|
Erhu
 Erhu is a
kind of violin (fiddle) with two strings, which, together with
zhonghu, gaohu, sihu, etc, belongs to the "huqin" family. The sound
body of the erhu is a drum-like little case usually made of ebony or
sandalwood and snakeskin. It usually has a hexagonal shape with the
length of approximately 13 cm. The front opening is covered with
skin of python (snake) and that of the back is left open. The
functions of this case of resonance are to amplify the vibrations of
the strings. The neck of the erhu is about 81 cm long and is
manufactured with the same materials as the drum. The top of the
stem is bent for decoration. The two tuning handles (pegs) are found
close to the end of the stem. There is no fret (as contrast to the
lute) or touching board (as contrast to violin). The player creates
different pitches by touching the strings at various positions along
the neck of the instrument. The bow is 76 cm long and is
manufactured of reed which one curves during cooking, and arched
with horsehair in the same way as the bow of violin. However, in the
case of erhu, the horsehair runs between the two strings. In another
word, one cannot take off the bow from the instrument unless one of
the two strings is taken off or broken.
Erhu is a
mid-high-toned instrument whose mid-low tone sound forceful and
lavish. Mid tone goes gentle and touching, while high tone turns
clear and bright. This changeful character makes it possible for
erhu to perform tunes of a variety of moods. It can be soft and
flowing, and it can also be strong and staccato; it is highly
versatile. It is the main melody-carrying instrument in the Chinese
orchestra, capable of solo and the most important accompanying
instrument in various folk stages. The two strings of erhu are
fixed at the fifth usually d’-a’.
[Back
to Top]
Pipa
 Pipa is one
of the principal Chinese instruments. It resembles the Spanish
guitar in some ways, with long fingernails being cultivated to pluck
the strings. The most common pipa has a body with a short neck and a
wooden belly. There are 19 to 26 bamboo frets called Xiang on the
neck. The Xiang are either made of wood, jade, or elephant tusks. A
pipa traditionally had 4 silk strings mostly with common tunes of A,
D, E, and A. With the pipa held vertically in the lap, the player
plays it using imitation fingers. This allows more freedom for the
player to perform various techniques on the four strings. The ranges
of techniques that can be used are the widest among all of the
Chinese plucked-strings, making it the most expressive instrument in
the plucked-string section. Some of the techniques include: fretted
pitch-bends, tremolos, various double and triple, and a continuous
strumming of the strings with four fingers.
[Back to Top]
Ruan
 Ruan a short
necked Chinese foiled lute, 4 strings, played by plectrum. Its
soundboard is wooden. It is also known as the moon guitar, and
comes in a variety of different sizes and pitches. The ruan consists
of three parts: resonator, neck and head. On the neck there are 24
frets in half steps. Four strings, tuned to fifths (like a
mandolin), provide a wide range of notes. With its neat delicate
tone, the ruan is now constructed as a family of soprano, alto,
tenor, and bass, a development intended to increase its range and
effectiveness in the modern Chinese orchestra. The alto and the
tenor are commonly used. A plectrum is needed in performance. Mellow
in tone quality, ruan is often seen in ensembles or in
accompaniments, and as a solo instrument in recent years.
[Back to Top]
Yangqin
 The Yangqin
comes in a variety of sizes. It is a dulcimer played with bamboo
mallets, with the size of a chopstick, and one held in each hand,
are used to hit strings in pairs. This produces a high and tinkling
timbre in its top registers, a soft and beautiful tone in the middle
and a strong rich sound in the lower registers. The metallic tone
resembles the harpsichord. It has the widest range of scale amongst
the Chinese plucked-strings instruments (about 5 octaves).
Yangqin is a
rather new instrument by Chinese standards, first appearing in 1368
from the Middle East, during the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644).
[Back
to Top]
Liuqin
 Liuqin is a
high pitch-plucking instrument. The name "Liuqin" comes from the
fact that the instrument is made of willow wood and shaped like a
willow leaf ("Liu" in Chinese means willow). For all the
difference in size, the structure of the liuqin is similar to that
of the Pipa, except that it is smaller and uses plastic pick rather
than finger nails to play.
The early
version of Liuqin had only two strings and can play only one and a
half octaves. In Modern China, improvements were made on the
instrument, and a two string Liuqin became a three string Liuqin
tuned to D, G, D or D, A, D. In the 1970s, the four string and five
string medium pitch Liuqin was developed.
Crisp and
bright, the liuqin is the highest-pitched member of the plucked
strings but its volume is small. Its tone is bright and clear and is
extremely beautiful in performing solos. Liuqin can cut right
through the heaviest sound the orchestra can make. It is also
frequently features in cadenzas. Liuqin is capable of producing an
exciting and agitating tune when played loudly and a sweet and
touching tune when played softly.
[Back
to Top]
Zheng
 Zheng is an ancient Chinese
instrument. It has been developed from a small instrument made from
bamboo, originally used by herdsman. The Zheng has an arched surface
and is elongated-trapezoidal with 13 to 21 strings stretched over
individual bridges. Although metal strings are common today, the
strings were of silk in ancient times. The zheng rests on two
pedestals and is played using 3 to 4 imitation fingernails. On the
right side of the bridges, both hands pluck the strings and on the
left side, the left fingers bend the strings to change pitch or to
provide embellishment. Its range spans three to four octaves.
[Back to Top]
Dizi
 Dizi is the
traditional Chinese flute. As only three keys can be played
accurately on traditional instruments, most players carry a
chromatic set. It can have a membrane over an extra hole to give the
characteristic rattle effect, although some compositions call for
this to be omitted. It is believed to have been brought in from
Tibet during the Han Dynasty and since then it has been used over
the past 2,000 years in China. The player plays the Dizi by blowing
across the mouthpiece and produces different notes by stopping the
six holes found in the rod. The player uses several distinct playing
techniques: fluttered tonguing, double tonguing, triple tonguing,
combinations of tonguing techniques and fingering techniques. A
skilled player will also use circular breathing.
[Back to Top]
Xiao
 Xiao is used
to play classical Chinese music and solo music. It has eight finger
holes. Round or the regular straight end do not have tonal
differences. It is mainly for aesthetic purpose. Most commonly used
keys are F and G. Usually F# is not used very often, and only for
specific music or regional opera. An "F" key xiao can play the
following diatonic scales: F, C, Eb, Bb, Ab and G.
[Back to Top]
Bangu
 It is also
commonly called Jing Bangu (bangu for Peking opera) and Danpi
(single drumhead). The drum's frame is constructed of thick wedges
of hard wood glued together in a circle, wrapped with a metal band.
Its body is bell mouthed in shape, open at the bottom. Its top
surface (C.25cm), covered with a piece of pig or cow-hide, has a
small convex central circular opening (about 5 or 6 cm in diameter),
which is called the Guxin (drum heart), the actual sounding
position. The player strikes on this central area with a pair of
bamboo sticks.
[Back to Top]
|
