This G key end-blown Bawu (竖吹巴乌) is quite similar to the Hulusi (葫芦丝), but its wind chest (chamber) is smaller than the Hulusi. This end-blown Bawu is made of ebony (黑檀) instead of the usual material – violet bamboo (紫竹). I used to own several Bawu(s) made of violet bamboo, but I prefer the ebony Bawu. The ebony Bawu has a ‘warmer’ sound as compared to the violet bamboo Bawu.
History of the Bawu
The Bawu (巴乌) is a popular reed pipe instrument in the Yunnan province (云南) of southwest China. The Bawu is normally played in the transverse (horizontal) manner, and it is a diatonic instrument. The traditional Bawu is able to produce nine notes. The sound is produced by vibrating the brass reed (exhalation only), and notes are obtained by different fingerings on the tone holes.
In the recent years, the end-blown (vertical) Bawu, keyed Bawu and the double-pipe Bawu are the new instruments designed by the Bawu makers with inputs from the Bawu performers and teachers. Bawu is normally used as a solo instrument and occasionally in the Chinese orchestra. It is also used in popular and film music due to its soothing and clarinet-like timbre.
The Sheng Player 