The Chinese Musical Instruments

What are the Chinese musical instrument?
   
       For more than three thousand years, some seventy musical instrument have
been in use in China. These seventy musical instruments still exist today and have
not undergone tremendous changes.
       The respect the Chinese had for sacred symbolism included the material from
which the instruments were made.
       It is one of the Chinese beliefs that music is related to the forces of nature.
The Chinese believe that music expresses harmony among heaven, earth, and
man. They also believe that nature has provided man with eight kinds of materials
to build musical instruments.
        The instrument used in the Ya-Yueh (instrumental ensemble) are made of
metal, stone, wood or bamboo, earth or mud, skin, gourd, and silk.

The eight kinds of materials and instruments 

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



Metal
         Includes bells, lou (gong), and bo (cymbals)

Silk
         Silk refers to the stringed instruments.The stringed instruments can be further
divided into two categories: the bowedstrings (e.g. Ethru) and the plucked
strings (e.g. Guzhengs).

Bamboo
          The majority of woodwind instruments are made from bamboo.
Examples include the dizi (flute) and suona (trumpet).

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


Gourd
       
       Gourd is a type of plant. A sheng (mouth organ) is one of the
oldest Chineseinstruments made out of hollowed-out pumpkin-like
vegetables. It consists of awind-chest and a number of bamboo
pipes set in a circle. The sheng imitates the sound of a phoenix.






Clay
        
          The ocarina, a small, egg-shaped wind instrument
(with six holes for the finger tips) made of clay.










Skin

     Drums are often covered with different types
of animal skins along the top or head.








    



           The variations of rhythm, beat, tone quality, and embellishments in Chinese
music are highly distinctive and unlike their Western counterparts. This is mainly
due to the unique sounds and playing styles of traditional Chinese musical instrument.
       
           Most Chinese instruments are performed as solo form as well as a part of
ensemble or orchestra. A Chinese orchestra is a mixture of many cultural traditions.