CHINAMusic

Traditional Chinese Instruments

Chinese Music

Chinese music has a distinctive sound, quite unlike any Western music. This is mainly due to the unique sounds and playing styles of traditional Chinese musical instruments (CPP 2008).

Watch the following clip of people making music with traditional Chinese instruments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiOgOQcWGsc

Instruments

• Instruments are often categorised by the materials they are made of. Chinese instruments can be made of skin, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal or stone.

• Eg. The strings on this instrument are made of silk.

Types of Instruments

• The Chinese also categorised their instruments based on how they were played. For example, their instruments are either;

•Blown•Plucked•Bowed, or• Struck.

Woodwind, strings and percussion.

• Blown instruments are like our woodwind instruments, where sound is created by blowing air into the instrument.

• Plucked and bowed instruments are like our string instruments, where either the fingers or a bow are used on the strings to create music.

• Struck instruments are like our percussion instruments, where sound is created when instruments are hit with another object, or are sometimes hit together.

Sorting Activity

• You will now see images of 16 different traditional Chinese instruments. Your job is to sort them into the four categories that the Chinese use to describe how they are played.

•Blown•Plucked•Bowed, or• Struck.

1. Bangu

To hear a sample of bangu music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/bangu.mp3

2. Banhu

To hear a sample of banhu music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/Banhu.mp3

3. Bo

To hear a sample of bo music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/Bo.mp3

4. Dizi

To hear a sample of dizi music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/dizi.mp3

5. Erhu

To hear a sample of erhu music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/erhu.mp3

6. Luo

To hear a sample of luo music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/Lou.mp3

7. Guan

8. Jinghu

9. Muyu

10. Pipa

To hear a sample of pipa music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/pipa.mp3

11. Yangqin

To hear a sample of yangqin music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/Yangqin.mp3

12. Souna

To hear a sample of souna music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/ShuoNa.mp3

13. Ruan

14. Zhonghu

15. Sheng

To hear a sample of sheng music, click here;http://chinapeoplepromotions.org/music/mp3/sheng.mp3

16. Zheng

How did you go?Blown Bowed Plucked Struck4. Dizi 2. Banhu 10. Pipa 1. Bangu7. Guan 5. Erhu 11. Yangqin 3. Bo12. Souna 8. Jinghu 13. Ruan 6. Luo15. Sheng 14. Zhonghu 16. Zheng 9. Muyu

Categories by Material

• Can you list an instrument that is made from;

Material InstrumentSilkMetalWoodBambooSkinGourdEarth/Clay OcarinaStone Pien Ching

How did you go?Material InstrumentSilk Stringed instruments eg. erhuMetal Bo (cymbals), GongWood Muyu (also xylophones)Bamboo Most wind instruments, eg. dizi, sounaSkin Drums eg. bangu Gourd ShengEarth/Clay OcarinaStone Pien Ching

References

• Information and audio files taken from:China People Promotions (CPP) 2008, Promoting traditional Chinese arts and culture, retrieved 13 May 2009, http://chinesemusic.co.uk/main/modules/content/index.php?id=27.

• Flogoe1, 2006, Chinese music: flute, banjo, citer and erhu, retrieved 12 May 2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiOgOQcWGsc.

• Information and images taken from: Noll, P 2009, Traditional Chinese instruments, retrieved 13 May 2009, http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Music/China-musical-instruments.html.