Chinese Wind Instrumental Music Vol. 2 A Spray of Flower CD

A SPRAY OF FLOWER was specifically chosen to introduce western audiences to China's unique heritage of wind instrumental music. There are over seven hundred instruments native to China and over five hundred were created by ethnic groups.
THE INSTRUMENTS: SUONA has a small double-reed of straw, a conical body of wood and a copper flared bell. There are eight holes in the stem for determining pitches, seven finger holes and one thumb hole. Suona is mostly used in operas and folk music for solo and/or accompaniment. Its tone is high and bright. BILI is an ancient instrument that originated in the Western Regions, which is now Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia. Originally made from pearskin, it was widely used in Palace music during the SUI and TANG Dynasties. Today, the bili is made of wood and the blowing end is connected to a reed. It has 8 holes (7 finger and 1 thumb) and is very popular among the Northern Tribes and especially in North Korea. Its timbre is mellow, delicate and heart rendering.
KAXI or suona ka-xi is a suona reed that is sung into and its timbre is a combination of the musicians voice and the instrument. In kaxi, the reed gains its energy from the musicians blowing and by the vibration of the vocal chords. It is very difficult to master this technique, and when a musician does it well, it becomes seamless, as one can not hear where the suona ends and the kaxi begins. HULUSI is made from hulu (gourd) and a bamboo tube with an inbuilt free-reed which is attached to the tube. The free-reed is usually made of copper and/or silver. Its timbre is very gentle and mellow.
Detailed booklet with photos and descriptions of the various wind instruments that are featured on the CD.