Hulusi

The hulusi or cucurbit flute is a free reed wind instrument from China. It is held vertically and has three bamboo pipes which pass through a gourd wind chest; the center pipe has finger holes and the outer two are typically drone pipes. It is not uncommon for a hulusi to have only one drone pipe while the second outer pipe is merely ornamental. The drone pipe has a finger hole, which allows it to be stopped. Advanced configurations have keyed finger holes similar to a clarinet or oboe, which can greatly extend the range of the hulusi to several octaves.

The hulusi was originally used primarily in Yunnan province by a number ofethnic-minority groups, in particular the Dai people who calls the instrument "bilangdao", and has gained nationwide popularity throughout China; similar to the popularity of the harmonica in the West, and "improved" versions have been produced outside of the indigenous realms. Like the related free reed pipe called bawu, the hulusi has a very pure, clarinet-like sound.
Although the hulusi is still predominantly performed in China, it has in recent years been adopted by European composers and performers. Rohan Leach from England, Rapheal De Cock from Belgium, Nadishana from Russia and Herman Witkamfrom the Netherlands have all taken the instrument in new directions. A similar instrument called hulusheng is a mouth organ with a gourd wind chest.

The player creates sound by vibrating the reed in the mouthpiece rather than by blowing across a hole, and the instrument is held vertically rather than horizontally. The hulusi has one or more pipes extending from the gourd, one of which has fingering holes to create melody. The others drone. The most common form of hulusi has one melody pipe and two drone pipes.