Original Yunnan Ethnic Dai Tribe Bawu
Bawu is a transverse blown free reed pipe originated from ethnic Dai tribe of Southwest China. It is traditionally played by ethnic minority groups in the region, but now its influence has spread across China with its evocative sound associated widely with Chinese culture.
Bawu resembles a transverse flute in construction, except for the insertion of a small reed into the blow-hole. The player needs to cover the reed entirely with their mouth and apply substantial air pressure to maintain the vibration of the reed. It has a pure, clarinet-like timbre, and is quite a haunting instrument when played.
In recent years, the rich, mellow tone of bawu has become a favorite with composers of film soundtracks (heavily featured in the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, an Oscar Winner for Best Music, Original Score, 2000). Meanwhile, the development of advanced bawu models, such as dual pipes bawu and vertical bawu, has flourished its range and varieties, taking this very traditional instrument into a new height.
* Item #: YNDABW102
* Pipes: Black Bamboo in G Key
* Condition: All Brand New; Tuned, Tested, All Set – Ready to Play
* Performance: Ideal for learner / regular player; professional tuning included guaranteeing the right key and tone
Plus a free English Learning Guide & Maintenance Tips + Fingering Chart to get you ready to play in 30 minutes!
Other Keys Available Upon Request: C, D Min, F Min, Bb, A, F, D Major, Eb, Bb Major, and C Major. Additional fee of $ 15 and 10 – 15 days for custom tuning
Personalize Your Bawu: engrave a Dragon or a Name by our experienced crafter – optional for $ 15
~ Browse Interact China for over 30 models in Hulsui, Bawu, Uyghur items ~
** THIS IS AN ORIGINAL YUNNAN BAWU TONED AND CARVED BY GENUINE BAWU MASTER **
$ 58.00
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
![]() Lovely,
Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Black Bamboo Detachable Bawu Pipe Ba Wu Flute +Case#102
I was very impressed with my Bawu! It has a very clarinet-like sound, but it is very easy to play. It requires careful attention to breath pressure, but the amount of breath needed is not high. The sound quality changes quite dramatically over the range of the instrument. The quality is quite fine: this is an instrument of natural bamboo with plastic fittings. The only quality complaint might be that the case that comes with it is a little gaudy (but certainly hard enough to protect it well) and that the instrument came smelling strongly of petroleum, probably from the bamboo staining fluid or shellac. I left it out several days in the air and got rid of that smell. The sound and look of this Bawu is so nice that I would not consider that reason against purchasing the instrument. Also, this instrument is imported directly from China, so beware of the relatively long transit time. I got mine in about 2 weeks.
To the recent reviewer above who said the D is out of tune: I used a Korg chromatic tuner to test this instrument. The intonation is not perfect, but given the price and the fact that this is not a Western instrument, the tuning is surprisingly good. The “home key” (he/she seems to mean tonic of the home key) of low D most certainly is in tune, given *the right breath pressure.* This instrument is backwards compared to many other wind instruments: lower notes need increasingly more air, until you hit the underblown register. It is possible this person has a defective instrument, but more likely that a greater control over breath pressure is needed. This particular instrument probably is technically tuned to the pentatonic minor scale with an extra tonehole for the subtonic below G, but a diatonic D major scale, appropriate for western music, is not difficult to achieve with extra fingerings for C#. The range is often reported as a ninth, but with the fingerings given below two lower notes are possible that give a full 11th. Experimentation will give you the accidentals with varying degrees of difficulty. Lowest breath pressure that brings forth a sound: Higher breath pressure, high enough to extinguish the lower notes listed above (lessening with higher notes): 0 ![]() A traditional sound of China,
Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Black Bamboo Detachable Bawu Pipe Ba Wu Flute +Case#102
This is one of the most remarkable chinese instruments, as well as the Dizi and the Erhu. The seller gave me a top notch feedback on every question I had, and the quality of the instrument isn’t something to question at all. However, if you are not familiar with Chinese instruments, this might not be a good start. The scale isn’t the conventional major nor minor, and having a bad breathing control may damage the reed.
0 ![]() It is as advertised, but not much more, By
Brian Kelley (Columbia, SC USA) – See all my reviews
Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Black Bamboo Detachable Bawu Pipe Ba Wu Flute +Case#102
The bawu is as advertised but the little booklet to show fingerings and notes isn’t much help. A quick internet search will provide far better results. Be advised that this is not an easy instrument to play right out of the box.
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