Gudi • Lusheng • Kouxian | ||
| Huqin instrument family | ||
|---|---|---|
| █ Erhu • Gaohu • Banhu • Jinghu • Zhonghu • Yehu • Erxian • Tiqin • Daguangxian • Datong • Datongxian • Hexian • Huluhu • Maguhu • Tuhu • Jiaohu • Zhuihu • Zhuiqin • Leiqin • Sihu • Sanhu • Dahu • Dihu • (Xiaodihu • Zhongdihu • Dadihu) • Cizhonghu • Gehu • Diyingehu • Laruan (Dalaruan) • Paqin • Xiqin • Niutuiqin (niubatui) • Matouqin • Aijieke • Sataer | ||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
