When the reporter participated in a cultural trip to the countryside held by the Yinchuan Federation of Literary and Art Circles in Haojiaqiao Town, Lingwu City, the reporter "ran into" Ma Yizhen, the inheritor of Ma's mouth strings, who performed at the event site. Applause.
Mouth strings are popular among the people in Ningxia, and Ma's mouth strings of Lingwu Haojiaqiao are naturally among them. In 2008, Ma Lanhua, the oral successor of the Ma family, was named the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage; in 2010, his brother Ma Yizhen was also named the representative inheritor of the autonomous region. Today, their oral string skills are still active in many performances and events.

The mouth string has a long history, according to research, it probably originated in the Neolithic Age. In the Book of Songs, there is a verse of "Yo yo deer ming, eating wild apples. I have guests, and I encourage and blow the sheng. I blow the sheng and drum springs, and the basket is a general. People who love me, show me how to go around". Among them, the "spring" is a musical instrument made of bamboo or iron that can be played horizontally in the mouth, and is the same type of instrumental music as the mouth string.

Bamboo slices make freehand sounds

"You're white peony for nothing, Yaoya people, elder brother's white peony..." In Ma Yizhen and flower singer Ma Xiaoyan's performance of "Brother's White Peony", a small piece of bamboo, in Ma Yizhen mouth, making a pleasant sound. He held one end of the bamboo piece in his hand and flicked it gently. The other end of the bamboo piece was held in his mouth. Sometimes he exhaled, sometimes inhaled, and sometimes held his breath, so that the airflow changed in the bamboo pieces that flicked with his fingers, making a special sound in his mouth. . This voice is either deep and deep, or crisp and tactful. Like Ningxia Huaer, it shows a different style of water and soil.
Ma Yizhen is a native of Cuiqu Village, Haojiaqiao Town, Lingwu City. He learned oral string performance from his father since he was a child. He said that in order to play a good sound, it is necessary to add some imagination under the premise that the techniques and oral techniques are in place. Having said that, Ma Yizhen demonstrated it. He played a short episode of "Journey to the West", which really sounded unique. "It's not enough just to imitate." Ma Yizhen said that the mouth string is like a freehand painting. It can make an emotional sound through the cooperation of the hand and mouth.

That voice can calm the heart

There are many kinds of mouth strings, which are generally divided into metal mouth strings and bamboo mouth strings according to different materials. "Different mouth strings have different playing feel." Ma Yizhen said that Ma's mouth strings are mainly made of bamboo strings, which have retained the original ecological feeling through the inheritance of four generations of the family.

The reason why the mouth string can make a pleasant sound is due to its sound principle. According to Ma Yizhen, a mouth string is about 10 centimeters long, and the middle part is gouged out, leaving a reed. When playing, gently hold the reed between your lips, and pull the other end with a silk tassel. The reed vibrates due to this action, and the mouth is used as a resonance box to produce sound. In addition, with the change of artificially adjusted airflow, the sound of the mouth string also changes, forming a scale with different heights.
"The mouth string is actually a very ancient musical instrument. People have mastered this sound principle a long time ago, making the mouth string, and playing wonderful music." Ma Yizhen said, compared with modern electronic technology instruments, the mouth string has a timeless feel. Charm, that sound can bring back peace of mind.

Good mouth strings are "refined" like this

"When I was young, my father's leg was injured and he couldn't work on the ground. He made and sold mouth strings for a living." Ma Yizhen said that by his father's generation, the production skills of Ma's mouth strings were already very mature. Wu, Wu Zhong and other places are also very famous, and many people buy them here.
"Look at this piece of bamboo, it can make a nice sound, and it's the result of 'thousands of hard work'." Ma Yizhen introduced that a good mouth string is made of selected bamboo raw materials, cut into three inches long, and placed in the water. Soak and soften, then shape and dry, and then fry at high temperature in a frying pan, and finally finish the finishing. Among them, the frying step is a unique process of Ma's mouth string. Ma Yizhen explained that after soaking the bamboo chips, the sound became dull, and after high-temperature frying, the bamboo chips recovered their bouncing power, and the sound sounded more crisp and soft. Moreover, the mouth strings made in this way are shiny and smooth, strong and durable, and not easy to break.

Once a musical instrument for women to relieve their sorrows

There is also such a legend about the mouth string. A long time ago, in the Liupanshan area, a rich man fell in love with a beautiful girl and forced her to marry him. When the girl refused to obey, the rich man gouged out her eyes and cut her throat. The girl fled into a bamboo forest and used bamboo to make a chord to play, telling the rich man's evil deeds with a melody. Later, people used chords to commemorate the girl.
In fact, in the past life, the mouth string was also a musical instrument for women to relieve their sorrows. In Lingwu, oral strings are also known as "resolving hemp entanglement". Ma Yizhen said, "Tangling" means trouble. In the feudal era, women were not free to live their lives. They listened to their parents at home. When they got married, they had to obey their husband's family. Moreover, the marriage was arranged. There are some songs such as "Song of Misery" that have been handed down today, which illustrates this point. The low, blurred, graceful and tactful voice sounds unique.

I hope the younger generation likes mouth strings

Ma Yizhen's father used to go to the streets and alleys to sell mouth strings, always holding a rattle in his hand to attract customers. Ma Yizhen and her sister Ma Lanhua sometimes followed, playing the mouth strings and showing them to everyone. In the 1980s, there were still people selling mouth chords, but in the 1990s, when every family had radio, almost no one played chords anymore. In the 21st century, China's intangible cultural heritage protection and inheritance work has gradually been carried out, and a large-scale excavation of intangible cultural heritage items hidden in the people has begun. Ma Yizhen and her sister also picked up the mouth strings again. But this time, it is not to tell the sorrow, but to let people know this unique folk musical instrument.
Ma Yizhen and her sister once organized a performance group of "Ma's Mouth Strings", and their performances such as "Camel Bells", "Drips from the Corridor" and "The East is Red" have been well received. Now he often goes to the community, schools and other places to promote the teaching of oral chords. When some elderly people or parents of students see it, they will bring back memories of the past and be filled with emotion. However, Ma Yizhen hopes that the younger generation will like and learn oral chords. "The mouth string is a very ancient musical instrument, which is of great significance to the development of local culture and music."