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Post by eikogo on Feb 18, 2013 5:39:35 GMT
i just inherited a hulusi and i was able to figure out how to play it on my own but when i picked it up again later, i moved one of the drone stoppers. normally this should be fine because one can simply move the drone stopper back to its original position but for some reason air and sound stopped coming out of the main flute entirely. i adjusted the drones but i am afraid i broke something! i cant get it to work! can anyone help me?
thanks very much,
-Matt
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Post by edcat7 on Feb 18, 2013 9:41:14 GMT
Hi Matt and welcome,
Is there no sound at all, low and high notes? Is the hulusi detachable? If it is it's probably the reed. Get a pin and gently flick the tongue out.
A lot of moisture builds up during play and this will shorten the life of your reed.
After playing take it to bits to let it dry out.
Best wishes
Ed
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Post by eikogo on Feb 18, 2013 17:43:49 GMT
how can i tell if it is detachable? do you mean the entire gourd detahes or just the mouthpiece? the hulusi is a few years old but has rarely been played
thank you
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Post by edcat7 on Feb 18, 2013 18:22:03 GMT
All but the cheapest hulusis are detachable. On some there's some kind of clamp which holds drones and pipe together. Gently twist the drone to see if you can remove it. The mouthpiece is fixed. If the hulusi is not detachable then then's not much you can do. Can you upload a photo of it?
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Post by eikogo on Feb 19, 2013 4:56:13 GMT
Here's pictures. I got the second drone to work. The first one was working but the second one as well as the main pipe stopped passing air. I flicked and tried to shake the gourd and it ended up fixing the lower drone but I'm really not sure what I did. The reeds are fine on the drones - is there a reed in the gourd? I tried to loosen the bamboo from these gold fasteners but I'm pretty sure its glued in i.imgur.com/Swl3EVN.jpgi.imgur.com/WbrvSGX.jpgi.imgur.com/2G0z00I.jpg |
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Post by edcat7 on Feb 19, 2013 9:15:19 GMT
Matt, you have a typical hulusi, and it is detachable. Gently twist the drones and pull. Then do the same with the pipe. On the pipe you will see the reed, a triangle sliver of brass? What colour is it? If it's dull and 'rusty' looking it's time to change it. Adjustment of the reed is only a temporary measure.
If you can't obtain new reeds then as last resort remove it and use very fine sandpaper to remove that layer of oxidation.
Before replacing the pipe and drones grease the metal joins with handcream.
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Post by eikogo on Feb 19, 2013 17:26:55 GMT
There was black putty lodged in the melody flute. I am guessing its supposed to be there, but I think it might have gotten too high and blocked the air. How does the flute work? Should I try to re attach everything without the putty? The reed is a little brown but it looks like it will work fine for a little longer
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Post by edcat7 on Feb 19, 2013 22:47:38 GMT
The black putty, I think, is the cork that goes at the end of the main pipe. The air passes through the reed and not through the end of the main pipe, me thinks.
When I buy hulusis I always ask for extra reeds (in that key) and provided I don't ask for too many, they are complimentary. To just buy reeds on it's own I doubt that many vendors can be bothered.
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Post by eikogo on Feb 20, 2013 3:34:03 GMT
the end of the main pipe is capped with clear plastic. i will try putting it together without the putty an let you know what happens. thank you very much for helping me thus far  |
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Post by eikogo on Feb 20, 2013 7:54:09 GMT
oh dangit. i thought you meant "end of the main pipe" as in the bottom end. i tried to wedge the putty in past the reed because i wasnt sure how else the sound would be produced. that makes sense though, itd block all but a sliver of air for the reed. i think my issue was that the putty actually covered the entire pipe. ill get tht darned putty out of the pipe w some tweezers and try again. in the meantime, please tell me if i am wrong and about to make another mistake
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Post by edcat7 on Feb 20, 2013 9:28:13 GMT
The reed can be removed and re-glued with candle wax or white pvc glue. Yes you understood me correctly......... the second time.
Where abouts in the world are you?
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Post by eikogo on Feb 20, 2013 18:26:18 GMT
i am in coastal north carolina, USA. ill try to get the putty out without having to remove the reed
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Post by edcat7 on Feb 20, 2013 23:42:01 GMT
Cool, keep us informed. Can you read jianpo? The hulusi signature tune 'Phoenix tail Bamboo under the moonlight' is pretty easy to play and I have the backing music for it.
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Post by eikogo on Feb 26, 2013 16:23:10 GMT
i do not read jianpo , but id like to learn. send me Phoenix tail! I'd love to learn it
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Post by edcat7 on Feb 26, 2013 20:46:27 GMT
Those who want the scores and backing music for Phoenix tail give me your email address via ppm.
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Post by edcat7 on Mar 3, 2013 0:47:38 GMT
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Post by davidmdahl on Mar 3, 2013 1:00:11 GMT
Congratulations on your new hulusi, Ed. You are lucky that it is a good one.
I told my teacher that I would rather not play any more C tunes until I get a hulusi that is in tune. He is going to dig up some F tunes in the meantime, and I will try the one you sent on my F hulusi.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by edcat7 on Mar 3, 2013 2:31:45 GMT
That F hulusi tune and perhaps three others, really touches my heartstings. There are other tones I like but not love.
btw. Hongyueqi on eBay has got me similar books to that hulusi book with two cd's, but for the dizi and erhu. As expected he's having difficulty finding one for the xun.
After I review them he bound to stock more up for sale. Perfect for performing or busking.
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Post by eikogo on Mar 14, 2013 21:22:10 GMT
hi everyone - i fixed my hulusi and now it plays, but it isn't in tune. Time for a new reed, I think. How are hulusi reeds replaced??
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Post by edcat7 on Mar 15, 2013 1:16:59 GMT
I've ordered yet more hulusi reeds together with a gaohu from Hongyueqi. My teacher, I think, will have too much to carry.
Hongyueqi, at my suggestion will stock hulusi reeds in C, Bb, G, F and D. But that will be for another time and thread.
Matt, your hulusi not being in tune has little to do with the reed. Unless it is really out of tune I wouldn't bother about it. My favourite one isn't perfectly in tune but everyone says it sounds great.
To change the reed get a box knife and gently scrape the reed off. In your case, I would polish the reed with a very fine sandpaper. It can then be glued back with candlewax or white pvc glue.
I wouldn't try it unless Hongyueqi can definately supply new reeds. They cost $2 for 'unprocessed' and $3 for 'processed'. No, I don't know what he means either.
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Post by eikogo on Aug 14, 2013 23:22:41 GMT
If my hulusi does not play in tune, what is likely to be the main reason? I've examined it and everything seems to be in A-ok shape, except for the reed which is slightly dented and slightly rusty. It plays very out of tune and is hard to blow. What else could be causing this?
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Post by edcat7 on Aug 15, 2013 7:48:49 GMT
Could it be it was poorly tuned? I have an expensive rosewood C and all the notes except one are in tune. However that one note is so badly out of tune, playing any tunes would be impossible.
Very early on I bought a C hulusi and that was also badly out of tune, so much so I gave it away. Later on I found out it was actually a G hulusi incorrectly labelled a C.
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Post by billdsmall on Nov 10, 2013 17:08:25 GMT
This is a thank you to Ed. One of my bawus wouldn't properly play a couple of notes, so I followed Ed's advice to gently flick the tongue of the reed with a pin, and now the instrument sounds fine!
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Post by edcat7 on Nov 11, 2013 23:00:22 GMT
Thanks Bill,
If your reed is still shiny it should last for at least a year or so. If it's dull and rusty looking it will need changing. Adjusting the reed then would only be a temporary measure. Redmusicshop sells hulusi/bawu reeds.
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