Chinese folk flute music

Chinese folk flute solos were written to tell the traditions and tales of various tribes in China, around the 12th century. They were played mostly on wooden flutes, and thus the pieces that have survived till today are written in D, which is the key these early flutes were made in. This is also why, unlike most Chinese music, these pieces are not written in a pentatonic scale, but in a more middle eastern style. We can tell this because the ornamentation of these pieces is very similar to that of the bagpipes, which were invented in India, and also surprisingly the penny whistle and other Celtic instruments.

These pieces were highly ornamented. Grace notes are used instead of tonguing, a technique used by the bagpipes. Unlike most western music, any two notes were used as grace notes, rather than a tone gap. These pieces were written by taking a short theme and developing it in three sections, each section adding more complex ornaments and rhythms as it progresses. Unlike the European folk structure which normally goes ABABAB etc., as in modern pop music, Chinese folk songs have a structure of AAA, or if you count the development as a change then: ABC.

References

Flutes and whistles Side- blown Bansuri Daegeum Dizi Fife Five-key flute Fue Kagurabue Komabue Nohkan Ryūteki Shinobue Yokobue Irish flute Koudi Sáo Simple system flute Venu Xindi Concert Piccolo Treble Soprano Concert Flûte d'amour Alto Bass Contra-alto Contrabass Subcontrabass Double contrabass Hyperbass End- blown Anasazi flute Danso Frilka Fue Hotchiku Shakuhachi Gudi Kaval Kōauau Ney Nose flute Kalaleng Nose whistle Pinkillu Qina Quray Sodina Sopilka Šupelka Svirel Washint Xiao Pan Kuvytsi Larchemi Nai Miskal Paixiao Siku Soinari Wot Fipple Atenteben Dentsivka Diple Dvoyanka Flabiol Flageolet Frula Fujara Hydraulophone Khloy Khlui Kuisi Low whistle Native American flute Organ pipe Salamuri Shvi Sjøfløyte Slide whistle Spilåpipa Stabule Tarka Tabor pipe Tin whistle Tonette Txistu Whistle Xirula Zuffolo Recorders Garklein Sopranino Soprano Alto Voice flute Tenor Bass Great bass Contrabass Sub-great bass Sub-contrabass Vessel Gemshorn Pifana Hun Molinukai Ocarina Xun Overtone Fujara Kalyuka Koncovka Willow flute Other Chinese folk flute music Flute repertory Tone hole Uakti Vertical flute