DescriptionTechnical description: Coconut shell, circumference 380 mm, depth 90 mm, covered with soundboard of `tung' wood; wooden neck and 2 pegs (circular, flat) inserted laterally on the top right side of the neck.; 2 silk strings, both stretched across one (notched, moveable) bridge.
Bow (only associated by immediate provenance): Bow of bamboo, curved at each end and strung with horsehair.
Performance technique: A bowed two-string instrument, the banhu is placed on the performer’s lap. Held in the right hand, the bow is drawn across the strings while the performer fingers the notes with the left hand. The strings are tuned a fifth apart, either G-D or A-E.
Historical sources and dispersal: The banhu (ban ‘flat board’; hu ‘barbarian’) is a two-string fiddle belonging to the huqin family of bowed string instruments. It is found primarily in southern China. Similar in construction to the erhu and the yehu, the banhu differs in the placement of the tuning pegs, which are placed laterally, rather than dorsally as on the other two instruments. The banhu is an important member of the instrument ensemble accompanying bangzi opera, which originated in the 18th century. It is now commonly used in modern Chinese orchestras. |