"Dudu-du-du-du-du-du-du-du-du---" The crisp sound came from something resembling a pagoda, and instantly attracted the people around. "This is the Ha Hao, an ancient musical instrument." Guo Daoming, the representative inheritor of the Nanxi Ha Hao, a provincial intangible cultural heritage project, gently stroked his "partner" and said that during the Spring Festival, he would go to the town to perform , let people re-experience this traditional folk custom.

More than 2000 years of history

Hahorn is a musical instrument that used to be popular in the rural areas of southern Sichuan, with a history of more than 2,000 years.

Legend has it that in the area of Fuxikou, Nanxi District, Yibin City, it used to be the Bodao County where the Bo people mainly lived. In their spare time, the Bo people play bamboo for fun and celebrate the harvest. This bamboo-made musical instrument produces a sound as loud as a horn. Later, the Bo people would play this instrument when the tribe offered sacrifices or waged wars. And because of the Bo people's surname "Ha", later generations called this musical instrument "Ha".

This kind of original ecological folk bamboo horn is loved by people because of its pure and simple sound, fresh and lively, and it is played at major occasions such as gatherings and festivals.

Guo Daoming remembers that when he was a child, as soon as the twelfth lunar month entered, the adults began to chop bamboo to make the horn. "From the twelfth lunar month to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the adults would go to the village to play the horn, and sometimes there would be competitions." The competition was also very interesting. Interestingly, the people of the two villages are separated by the Yangtze River, standing on the top of the hill, they can't see each other, they can only hear the sound of the horn coming from the opposite side of the river.

Every Spring Festival is the happiest time for children. They often follow behind the adults, and learn to play the horn with the bamboo tips left by the adults making the horn. In this way, Guo Daoming began to learn Ha Hao at the age of 7, and he learned it in two years. There is not enough air to blow the sound. "The production of the horn is also very particular." Guo Daoming said that he should use the kind bamboo produced locally in Nanxi, which is hollow and large. "It is best to use tender bamboo that has not yet emerged in the twelfth lunar month. One bamboo can make 3 to 4 hahas from large to small."

It turns out that the Ha Hao uses the natural bamboo joints of bamboo. One end of each section is thinned, and then the sections are inserted into the shape, and there is a special "calling mouth" (the sounder of Ha Hao) at the end. Because the front is large and the back is small, it looks like a pagoda, and also like the old earth microphones, with strong amplification ability. "The sounds of the long and short horns are different." Guo Daoming said that the sound of the horns sounds like a dongxiao, which can spread far away. The sound of the short horn is similar to the flute, and the transmission is not too far. "The longest horn can reach more than 4 meters, and use about 20 bamboo sections. The shortest horn is like an unearthed bamboo shoot, only 33 centimeters."

Guo Daoming told reporters that the horn sound of Ha Hao is composed of tunes such as "woo-du", "woo-du-du" and continuous "du-du-du-du", which can form different feelings such as lightness, melodiousness, agitation, majesty and highness. . The position, weight, speed, etc. of the player's tongue on the "calling mouth" affects the sound of the horn. The mid-air of the player is very important. If the mid-air is insufficient and the skill is not mastered, the horn cannot be played at all. "A horn blower, he can blow more than 20 'beeps' in one breath, and his voice is mellow."

Hope to have more successors

With the changes of society and the emergence of modern entertainment methods, the frequency of Hahao appears less and less. Now, there are only 30 people in Jeonnam Stream who can play the horn, and even fewer can make it by themselves.

Before retiring, Guo Daoming was the head of the cultural station in Luolong Town, Nanxi County. He found that young people no longer knew Ha Ha, so he decided to pass on this traditional skill.

In 2000, Guo Daoming began to formally accept apprentices. Li Qingyun was the first to ask for advice. He often saw Guo Daoming blowing his horn by the river, and he became interested when he listened to it. The guy in his 20s worked hard, and after a year he mastered the skills and was able to perform with Guo Daoming. It is a pity that he died of illness five years ago, and Guo Daoming lost his good apprentice and good partner.

Later, Guo Daoming passed on the skills to his son and cultivated him as an inheritor. At the same time, Guo Daoming recruited enthusiasts to teach skills in many ways, and music teachers and cultural center staff became his apprentices. He plans to set up a Hahao class in the cultural center, and go to primary and middle schools to popularize the Hahao.

At the same time, Guo Daoming also invented the use of the Ha horn to imitate the sounds of animals. "Chicken barking, dog barking, and the sound of a hundred birds can be used." Number, ready to create a musical film, to establish a Hahao team.