Chinese musical instruments
Today we have at our disposal many instruments with which we are already familiar and these are in themselves a whole world to explore. Despite this, there are many more musical scenes that we can explore for our curiosity according to the cultures and places of the world and that they can be fascinating to us thanks to how exotic they are to us. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will talk about the musical instruments of China, an area where one of the oldest civilizations dating back more than 5,800 years has developed.
Index
- Introduction to Chinese music
- China Wind Instruments
- Chinese string instruments
- Chinese percussion instruments
Introduction to Chinese music.
Before we start talking about the Musical Instruments of China it is important that we know some of the characteristics of Chinese music.
China is one of the oldest civilizations and, therefore, it is to be expected that its history in many areas of development is wide and rich, art and music are no exception. The monarchy in China was formed by dynasties, which took an important part in the development of art and culture, to the point of being categorized many times according to the dynasty of the time.
Chinese music served a variety of purposes, traditionally being a form of accompaniment for ceremonies, festivals and celebrations and even war. In terms of musical instruments, China had its own classification system in ancient times, depending on the main material with which they were made. These categories were then metal, stone, silk, bamboo, pumpkin, clay, leather and wood.
Chinese wind instruments.
We begin this list about the musical instruments of China talking about those that are categorized within the wind instruments.
Xiao
It is a vertical flute made of bamboo that has 6 holes. Its mouthpiece is shaped like a "V". The xiao has several versions, being the black bamboo xiao, the nine-section xiao and the yuping xiao The most common. In terms of sound, the Xiao has a very sweet and soft sound, therefore it is used for calm and very lyrical works.
Huluzi
It is a very curious flute made with 3 bamboo tubes and a gourd that is used as a resonance box. The main tube has holes for changing notes.
Disciple
The dizi is the Chinese version of the transverse flute and is made of bamboo, it has 6 tonal holes.
Sheng
Another very particular Chinese wind instrument, they refer to it as a mouth organ, since it is made up of a set of tubes made of thin bamboo rods of different lengths. The reeds receive the wind through the same mouthpiece and produce the sound through the coordination of vibrations. The tubes are arranged in a circle and vary in quantity, usually being 17 but varying from 13 to 36 tubes.
Suona
The suona is a traditional Chinese instrument but it also spread internationally to more than 30 countries. This instrument is referred to as the Chinese oboe, since just like the oboe that is made with a double reed, the suona is made with a double whistle. Currently the suona is a traditional instrument for more than 20 ethnic groups in different regions of China and its name can therefore vary. It is frequently used to accompany traditional ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, and festivals.
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Chinese string instruments.
We continue to discover the most outstanding Chinese musical instruments to focus, now, on the category of string instruments. The most used are the following:
Guzheng
The Guzheng is an instrument with multiple strings (15 to 34) and of great size, that is placed horizontally supported on a structure. It is played with both hands and can be categorized as a zither. It belongs to the plucked string category and gave rise to other traditional Asian plucked string instruments such as the koto Japanese and the gayageum Korean.
Rouen
Another type of Chinese lute, also in the plucked string category. This is characterized by having a round resonance box and having 4 strings.
Pipe
It is a kind of Chinese lute, belonging to the category of plucked string.
Liuqin
It is also categorized as a lute and has 4 strings. In contrast to other similar instruments, the Liuqin's neck is short.
Yangqin
The Yangqin is a kind of Chinese psaltery. The psaltery is a portable version of the harp, with multiple strings stretched at the ends and which can be organized by group (pairs, trios, etc.).
Matouqin
The Matouqin is a stringed instrument. It has a very fine neck and has only two strings that are played with the help of a bow. They describe the soundboard as being "shaped like a horse's head."
Erhu
Another rubbed string instrument and perhaps the most representative of traditional Chinese instruments. It is even smaller than the matouqin. In the same way, the Erhu is played with the assistance of a bow, it has a very fine neck and only two strings.
Banhu
It is called in various ways (yehu, qinhu, huhu, daxian, piato, among others) and is similar to erhu and matouqin. The neck of the banhu is even shorter than that of the ehru. It is usually made from coconut, wood or bamboo shells. The Banhu is traditionally used as an accompaniment to folk operas of Hebei, Ping, Lü, Henan, Shanxi, Lanzhou drum and daoqing among other.
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Chinese percussion instruments.
We conclude this lesson by talking about the musical instruments of China in the category percussion. The best known are the following:
Gu
It's a drum It can vary in size and shape and was traditionally used for warfare. It has patches on both sides, usually leather as a material.
Luó
The Luó is a gong, a kind of suspended vertical plate which can vary in size. There are small as well as very large ones and they used to be used to make a call. The Luó is supported by strings, in the case of the larger ones, in a frame-shaped structure that keeps it suspended from the ground and allows it to have greater resonance.
As you can see, it is highly curious how from the beginning there can be so many possibilities that only depend on creativity and factors in the development of the story. Now that you know more about the musical instruments of China, you can dedicate yourself to looking for more instruments or exploring one that has caught your attention in depth.
Image: Slideshare
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