The dahu () is a large bowed
string instrument
In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners.
Musicians play some ...
from
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. It has a large soundbox covered on one end with
python skin. Like most other members of the
huqin family of instruments, it has two strings and is held vertically. The instrument is generally pitched one octave below the ''
erhu
The (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, that is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two-stringed fiddle''. It is used as a solo instrument as ...
'', and is considerably larger than the ''erhu''. Its name derives from the Chinese word for "large" (''dà''), and the word ''hú'' (short for ''huqin''). Its bridge is often placed somewhat above the center of the snakeskin to avoid stretching the skin.
The ''dahu'' is sometimes also called ''cizhonghu''. It is also referred to as ''xiaodihu'', being the same instrument as the smallest of the three sizes of ''
dihu'' (large ''huqin'' instruments), the others being the ''zhongdihu'' and ''dadihu''.
History
The ''dahu'' was developed in the 1930s as the tenor member of the ''erhu'' family (the ''erhu'' being the soprano member and the ''
zhonghu'' being the alto member) to increase the pitch range of the instruments used in a
Chinese orchestra
The term Chinese orchestra is most commonly used to refer to the modern Chinese orchestra that is found in China and various overseas Chinese communities. This modern Chinese orchestra first developed out of Jiangnan sizhu ensemble in the 1920s ...
and allow music with harmony to be played.
However, by the late 20th century it had largely fallen into disuse. Part of the reason for this is that it is unwieldy to play. Also, that (like other instruments in the ''huqin'' family) the bow passes between the instrument's two strings means that playing
pizzicato
Pizzicato (, ; translated as 'pinched', and sometimes roughly as 'plucked') is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument:
* On bowe ...
is difficult; thus, the larger ''
gehu'' and ''
diyingehu'', ''
laruan'', or
cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
and
double bass
The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
are generally used in Chinese orchestras for the lower bowed string voices instead.
See also
*
Dihu
*
Huqin
*
Chinese music
The music of China consists of many distinct traditions, often specifically originating with one of the country's various ethnic groups. It is produced within and without the country, involving either people of Chinese origin, the use of tradit ...
*
List of Chinese musical instruments
Chinese musical instruments are traditionally grouped into eight categories (classified by the material from which the instruments were made) known as (). The eight categories are silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd and skin; other instr ...
References
External links
Dahu pagefrom Paul and Bernice Noll site
Video
String instruments
Bowed instruments
Chinese musical instruments
Drumhead lutes
Huqin family instruments
{{huqin-stub