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![]() Gaohu, traditional Guangdong type, with dragon head, round body, no base, and played with the body held between the knees | |
String instrument | |
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Classification | chrodophone |
Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 321.312 (spiked bowed lute) |
Inventor(s) | Lü Wencheng |
The gaohu (高胡; pinyin: gāohú, pronounced [kɑ́ʊ̯xǔ]; Cantonese: gou1 wu4; also called yuehu 粤胡) is a Chinese bowed string instrument developed from the erhu in the 1920s by the musician and composer Lü Wencheng (1898–1981) and used in Cantonese music and Cantonese opera. It belongs to the huqin family of instruments, together with the zhonghu, erhu, banhu, jinghu, and sihu; its name means "high-pitched huqin". It is the leading instrument of Cantonese music and opera ensembles. Well known pieces for the gaohu include Bu Bu Gao (步步高, Higher Step By Step) and Ping Hu Qiu Yue (平湖秋月, Autumn Moon on Calm Lake).