There are three main learning paths for Hulusi:

1. Learn from Hulusi teachers. This is the ideal way to learn, but also a shortcut.

2. Self-study. If you have a good knowledge of music theory, or you have learned other wind instruments before, you can learn by yourself, but you may have to take a detour in learning.

3. Self-study and ask the teacher for advice. This may be the learning path that most enthusiasts should take.

Second, the choice of teaching materials Whether you are self-study or learning with a teacher, you should have teaching materials, preferably audio teaching materials (with VCD or DVD). It is best to have more than two textbooks, because each textbook has its own advantages. By reading the textbook, beginners can fully understand the learning knowledge of cucurbit flute, and when they meet the teacher, they can only ask those questions that you don't know. There are many kinds of teaching materials on the market, each with its own advantages, and all of them are relatively good. More detailed is Li Guizhong's "Hulusiba Wu Audio Textbook", the etudes are all equipped with recordings to facilitate learning. Li Chunhua's "How to Learn Hulusiba Wu" is also good. It is best to have both materials at the same time. Although there are many textbooks, one should be the main one. If you don’t want to study one textbook, you can also study another one, and in the end, let it go.

3. The choice of musical instruments The hulusi is best to use simple and unpretentious appearance, not painted as well. The advantage of not painting is that the water in the gourd volatilizes quickly after blowing, the gourd is not easy to mold, and it is not harmful to the body, and the reed is not easy to rust. The mouthpiece is also preferably made of bamboo or wood. Beginners can choose student-type instruments, if you can't buy a good instrument for the time being. However, student-type instruments should also be in tune, with good balance of each note, not too hard to play, and easy to play high notes. Otherwise, it will affect the confidence of learning and the progress of learning. Fans who can already play or are proficient in playing the second tune can choose to learn a professional musical instrument, but the timbre of the cucurbit flute should preferably be of the Dai flavor. Beginners can choose the cucurbit flute in the key of B flat or minor C to learn, and the key of B flat seems to be easier to play. For special enthusiasts, it is necessary to have several cucurbits of different tones. The more commonly used ones are small D, small C, B flat, big G and big F.

4. Breathing method The breathing method of playing Hulusi is mainly abdominal breathing and thoracic-abdominal breathing. Regarding the breathing method of cucurbit flute, you can also refer to the breathing method of vocal music. When playing a piece of music, if you encounter a place marked with a ventilation symbol (usually represented by "V"), you should take a breath, and don't wait until all the breath is exhausted. Excess exhaust gas is quickly exhaled before the ventilation, and inhaled immediately after. Inhale quickly, and don't inhale too much, just enough. Long-term incorrect breathing is not good for physical health, which must be paid attention to.

5. The way of holding the instrument There are two ways to hold the cucurbit flute. One is the forehand (left hand on top, right hand on bottom), most people use this way, and generally right-handed people choose this way. The other is the backhand (right hand up, left hand down), which is used by only a few people. It should be noted that the production of general cucurbit flute instruments is suitable for the forehand, that is to say, the "3" sound is attached to the right side. Hulusi for backhand lovers needs to be specially made. When playing, your hands should be relaxed (don't be nervous, don't press the sound hole too hard), the finger joints that press the hole should be relaxed and bent naturally, the arms should not be stretched intentionally, and the elbows should not be close to the body. Taking the forehand as an example, the fingers of the right hand pressing the hole are basically perpendicular to the supervisor, while the fingers of the left hand are not very perpendicular to the supervisor. The left hand presses the thumb of the high-pitched "6" hole on the reverse side of the main pipe, and presses the hole with the junction of the front and the side of the thumb. The right thumb supports the supervisor, and the contact part is also the junction between the front and the side, which basically corresponds to the right index finger. Please refer to the "Finger Press Hole Diagram" in this column. For details such as the shape of the hand holding the instrument, please refer to the picturein this column of "Daixiang Love Hourly Wire Mesh". It is best for beginners to practice fingering in the mirror to see the hand shape, so as to keep the hand shape correct and beautiful, and you can stop looking at the mirror after it is stable.

Sixth, the mouth-shaped mouth contains the mouthpiece, only one third of it is enough, and the lips should not be too hard to wrap the mouthpiece, so that there is no air leakage. Don't puff your cheeks. Beginners will feel mouth sour and weak, which is a process of learning (also related to musical instruments, hard-to-play cucurbit silk is more likely to cause sore mouth). The lips have to learn to relax during the breath.

7. The sound range of Hulusi Ordinary Hulusi can only make a few sounds, so it is divided into high, middle and bass: bass 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 middle 1, 2, 3 treble 4, 5, 6

8. Basic skills and etudes Basic skills and etudes are the most effective means to improve the performance level. The basic skills mainly refer to long tone practice and fingering practice. Practicing long tones can also be an effective means to improve the level of abdominal and chest-abdominal breathing, and beginners should spend more time on it. Fingering should not only be proficient and fast, but the speed should be accelerated on the premise that the hand shape is natural and beautiful. Etude can also strengthen the practice of fingering, which is the specific application of basic skills. It is a pity that many enthusiasts do not pay attention to the study of etudes, and many textbooks do not focus on etudes, and there is no recording of etudes, which is inconvenient for learners to learn. In short, if you feel that your playing level is difficult to improve, go back and strengthen the learning of basic skills and etudes (this is charging).

Nine, heavy blowing and light blowing Generally speaking, the bass should be blown a little more, and the treble should be blown a little lightly. However, the rules of heavy blowing and light blowing of cucurbit flute of different tunes are different, and the rules of heavy and light blowing of instruments made by different makers are also different. A well-made instrument is easier to play. Take the cucurbit silk made by a famous producer. It is easy to play in the key of big G and major F (big cucurbit flute), especially the high pitch. If you play it too hard, it will not make any sound. You have to play it very lightly. You may need to blow a little harder. The weight of each cucurbit flute is different, so when you get a new instrument, play the scale first, master its rules, and grasp its temper before you can control it

10. The essentials of playing the bass 3 (taking the drum tone as 5 as an example) In fact, beginners will play the bass 3, but after learning to play other sounds, the bass 3 will not be played. Bass 3 has the same fingering as Bass 5. The bass 3 should be blown with very little air (the air speed should be very slow, and the lips should be completely relaxed) to blow (it can be said to be breathing). Let's learn to play Bass 3 after waiting for the other notes to be played. Portamento is an important skill of cucurbit flute and an important seasoning of Dai flavor, which must be learned well. With a large span, the finger of the portamento (such as sliding from 1 to 5) can slide in the direction of the main body, and the process of pressing the portamento finger to the sound hole should be "first fast and then slow". Watch more instructional CDs