Suona help

[DavidNguyen]

So I recently got a Suona. It's the southern style with a golden bell, and is used in more traditional styles, like Nanyin. I believe it's an Alto size, I've provided a picture. It's kind of large compared to most suona. The thing is, I can't play many notes on it. I can only get the higher notes if I'm holding the thumbhole and blowing really hard. Any other notes though won't play. Is there something wrong with my Suona, or is the fingering different. 

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[davidmdahl]

Anything with a reed is going to be a challenge, and think the suona is a good example of this. I am not a reed player, so your best information is going to be elsewhere, but I will toss in my $.02. I have noticed that reed players in general have to be pretty good at adjusting their reed, and sometimes it takes a lot to get a reed in good playing condition. Maybe straight out of the box, your suona is not quite ready to play. There is a suona player in a local Cantonese opera ensemble, but he does not speak English well, and is probably not accessible by the Internet. You might check with Hong Wang at Datung Arts in Las Vegas. I don't know how much he knows about suona, but he sells them and might know who can help.

I have an affinity for the sound of the Guanzi, but it appears to be quite difficult to play. Besides an already full practice schedule, there is that troublesome double reed to fuss with. I guess I will stick with strings and dizi.

Best wishes,

David

[edcat7]

If the reed of a suona is the same type of wooden reed as the guanzi then you will have problems. If it's metal like in a hulusi, it's just a matter of gently flicking out the "tongue" with a pin.

I've played around Xindi's guanzi and I was told you have to pucker your lips as in playing the oboe. I was surprised it wasn't as difficult as I imagined. I even managed to play parts of a hulusi tune on it.

[DavidNguyen]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if I'll be able to adjust the reed. It is already thin enough. I think the problem is that the suona is old, because the bell has a few stains on it, and the pipe looks fairly aged. I've found a few newer Suona of the same style on Aliexpress, so maybe a newer one will solve the problem. Meanwhile, I can just use the old Suona for decoration

[edcat7]

The suona is certainly an acquired taste

[edcat7]

Ok so the reed is non-metal. As I recall from reading previous threads there is a high proportion of reeds which are unsuitable. Try this: from memory of playing my friend's guanzi, instead of blowing normally with your lips outside your teeth, you have to bring your lips in so they rest on the biting edge of your incisors. Also you need to soak the reed in water before use.

Hope this helps,

Ed

[DavidNguyen]

Feb 13, 2015 2:04:11 GMT edcat7 said:

Ok so the reed is non-metal. As I recall from reading previous threads there is a high proportion of reeds which are unsuitable. Try this: from memory of playing my friend's guanzi, instead of blowing normally with your lips outside your teeth, you have to bring your lips in so they rest on the biting edge of your incisors. Also you need to soak the reed in water before use.

Hope this helps,

Ed

Sorry for the late reply. I already do play like that. Also, the Suona reeds are small enough to need just a few licks to wet. It actually plays much better now. The thing that hold the reed though is kind of loose, and it is wrapped with electric tape, so I may need some electric tape to wrap around it so it will fit better