What is the range and characteristics of the suona?

The body of a traditional suona has eight holes, which are pressed by the index, middle, ring and little fingers of the right hand, as well as by the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers of the left hand (which can be switched to the left and right if the habitual hand is different), in order to control the pitch. The way to pronounce the sound is to hold the reed whistle (i.e. reed) in the mouth and blow hard to make it vibrate and make sound, and the vibration and amplification of the wooden tube and the metal bowl make the sound from the suona.

The traditional suona can be divided into small suona (also known as sea shawm), general soprano suona, and large suona according to the range and size of the instrument, but it can be divided into suona of various tunings (e.g., small suona in the key of G, small suona in the key of F, high soprano suona in the key of D, high soprano suona in the key of C, and large suona in the key of G, etc.), and the so-called tuning refers to the tone of sound that is blown out when releasing the three holes in the lowest part of the suona. Generally speaking, the common range of the traditional suona is seventeen degrees, and the most commonly used one is the D-flat suona. The range is from low A to high A (high B is occasionally used, but is difficult to play)

The modern improved suona with keys can be divided into high soprano suona, alto suona, tenor suona, and low bass suona, etc., which are characterized by the addition of keys and chromatic holes, in order to increase the range and stabilize the intonation. Because of the different regions and manufacturers, the shape and the way of pressing holes are also different, with the most common keyed alto suona and the sound, the common range is generally eighteen degrees.

The most important feature of the suona is that it can control the whistle with its mouth to make changes in volume, pitch, and timbre, as well as the use of various techniques, which makes it difficult to control the pitch of the suona on the one hand, and on the other hand makes it possible to make large changes in the volume of its timbre and make a perfect glissando by controlling the pitch, which makes the suona a very expressive instrument. The adjustment of the whistle has become an important skill for suona players. In addition to the fact that the condition of the whistle affects the power saving and intonation, the whistle must be adjusted in different ways depending on the tune and the timbre of the piece.

Tone rangeThe D-flat soprano oboe is notated by the actual pitch on the soprano clef. It has a total range of a(1)-b(3), and the common range used in bands is a(1)-d(3).

The tone of suona's middle and low register is bold and strong, and all kinds of skills are easy to play, very expressive; the treble register is tense and sharp, and it should be applied cautiously in the orchestra.