List of traditional Chinese musical instruments

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Traditional Chinese musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments. Traditionally, they were classified according to the materials used in their construction.

Contents

[edit] The Eight Sounds (八音)

The eight categories are: silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd and hide. There are other instruments which may not fit these classifications.

[edit] Silk (絲)

Silk instruments are mostly string instruments (including plucked, bowed, and struck). Since the very beginning, the Chinese have used silk for strings, though today metal or nylon are more frequently used. Instruments in the silk category include:

[edit] Plucked

[edit] Bowed

Re-enactment of an ancient traditional music performance
Re-enactment of an ancient traditional music performance
  • Huqin (胡琴) - family of vertical fiddles
  • Erhu (二胡) - two-stringed fiddle
  • Zhonghu (中胡) - two-stringed fiddle, lower pitch than erhu
  • Gaohu (高胡) - two-stringed fiddle, higher pitch than erhu; also called yuehu (粤胡)
  • Banhu (板胡) - two-stringed fiddle with a coconut resonator and wooden face, used primarily in northern China
  • Jinghu (京胡) - two-stringed fiddle, very high pitched, used mainly for Beijing opera
  • Jing erhu (京二胡) - erhu used in Beijing opera
  • Erxian (二弦) - two-stringed fiddle, used in Cantonese, Chaozhou, and nanguan music
  • Tiqin (提琴) - two-stringed fiddle, used in kunqu, Chaozhou, Cantonese, Fujian, and Taiwanese music
  • Yehu (椰胡) - two-stringed fiddle with coconut body, used primarily in Cantonese and Chaozhou music
  • Daguangxian (大广弦) - fiddle used primarily by the Hakka, in Taiwan and Fujian
  • Datong (大筒) - two-stringed fiddle used in the traditional music of Hunan
  • Datongxian (大筒弦) - two-stringed fiddle used primarily in the traditional music of southern China and Taiwan
  • Hexian (和弦) - large fiddle used primarily among the Hakka of Taiwan
  • Huluqin (葫芦琴) - two-stringed fiddle with gourd body used by the Naxi of Yunnan
  • Huluhu (traditional Chinese: 葫盧胡; simplified Chinese: 葫芦胡) - two-stringed fiddle with gourd body used by the Zhuang of Guangxi
  • Maguhu (traditional Chinese: 馬骨胡; simplified Chinese: 马骨胡; pinyin: mǎgǔhú) - two-stringed fiddle with horse bone body used bu the Zhuang and Buyei peoples of southern China
  • Tuhu (土胡) - two-stringed fiddle used by the Zhuang people of Guangxi
  • Jiaohu (角胡) - two-stringed fiddle used by the Gelao people of Guangxi, as well as the Miao and Dong
  • Sihu (四胡) - four-stringed fiddle with strings tuned in pairs
  • Sanhu (三胡) - 3-stringed erhu with an additional bass string; developed in the 1970s [1]
  • Zhuihu (traditional Chinese: 墜胡; simplified Chinese: 坠胡) - two-stringed fiddle with fingerboard
  • Zhuiqin (traditional: 墜琴; simplified: 坠琴) - two-stringed fiddle with fingerboard
  • Leiqin (雷琴) - two-stringed fiddle with fingerboard
  • Dihu (低胡) - low pitched two-stringed fiddles in the erhu family, in three sizes:
    • Xiaodihu (小低胡) - small dihu, tuned one octave below the erhu
    • Zhongdihu (中低胡) - medium dihu, tuned one octave below the zhonghu
    • Dadihu (大低胡) - large dihu, tuned two octaves below the erhu
  • Dahu (大胡) - another name for the xiaodihu
  • Cizhonghu - another name for the xiaodihu
  • Gehu (革胡) - four-stringed bass instrument, tuned and played like cello
  • Diyingehu (低音革胡) - four stringed contrabass instrument, tuned and played like double bass
  • Laruan (拉阮) - four-stringed bowed instrument modeled on the cello
  • Paqin (琶琴) - modern bowed instrument
    • Dapaqin (大琶琴) - bass paqin
  • Dixianqin (低絃琴)
  • Niutuiqin or niubatui (牛腿琴 or 牛巴腿) - two-stringed fiddle used by the Dong people of Guizhou
  • Matouqin (馬頭琴) - Mongolian two-stringed "horsehead fiddle"
  • Xiqin (奚琴) - ancient prototype of huqin family of instruments
  • Yazheng (simplified: 轧筝; traditional: 軋箏) - bowed zither; also called yaqin (simplified: 轧琴; traditional: 軋琴)
  • Zhengni (筝尼) - bowed zither; used by the Zhuang people of Guangxi
  • Aijieke (艾捷克) - four-stringed bowed instrument used in Xinjiang; similar to kamancheh [2]
  • Sataer (萨它尔) - long-necked bowed lute used in Xinjiang

[edit] Struck

  • Yangqin (揚琴) - hammered dulcimer of varying strings struck using two bamboo hammers
  • Zhu (筑) - ancient zither, struck or plucked with a stick
  • Jiaoweiqin (焦尾琴)

[edit] Bamboo (竹)

A half-section of the Song Dynasty (960–1279) version of the Night Revels of Han Xizai, original by Gu Hongzhong; the female musicians in the center of the image are playing transverse bamboo flutes and guan, and the male musician is playing a wooden clapper called paiban.
A half-section of the Song Dynasty (960–1279) version of the Night Revels of Han Xizai, original by Gu Hongzhong;[1] the female musicians in the center of the image are playing transverse bamboo flutes and guan, and the male musician is playing a wooden clapper called paiban.

Bamboo mainly refers to woodwind instruments, which include:

[edit] Flutes

[edit] Oboes

[edit] Free reed pipes

[edit] Wood (木)

Most wood instruments are of the ancient variety:

  • Zhu (Chinese: 柷; pinyin: zhù) - a wooden box that tapers from the top to the bottom, played by hitting a stick on the inside, used to mark the beginning of music in ancient ritual music
  • Yu (Chinese: 敔; pinyin: yǔ) - a wooden percussion instrument carved in the shape of a tiger with a serrated back, played by hitting a stick with an end made of approximately 15 stalks of bamboo on its head three times and across the serrated back once to mark the end of the music
  • Muyu (traditional Chinese: 木魚; simplified Chinese: 木鱼; pinyin: mùyú) - a rounded woodblock carved in the shape of a fish, struck with a wooden stick; often used in Buddhist chanting
  • Guban (鼓板) - clapper made from two flat pieces of wood; used in shuochang and Beijing opera
  • Paiban (拍板) - a clapper made from several flat pieces of wood
  • Bangzi (梆子) - small, high-pitched woodblock

[edit] Stone (石)

The "stone" category comprises various forms of stone chimes.

[edit] Metal (金)

[edit] Clay (土)

[edit] Gourd (匏)

[edit] Hide (革)

  • Daigu - (大鼓) - large drum played with two sticks
    • Huapengu (花盆鼓) - flowerpot-shaped large drum played with two sticks
  • Huzuo Dagu (虎座大鼓)
  • Huzuo Wujia Gu (虎座鳥架鼓)
  • Jian`gu (建鼓)
  • Bangu (板鼓) - small, high pitched drum used in Beijing opera
  • Biangu (扁鼓) - flat drum, played with sticks
  • Paigu (排鼓) - set of three to seven tuned drums played with sticks
  • Tanggu (堂鼓) - medium-sized barrel drum played with two sticks
  • Huagu (花鼓) - flower drum
  • Yaogu (腰鼓) - waist drum
  • Zhangu (战鼓) - war drum; played with two sticks
  • Bajiao gu (八角鼓) - octagonal tambourine used primarily in narrative singing from northern China[3]
  • Yanggegu (秧歌鼓) - rice planting drum
  • Bofu (搏拊) - ancient drum used to set tempo
  • Jiegu (羯鼓) - hourglass-shaped drum used during the Tang Dynasty
  • Tao (鼗; pinyin: táo) or taogu (鼗鼓) - a pellet drum used in ritual music

[edit] Others

[edit] Playing contexts

Chinese instruments are either played solo, or collectively in large orchestras (as in the former imperial court) or in smaller ensembles (in teahouses or public gatherings). Normally, there is no conductor in traditional Chinese music, or use of musical scores or tablature whilst in performance. Music was generally learned orally and memorized by the musician(s) beforehand, then played without aid, meaning totally accuracy and teamwork is required. But nowadays, music scores can be used, or a conductor if the number of musicians is large enough for that need.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 148.
  • Lee, Yuan-Yuan and Shen, Sinyan. Chinese Musical Instruments (Chinese Music Monograph Series). 1999. Chinese Music Society of North America Press. ISBN 1-880464039
  • Shen, Sinyan. Chinese Music in the 20th Century (Chinese Music Monograph Series). 2001. Chinese Music Society of North America Press. ISBN 1-880464047
  • Yuan, Bingchang, and Jizeng Mao (1986). Zhongguo Shao Shu Min Zu Yue Qi Zhi. Beijing: Xin Shi Jie Chu Ban She/Xin Hua Shu Dian Beijing Fa Xing Suo Fa Xing. ISBN 7800050173.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

Traditional Chinese musical instruments
    █  Silk (string):    Plucked: Guqin • Se • Guzheng • Konghou • Pipa • Sanxian • Ruan • Liuqin • Yueqin • Qinqin • Duxianqin █ Bowed: Huqin • Erhu • Zhonghu • Gaohu • Banhu • Jinghu • Erxian • Tiqin • Yehu • Tuhu • Jiaohu • Sihu • Sanhu • Zhuihu • Zhuiqin • Leiqin • Dihu • (Xiaodihu • Zhongdihu • Dadihu) • Gehu • Diyingehu • Laruan • Matouqin • Yazheng █ Struck: Yangqin • Zhu
    █  Bamboo (woodwind):    Flutes: Dizi • Xiao • Paixiao • Koudi █ Oboes: Guan • Suona █ Free-reed pipes: Bawu • Mangtong
    █  Gourd (woodwind):    Sheng • Yu • Lusheng • Hulusi • Hulusheng
    █  Percussion:   Wood: Muyu • Guban █ Stone: Bianqing █ Metal: Bianzhong • Fangxiang • Luo • Yunluo █ Clay: Xun █ Hide: Daigu • Bangu • Paigu • Tanggu
    █  Others: Gudi • Lusheng • Kouxian
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