中國樂器 Chinese Instruments

Type of Chinese Instruments Chinese instruments are also classified according to the type of material they are made from. They are Stone, Metal, Silk, Bamboo, Wood, Skin, Gourd and Clay

Stone A good example is the Pien Ching. It is a set of L-shaped stones, of different quantities and sizes, hanging from a stand and struck with a special hammer. They are played only at court and during religious ceremonies.

Metal Includes Bells, Bo (Cymbals) and Luo (Gong).

Bo (Cymbals) The performer strikes the pair together. The most common type now is the Jingbo (the prefix jing referring to Beijing), a name from the instruments use in the Peking opera. This type is clear and forceful in tone quality.

Luo (Gong) Chinese gongs are made of high-tin bronze, hammered into a sifter shape. Its central resonating area can be either flat or convex. Modern varieties are great in number with varying tone qualities.

Silk Refers to the stringed instruments. The stringed instruments can be further divided into two categories: the bowed strings (e.g. Erhu (Chinese violin) and the plucked strings (e.g Pipa (Chinese Lute), Liuqin (Small Lute), Ruan, Sanxian (Three -string Lute/Banjo).

Pipa (Chinese Lute) The word "Pi" meant "to play forward" and "Pa" meant "to play backward". The Pipa arrived in China in the 4th century AD from Central Asia.

Liuqin (Small Lute) The Liuqin looks like a miniature pipa, but it has the shape of a willow leaf, this is where the Liuqin got its name from.

Ruan The name is a shortened form of Ruan Xian who was a musician in the 3rd century (the Six dynasties).

Sanxian (Three -string Lute/Banjo) Sanxian has a structure of a wooden drum covered with a snake skin, and an extended long and smooth finger board. It has a distinctive rich and harmonious sound with great volume and wide range.

Erhu (Chinese violin) Erhu also known as Huqin, The instrument has two strings and is played with the bow clasped between them. The sound box is covered by snake skin which gives the instrument its distinctive mellow and bright tone.

Bamboo The majority of woodwind instruments are made from bamboo. Examples include the Di (Flute), Suona (Oboe).

Di (Flute) Early in the reign of Emperor Wudi ( BC) of the Han dynasty, the di flute was introduced to China from western areas. It is often bound with bands of silk or thread for crack proof.

Suona (Oboe) This double reed instrument was brought to China by Muslim travellers 500 years ago.. It has a penetrating tone quality, The suona is has a passionate and lively sound, particularly good at imitating the singing of hundreds of birds.

Wood This section includes a large variety of small percussion instruments including wooden blocks, boxes and xylophones with wooden blocks. These, like Muyu (Woodblock) were used by Buddhist monks during religious ceremonies.

Muyu (Woodblock) It was used originally to accompany Buddhist chant only. The larger type is primarily used in Buddhist temples, but recently appears in sets, varying in diameters and tone qualities. The set is mainly used for regular rhythms in the accompaniment.

Skin Drums are often covered with different types of animal skins along the top or head, like Bangu (Drum) or Tanggu (Medium-sized Barrel Drum).

Bangu (Drum) The player strikes on this central area with a pair of bamboo sticks. The Bangu leads the percussion section in the instrumental ensemble of the Peking opera.

Tanggu (Medium-sized Barrel Drum) The common type is similar in shape to a barrel. Its wooden shell, entirely painted red with decorative patterns, is covered with two drumheads of cowhide or pig skin.

Gourd A type of plant. A Sheng (Mouth Organ) is one of the oldest Chinese instruments made out of hollowed-out pumpkin-like vegetables. It consists of a wind-chest and a number of bamboo pipes set in a circle. The sheng imitates the sound of a phoenix.

Sheng (Mouth Organ) It is said that the first female ancestor N ü wa or one of her followers called Sui invented the instrument. The early type had a calabash base with pipes mounted through its holes in its top.

Clay The Ocarina, a small, egg-shaped wind instrument (with six holes for the finger tips) made of clay, like Xun (Clay Vessel Flute)

Xun (Clay Vessel Flute) The Xun was said to be made of baked clay by the legendary Bao Xin Gong the first male ancestor in Chinese myth.

Chinese orchestra A Chinese orchestra is an mixture of many cultural traditions. Similar to a western philharmonic orchestra, a full Chinese orchestra is made up of four sections as below: Plucked-strings Bowed-strings Woodwind Percussion

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