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Traditional music of China. Traditional Chinese Instruments and What You Can Play Chinese Musical Instruments Summer Season

These are Chinese traditional musical instruments.

(Actually, there are many more varieties.)

Contemporary illustrations by artist Wang Kongde show how these tools were used.

Erhu (二胡, èrhú), a two-stringed violin, has perhaps the most expressive voice of all bowed stringed instruments. The erhu is played both solo and in ensembles. This is the most popular stringed instrument among various ethnic groups China. When playing the erhu, many complex technical bow and finger techniques are used. The erhu violin is often used as the lead instrument in traditional Chinese orchestras. national instruments and in the performance of string-wind music.

The word "erhu" consists of the characters for "two" and "barbarian" because this two-stringed instrument came to China about 1000 years ago thanks to the northern nomadic peoples.

Modern erhus are made of precious wood, the resonator is covered with python skin. The bow is made of bamboo, on which a string of horsehair is pulled. During the game, the musician pulls the string of the bow with the fingers of his right hand, and the bow itself is fixed between two strings, making up a single whole with the erhu.

The name "pipa" refers to the way the instrument is played: "pi" means moving the fingers down the strings, and "pa" means moving them backwards. The sound is extracted with a plectrum, but sometimes with a fingernail, which is given a special shape.

Several similar tools East Asia derived from pipa: Japanese biwa, Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà and Korean bipa.

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Yueqin (月琴, yuèqín, i.e. "moon lute"), or ruan ((阮), is a kind of lute with a round resonator body. The ruan has 4 strings and a short fretboard with frets (usually 24). The ruan also has an octagonal body and is played with a plectrum. classical guitar, and is used both for playing solo and in an orchestra.

In ancient times, ruan was called "pipa" or "qin pipa" (i.e. pipa of the Qin dynasty). However, after the ancestor of the modern pipa came to China along the Silk Road during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (circa 5th century AD), the name "pipa" was assigned to the new instrument, and the lute with a short neck and a round body began to be called " ruan" - named after the musician who played it, Ruan Xian (3rd century AD). Ruan Xian was one of the seven great scholars known as the "Seven Wise Men of the Bamboo Grove".

Xiao (箫, xiāo) is an upright flute usually made from bamboo. This one is very ancient tool, apparently comes from a flute related to the Tibetans of the Qiang (Kyan) people from southwestern China. An idea of this flute is given by ceramic funerary figurines dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD). This instrument is even older than the di flute.

Xiao flutes have a clear sound suitable for playing beautiful, pleasing melodies. They are often used solo, in ensemble, and to accompany traditional Chinese opera.

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XUANGU - hanging drum

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Paixiao (排箫, páixiāo) is a type of pan flute. Over time, the instrument disappeared from musical use. Its revival began in the 20th century. Paixiao served as a prototype for the development next generations this type of instrument.

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The Chinese suona oboe (唢呐, suǒnà), also known as laba (喇叭, lǎbā) or haidi (海笛, hǎidí), is loud and shrill and is often used in ensembles. Chinese music. It is an important instrument in the folk music of northern China, especially in the provinces of Shandong and Henan. Suona is often used at weddings and funeral processions.

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The kunhou harp (箜篌, kōnghóu) is another plucked stringed instrument that came to China along the Silk Road from Western Asia.

The kunhou harp is often found on the frescoes of various Buddhist caves of the Tang era, which indicates the widespread use of this instrument during that period.

She disappeared during the Ming Dynasty, but in the 20th century. she was revived. Kunhou was known only from frescoes in Buddhist caves, ritual funeral figurines, and engravings on stone and brickwork. Then, in 1996, in a tomb in Qemo County (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), two whole onion-shaped kunhou harps and a number of their fragments were found. However, the modern version of this instrument is more reminiscent of the Western concert harp rather than the old kunhou.

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Although original name of this picture - "Zheng", is depicted here after all guqin (古琴) - a Chinese seven-string zither. The guqin and guzheng are similar in shape, but they are easy to distinguish: while the guzheng has a support under each string, like the Japanese koto, the guqin does not have supports.

Since ancient times, the guqin has been a favorite instrument of scientists and thinkers, it was considered an exquisite and refined instrument and was associated with Confucius. He was also called "the father of Chinese music" and "the instrument of the sages".

Previously, the instrument was simply called "qin", but by the 20th century. this term has come to mean whole line musical instruments: the cymbal-like yangqin, the huqin family of stringed instruments, the Western piano, etc. Then the prefix "gu" (古), i.e. "ancient, and was added to the name. Sometimes you can also find the name "qixiaqin", i.e. "seven-string musical instrument".

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Dizi (笛子, dizi) - Chinese transverse flute. It is also called di (笛) or handi (橫笛). The di flute is one of the most common Chinese musical instruments, and can be found in folk music ensembles, modern orchestras, and Chinese opera. It is believed that dizi came to China from Tibet during the Han Dynasty. Dizi has always been popular in China, which is not surprising, because. It is easy to make and easy to carry around.

Today this instrument is usually made of high quality black bamboo with one blow hole, one membrane hole and six playing holes cut along its length. In the north, di is made from black (purple) bamboo, in the south, in Suzhou and Hangzhou, from white bamboo. Southern di's tend to be very thin, light and have a quiet sound. However, it would be more correct to call the di "membrane flute", since its characteristic, sonorous timbre is due to the vibration of a thin paper membrane, which is sealed with a special sound hole on the body of the flute.

Yueqin

In ancient times, ruan was called "pipa" or "qin pipa" (i.e. pipa of the Qin dynasty). However, after the ancestor of the modern pipa came to China along the Silk Road during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (circa 5th century AD), the name "pipa" was assigned to the new instrument, and the lute with a short neck and a round body began to be called " ruan" - named after the musician who played it, Ruan Xian(3rd century AD) . Ruan Xian was one of the seven great scholars known as the "Seven Wise Men of the Bamboo Grove".

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Dizi

Dizi (笛子, dízi) is a Chinese transverse flute. It is also called di (笛) or handi (橫笛). The di flute is one of the most common Chinese musical instruments, and can be found in folk music ensembles, modern orchestras, and Chinese opera. Dizi has always been popular in China, which is not surprising, because. It is easy to make and easy to carry around. Its characteristic, sonorous timbre is due to the vibration of a thin bamboo membrane, which is sealed with a special sound hole on the body of the flute.

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Qing

The "sounding stone" or qing (磬) is one of the oldest Chinese instruments. Usually it was given a shape similar to Latin letter L, since its outlines resemble the respectful posture of a person during the performance of the ritual. It is mentioned that it was one of the instruments played by Confucius. During the Han Dynasty, it was believed that the sound of this instrument reminded the monarch of the warriors who died defending the borders of the empire.

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Sheng

Sheng (笙, shēng) is a mouth organ, a reed wind instrument made of vertical pipes. This is one of the most ancient musical instruments in China: its first images date back to 1100 BC, and some shengs from the Han Dynasty have survived to this day. Traditionally, the sheng is used as an accompaniment when playing the suon or dizi.

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Erhu

The word "erhu" consists of the characters for "two" and "barbarian" because this two-stringed instrument came to China about 1000 years ago thanks to the northern nomadic peoples.

Pipa

Several similar East Asian instruments are derived from the pipa: the Japanese biwa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà, and the Korean bipa.

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Xiao

Xiao (箫, xiāo) is an upright flute usually made from bamboo. This very ancient instrument appears to be derived from the flute of the Tibetan Qiang people of southwestern China. An idea of this flute is given by ceramic funerary figurines dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD).

Xiao flutes have a clear sound suitable for playing beautiful, pleasing melodies. They are often used solo, in ensemble, and to accompany traditional Chinese opera.

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Xuangu

(hanging drum)
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Paixiao

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swan

The Chinese suona oboe (唢呐, suǒnà), also known as the laba (喇叭, lǎbā) or the haidi (海笛, hǎidí), has a loud and shrill sound and is often used in Chinese music ensembles. It is an important instrument in the folk music of northern China, especially in the provinces of Shandong and Henan. Suona is often used at weddings and funeral processions.

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Kunhoe

The kunhou harp (箜篌, kōnghóu) is another plucked stringed instrument that came to China along the Silk Road from Western Asia.

The kunhou harp is often found on the frescoes of various Buddhist caves of the Tang era, which indicates the widespread use of this instrument during that period.

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Zheng

Guzheng (古箏, gǔzhēng), or zheng (箏, "gu" 古 means "ancient") is a Chinese zither with movable, loose string rests and 18 or more strings (modern guzheng usually has 21 strings). Zheng is the ancestor of several Asian varieties of zither: Japanese koto, Korean gayageum, Vietnamese đàn tranh.

Although the original name of this painting is "Zheng", it is still depicted here. Guqin and guzheng are similar in shape, but they are easy to distinguish: while the guzheng has a support under each string, like the Japanese koto, the guqin has no supports, and the strings are about 3 times smaller.

Previously, the instrument was simply called "qin", but by the 20th century. the term has come to refer to a range of musical instruments: the cymbal-like yangqin, the huqin family of stringed instruments, the Western pianoforte, and so on. Then the prefix "gu" (古), i.e. "ancient, and was added to the name. Sometimes you can also find the name "qixiaqin", i.e. "seven-string musical instrument".

Yueqin (月琴, yuèqín, i.e. "moon lute"), or ruan ((阮), is a kind of lute with a round resonator body. The ruan has 4 strings and a short fretboard with frets (usually 24). also known as the octagonal-shaped ruan, played with a plectrum, the instrument has a melodic sound reminiscent of a classical guitar and is used both solo and in an orchestra.
In ancient times, ruan was called "pipa" or "qin pipa" (i.e. pipa of the Qin dynasty). However, after the ancestor of the modern pipa came to China along the Silk Road during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (circa 5th century AD), the name "pipa" was assigned to the new instrument, and the lute with a short neck and a round body began to be called " zhuan" - named after the musician who played on it, Ruan Xian (3rd century AD) . Ruan Xian was one of the seven great scholars known as the "Seven Wise Men of the Bamboo Grove".

Dizi (笛子, dízi) is a Chinese transverse flute. It is also called di (笛) or handi (橫笛). The di flute is one of the most common Chinese musical instruments, and can be found in folk music ensembles, modern orchestras, and Chinese opera. It is believed that dizi came to China from Tibet during the Han Dynasty. Dizi has always been popular in China, which is not surprising, because. It is easy to make and easy to carry around.Today this instrument is usually made of high quality black bamboo with one blow hole, one membrane hole and six playing holes cut along its length. In the north, di is made from black (purple) bamboo, in the south, in Suzhou and Hangzhou, from white bamboo. Southern di's tend to be very thin, light and have a quiet sound. However, it would be more correct to call the di "membrane flute", since its characteristic, sonorous timbre is due to the vibration of a thin paper membrane, which is sealed with a special sound hole on the body of the flute.

Erhu (二胡, èrhú), a two-stringed violin, has perhaps the most expressive voice of all bowed stringed instruments. The erhu is played both solo and in ensembles. It is the most popular stringed instrument among various ethnic groups in China. When playing the erhu, many complex technical bow and finger techniques are used. The erhu violin is often used as the lead instrument in traditional Chinese national instrument orchestras and in the performance of string and wind music. The word "erhu" consists of the characters for "two" and "barbarian" because this two-stringed instrument came to China about 1000 years ago thanks to the northern nomadic peoples.Modern erhus are made of precious wood, the resonator is covered with python skin. The bow is made of bamboo, on which a string of horsehair is pulled. During the game, the musician pulls the string of the bow with the fingers of his right hand, and the bow itself is fixed between two strings, making up a single whole with the erhu.

Guzheng (古箏, gǔzhēng), or zheng (箏, "gu" 古 means "ancient") is a Chinese zither with movable, loose string rests and 18 or more strings (modern zheng usually has 21 strings). Zheng is the ancestor of several Asian varieties of zither: Japanese koto, Korean gayageum, Vietnamese đàn tranh. Although the original name of this painting is "Zheng", it is still depicted here guqin (古琴) - a Chinese seven-string zither. The guqin and guzheng are similar in shape, but they are easy to distinguish: while the guzheng has a support under each string, like the Japanese koto, the guqin does not have supports. The sound of the guqin is very quiet, the range is about 4 octaves. Since ancient times, the guqin has been a favorite instrument of scientists and thinkers, it was considered an exquisite and refined instrument and was associated with Confucius. He was also called "the father of Chinese music" and "the instrument of the sages". Previously, the instrument was simply called "qin", but by the 20th century. this term began to denote a number of musical instruments: similar to cymbalsyangqin, huqin family of string instruments, western piano, etc. Then the prefix "gu" (古), i.e. "ancient, and was added to the name. Sometimes you can also find the name "qixiaqin", i.e. "seven-string musical instrument".

Xiao (箫, xiāo) is an upright flute usually made of bamboo. This very ancient instrument appears to be derived from the flute of the Tibetan Qiang people of southwestern China. An idea of this flute is given by ceramic funerary figurines dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD). This instrument is even older than the di flute. Xiao flutes have a clear sound suitable for playing beautiful, pleasing melodies. They are often used solo, in ensemble, and to accompany traditional Chinese opera.

The kunhou harp (箜篌, kōnghóu) is another plucked stringed instrument that came to China along the Silk Road from Western Asia. The kunhou harp is often found on the frescoes of various Buddhist caves of the Tang era, which indicates the widespread use of this instrument during that period. She disappeared during the Ming Dynasty, but in the 20th century. she was revived. Kunhou was known only from frescoes in Buddhist caves, ritual funeral figurines, and engravings on stone and brickwork. Then, in 1996, in a tomb in Qemo County (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), two whole onion-shaped kunhou harps and a number of their fragments were found. However, the modern version of this instrument is more reminiscent of the Western concert harp rather than the old kunhou.

Pipa (琵琶, pípa) is a 4-string plucked musical instrument, sometimes also called the Chinese lute. One of the most widespread and famous Chinese musical instruments. The pipa has been played in China for more than 1500 years: the ancestor of the pipa, whose homeland is the region between the Tigris and Euphrates (the region of the "fertile crescent") in the Middle East, came to China along the ancient Silk Road in the 4th century BC. n. e. Traditionally, the pipa was used mainly for playing solo, less often in folk music ensembles, usually in southeast China, or as an accompaniment to storytellers. The name "pipa" refers to the way the instrument is played: "pi" means moving the fingers down the strings, and "pa" means moving them backwards. The sound is extracted with a plectrum, but sometimes with a fingernail, which is given a special shape. Several similar East Asian instruments are derived from the pipa: the Japanese biwa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà, and the Korean bipa.

Yueqin

In ancient times, ruan was called "pipa" or "qin pipa" (i.e. pipa of the Qin dynasty). However, after the ancestor of the modern pipa came to China along the Silk Road during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (circa 5th century AD), the name "pipa" was assigned to the new instrument, and the lute with a short neck and a round body began to be called " ruan" - named after the musician who played it, Ruan Xian(3rd century AD) . Ruan Xian was one of the seven great scholars known as the "Seven Wise Men of the Bamboo Grove".

_____________________________________________________

Dizi

Dizi (笛子, dízi) is a Chinese transverse flute. It is also called di (笛) or handi (橫笛). The di flute is one of the most common Chinese musical instruments, and can be found in folk music ensembles, modern orchestras, and Chinese opera. Dizi has always been popular in China, which is not surprising, because. It is easy to make and easy to carry around. Its characteristic, sonorous timbre is due to the vibration of a thin bamboo membrane, which is sealed with a special sound hole on the body of the flute.

______________________________________________________

Qing

The "sounding stone" or qing (磬) is one of the oldest Chinese instruments. It was usually given a shape similar to the Latin letter L, since its outlines resemble the respectful posture of a person during the ritual. It is mentioned that it was one of the instruments played by Confucius. During the Han Dynasty, it was believed that the sound of this instrument reminded the monarch of the warriors who died defending the borders of the empire.

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Sheng

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Erhu

The word "erhu" consists of the characters for "two" and "barbarian" because this two-stringed instrument came to China about 1000 years ago thanks to the northern nomadic peoples.

Pipa

Several similar East Asian instruments are derived from the pipa: the Japanese biwa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà, and the Korean bipa.

______________________________________________________

Xiao

(箫, xiāo) is an upright flute usually made of bamboo. This very ancient instrument appears to be derived from the flute of the Tibetan Qiang people of southwestern China. An idea of this flute is given by ceramic funerary figurines dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD).

Xiao flutes have a clear sound suitable for playing beautiful, pleasing melodies. They are often used solo, in ensemble, and to accompany traditional Chinese opera.

______________________________________________________

Xuangu

(hanging drum)
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Paixiao

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swan

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Kunhoe

The kunhou harp (箜篌, kōnghóu) is another plucked stringed instrument that came to China along the Silk Road from Western Asia.

The kunhou harp is often found on the frescoes of various Buddhist caves of the Tang era, which indicates the widespread use of this instrument during that period.

______________________________________________________

Zheng

Although the original name of this painting is "Zheng", it is still depicted here guqin (古琴) - a Chinese seven-string zither. Guqin and guzheng are similar in shape, but they are easy to distinguish: while the guzheng has a support under each string, like the Japanese koto, the guqin has no supports, and the strings are about 3 times smaller.

musical folk balalaika

The history of Chinese folk musical instruments spans several millennia. Archaeological excavations show that more than 2000 years ago, and possibly earlier, various musical instruments were already in use in China. For example, as a result of excavations in the village of Hemudu in Zhejiang province, bone whistles from the Neolithic period were recovered, and in the village of Banpo in Xi'an, a "xun" (fired clay wind instrument) belonging to the Yangshao culture was discovered. In the Yin ruins, located in Anyang, Henan Province, a "shiqing" (stone gong) and a drum covered with python skin were found. “Xiao” ( longitudinal flute), "sheng" (mouth organ), "se" (25-string horizontal harp), bells, "bianqing" (stone gong), various drums and other instruments.

Ancient musical instruments had, as a rule, a dual use - practical and artistic. Musical instruments were used as tools or household items and at the same time for playing music. For example, "shiqing" (stone gong) may have come from some kind of tool that had the shape of a disk. In addition, some ancient instruments were used as a means of conveying certain information. For example, beats on drums served as a signal to set off on a campaign, strikes on a gong - to retreat, night drums - to beat off night guards, etc. A number of national minorities still have a tradition of expressing love by playing melodies on wind and string instruments.

The development of musical instruments is closely connected with the development of social productive forces. The transition from the manufacture of stone gongs to metal gongs and the manufacture of metal bells became possible only after the development of metal smelting technology by man. Thanks to the invention and development of sericulture and silk weaving, it became possible to manufacture stringed instruments such as "qin" (Chinese zither) and "zheng" (an ancient plucked musical instrument with 13-16 strings).

The Chinese people have always been distinguished by their ability to borrow useful things from other peoples. Since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), many musical instruments have been brought to China from other countries. In the era of the Han Dynasty, the flute and "shukunhou" (vertical zither) were brought from the western regions, and in the era of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) - cymbals and "son" (Chinese clarinet). These instruments, which became more and more perfect in the hands of masters, gradually began to play an important role in the Chinese folk music orchestra. It should be noted that in the history of the development of Chinese folk musical instruments, string instruments appeared much later than percussion, wind and plucked instruments.

According to historical records, the string instrument, the sounds of which were extracted using a bamboo plectrum, appeared only in the era of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and the string instrument bowed instrument, whose bow was made from a horse's tail, originated in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Since the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), other stringed instruments have been invented on this basis.

After the founding of new China in the middle of the last century, musical figures carried out large-scale work and reform to eliminate a number of shortcomings folk instruments, manifested in the impurity of sound, fragmentation of the system, imbalance of sound, difficult modulation, unequal pitch standards for various tools, the absence of medium and low register instruments. Musical figures made significant progress in this direction.

Guan

Guan - Chinese wind reed instrument(Chinese ЉЗ), genus Oboe. A cylindrical barrel with 8 or 9 playing holes is made of wood, less often of reed or bamboo. A double reed cane, tied with wire in the narrow part, is inserted into the guan channel. Tin or copper rings are put on both ends of the instrument, and sometimes between the playing holes. The total length of the guan ranges from 200 to 450 mm; the largest have a brass socket. The scale of the modern guan is chromatic, the range is es1-a3 (large guan) or as1 - c4 (small guan). Used in ensembles, orchestras and solos.

In China, guan is widespread in Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region China. In the south, in Guangdong, it is also known as houguan (Chinese: ЌAЉЗ). Traditional Chinese name of this instrument - beat (Chinese ?кј) (it was in this form (вИвГ in traditional spelling) that it passed into Korean and Japanese).

Banhu

Banhu is a Chinese stringed bowed musical instrument, a type of huqin.

The traditional banhu has been used primarily as an accompaniment instrument in northern Chinese musical drama, northern and southern Chinese operas, or as a solo instrument and in ensembles.

In the 20th century, the banhu began to be used as an orchestral instrument.

There are three types of banhu - high, middle and low registers. The most common high register banhu.

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