Koudi
The koudi (Chinese: 口笛; pinyin: kǒudí; also spelled kou di) is a very small Chinese flute made from bamboo. It was invented in 1971 by the late dizi master Yu Xunfa (俞逊发, 1946–2006).
Overview
The instrument comes in two sizes. The smaller size, called gaoyin koudi, which is only 5–6 cm in length, has only the holes on the sides, where the thumbs can control the full range of pitch by incrementally opening the holes. The larger size, referred to as zhongyin koudi, is 8-9 cm long and has an additional 2–4 holes on the front (played with the fingers, these holes give slightly more precision to pitch changes). The gaoyin koudi is pitched an octave above the xiao di, whereas the zhongyin koudi is pitched an octave above the bang di. The range of the koudi is about a ninth or tenth, and it can bend notes over the entire range of the instrument.
A related instrument in Hunnan province called the tuliang is also center-blown and open-ended but is much larger (about the size of the qudi).
One of the most famous compositions for the koudi is YunQue (Chinese: 云雀; pinyin: Yún Què, Romanian: Ciocârlia, lit. "The Skylark"). The instrument is also used in Chinese orchestral pieces such as Fei Tian.
See also
External links
Photographs
Video
Audio
- Koudi audio (click headphones to listen to individual tracks]
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