Harmonica of the Hui

There are two kinds of mouth strings, one is made of iron and the other is made of bamboo. Iron mouth strings are found among other ethnic groups, but bamboo mouth strings are unique to Hui girls.

The bamboo mouthpiece, as the name suggests, is made of bamboo, looks simple, but does quite pay attention to craftsmanship. Generally good mouth strings, are the bamboo to choose, cut the length of three inches or so, you can cut a number of roots, put into the frying pan fried, and then take out the knife carefully to peel. This makes the strings, from the color, as if coated with a layer of varnish, shiny and smooth; from the quality of the strong and durable, should not be ruptured; from the effect of the moderate volume, crisp and soft.

The Hui girls made bamboo mouth strings, string body is generally three inches long, one end of the big, one end of the small. Playing the left hand pinch the tip of the string, the reed end gently into the lips, the right hand middle finger and thumb to hold the other end of the silk meticulously, evenly tugging, so that the mouth strings spring to produce vibration, issued a kind of "goo goo dong, goo goo dong," with a special charm of the sound. There is no obvious tone, but the girl expresses her feelings of joy, anger, sadness, and joy through her mouth, her energy, and her rhythm.

The Hui girls are generally accompanied by the beloved string, the Hui girls in the southern mountainous areas of Ningxia also like to take the string as a decoration, tied to the chest on the second button, they take the string, an opportunity to play up. Some sit alone at home to relieve boredom, sadness; some two people sitting together to express their feelings, teasing each other; some groups of three or five sitting together to compete with each other, playing some Hui men and women are familiar with the chorus, such as the pearl inverted lotus, camel bells, five brother goat herding, the foot of the family song and so on.

In the past, Hui women were bound by feudal rites on the one hand, and by religion on the other, and were not allowed to go out, not allowed to sing and dance, and could not go out on their own to talk about love. They were often locked up at home, depressed and bored, so they used the mouth string to relieve their worries. Now, the Hui people's days are getting more and more prosperous, Hui girls are happy and play with the string to tease. Some of them play the string as a horn, but also to find a boyfriend to date miles. Now the Hui girls this transfer of heartfelt behavior, has evolved into a combination of music and dance movements of the cultural programs, moved to the stage, by the majority of Hui people's favorite and praise.