wind instrument

The origin of China wind instruments is very old. Legend has it that in the Xia and Yu dynasties four thousand years ago, there was a wind instrument made of reeds called the keys.

In the twentieth year of the Republic of China, three Neolithic tombs were excavated in Jingcun, Wanquan County, Shanxi Province. In The Book of Songs, there are records of flute, pipe, key, feather, sheng and other musical instruments. Later military music was also called drum music, horizontal blowing, riding blowing and so on. , mainly composed of flute, horn, flute, etc. It is often played when the army is marching, and it is also used as a guard of honor or at banquets and other entertainment occasions. Suona appeared late and was recorded in Ming Dynasty. Today, wind instruments are still the main instruments in folk weddings, funerals and celebrations.

According to the different pronunciation methods, China's wind instruments can be divided into three categories:

1. Breath is produced by blowing holes, which causes the air column to vibrate, such as a flute.

Zi, Xiao, Yu, Paixiao, etc.

2. Breath is pronounced by whistling, causing vibration of air column, such as sound.

That, Guan, etc.

3. Breathing through the reed causes the vibration and pronunciation of the air column, such as

Sheng, Lusheng, Eighth Five-Year Plan, etc.

The following are some wind instruments commonly used by Chinese orchestras:

Di Zi Dietz

The flute is also called transverse blowing and transverse flute. According to legend, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian went to Chang 'an after going to the Western Regions. After the Song Dynasty, it became an important accompaniment instrument of China traditional opera.

The traditional flute is made of bamboo and has six pressing holes, one blowing hole and one membrane hole. When playing, it is pronounced by the vibration of the air column in the bamboo tube. Its common range is two octaves, and the flute is crisp, high-pitched, transparent and round. Solo and ensemble have their own characteristics and rich expressive force, so they are deeply loved by people.

There are many kinds of flutes, and the most common ones are flutes with A' (actual sound) and d2 (actual sound) as the lowest notes. Because these two kinds of flutes are the main accompaniment instruments of Kunqu Opera and Bangzi respectively, they are customarily called "Qu Di" and "Bangdi".

whinny and neigh; whistle; sough

About 4500 years ago, a musician named Lun invented the "music tube", which closed one end of a bamboo tube with a knot and blew directly from the other end to make sound. This is the predecessor of Xiao. Before the Han Dynasty, a back hole was added to the Fang Jing, which became five holes. During the Tang Dynasty, it spread to Japan, and it was called shakuhachi (shakuhachi). In the Wei dynasty, another cut was made, and it hasn't changed much until now.

Xiao is a straight wind instrument with a V-shaped mouthpiece. Playing method is similar to flute. Six sound holes, the first five and the last one, with low timbre and a range of two and a half octaves. The lowest pitch of the commonly used flute is d'.

ANIMA

In ancient times, the big sheng was called "jade" and the small sheng was called "harmony". There have been records about "harmony" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Yin Ruins in the 0/5th century BC/KLOC. This instrument was often mentioned in China's poetry classics in the 6th century BC.

Traditional sheng is generally thirteen springs and fourteen springs. There are twenty-one, twenty-four, twenty-six, thirty-two, thirty-four and thirty-six springs after improvement.

Sheng is often used as an accompaniment instrument, and it can also be used for solo because of its clear and transparent timbre and wide range. Sheng is pronounced with a spring vibration, and can blow and suck, and can blow out more than two sounds at the same time, so it can play harmony.

Suona suona

Suona was originally an instrument of Persia (now Iran) and Arabia. The word suona is a transliteration of Persian SURNA. Suona has been recorded in China since the Ming Dynasty. It is still the main musical instrument in folk weddings, funerals and celebrations. There are many kinds of suona, big, small, thick, soft and expressive. Wind instruments can play almost all skills, and they can imitate singing, play with flute, whistle and trumpet, and simulate different roles, such as Lao Sheng and Hua Dan. Its common range is two octaves. At present, the suona commonly used by Chinese orchestras is the high-pitched suona in D with G'.

Plucked/stringed instruments

A plucked instrument is a general term for instruments that pluck strings with fingers or plucked instruments and tap strings with harps and bamboo poles. The plucked instrument has a long history and various forms, and it is a very distinctive stringed instrument. As far back as 3,000 years ago in the Zhou Dynasty, there were musical instruments such as "Qin" and "Se", and then Zhu and Zheng in the Warring States period, green beans in the Qin Dynasty, pipa in the Han Dynasty, Ruan and Pipa in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Sanxian in the Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and so on were successively produced or imported at weekends.

According to the different shapes, performances and playing methods of instruments, plucked instruments can be roughly divided into three categories:

The first category is represented by lyre, including Qin, Zheng and other musical instruments. This musical instrument has a rectangular wooden box as the body and the strings are flat. Except for the lyre, which can be played with strings, all the others only use its empty strings.

The second category is represented by pipa, including, yueqin, Ruan, Sanxian and other musical instruments. They are equipped with four, three and two strings, with the left hand pressing the strings and the right hand plucking the strings, and most of them are played on their legs.

The third category is dulcimer. Lying flat on a wooden frame, it was introduced from abroad in the Ming Dynasty.

There are many kinds of plucked instruments. Here, the most commonly used musical instruments in Chinese orchestras are introduced in turn: pipa, pipa, pipa, pipa, zither, Ruan and Sanxian.

Pipa pipa

The earliest pipa is a general term for plucked instruments. As early as the 3rd century BC, China had a pipa with a long handle, a leather surface and a round speaker, which was called a string drum. Twelve-column pipa also appeared in Han Dynasty. Around 350 BC, a pear-shaped sound box, curved neck and four-stringed pipa introduced to China through India was called Quxiang Pipa, which was the predecessor of modern pipa.

It has absorbed the advantages of Qin and Han Pipa, and has been continuously improved by later generations, from no quality to more than 20 kinds in six periods, and its scope has been continuously expanded. At first, the playing method was to play with wooden fingers. By the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the playing skills had become more and more complicated after a long period of development. More expressive. Now it has spread all over China. In addition to solo, ensemble, harmony and other purely interesting forms, it is also widely used in accompaniment bands such as opera, folk art and aria, and is a very important plucked instrument in China.

Qin Liu Liuqing

Also known as Liu Yeqin, Jin'gangtui Rock and Tu Pipa, it looks like a small pipa. It was originally an important accompaniment instrument for Liuqin Opera in Shandong and Shaoxing Luantan Opera in Sizhou, Anhui. It is equipped with two or three strings. After the reform, it was increased to four strings, with a wide range, complete semitones and beautiful timbre. It is used as a high-pitched voice for soloists and Chinese orchestras.

Three immortals and three immortals

The three counties are also called "black boys". Sanxian was developed from the "string drum" in Qin Dynasty and was first seen in the literature of Ming Dynasty. For example, Drum Story in the north, Yin Qing and Daoqing in the south, etc. Sanxian is the main accompaniment instrument. Because of its powerful voice, it is often used to enhance the rhythm effect in band ensemble. In addition, Sanxian is also a unique solo instrument.

Ruan Yuan

Ruan is a very important plucked instrument in the band ensemble. According to legend, Ruan Xian, one of the seven sages of bamboo forest in Jin Dynasty, was good at playing this instrument, so he was also called Ruan Xian. After Ruan's improvement, there are big, medium and small, that is, high and low Ruan. Common in folk operas and rap. In the ensemble of modern Chinese orchestras, they often participate in accompaniment. At present, the most commonly used are medium soft and large soft.

Yang Qin dulcimer

String instruments were introduced into China from Persia only in the Ming Dynasty. It was first popular in the coastal areas of Guangdong Province, and then gradually spread to all parts of the country. Dulcimer has a crisp sound and a wide range, and can also play chords and rapid arpeggios at the same time. It is an extremely important instrument in ensemble, and it is also very distinctive and expressive in solo.

Cheng Zheng

As an ancient musical instrument, it was popular in Thailand as early as the Warring States Period (475 BC to 22 BC1year). It spread widely, from Lingnan to Inner Mongolia, and spread all over China several times. Especially in Henan, Shandong, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Inner Mongolia and other places, it is famous for its wide use. Now it has been improved, from thirteen strings to sixteen strings, to twenty-one strings to twenty-five strings, and its performance has been greatly improved, which is very popular with people. Used for solo, ensemble, ensemble and accompaniment of various operas, quyi and dances.

String polishing instrument

The stringed instrument is a kind of musical instrument which rubs the strings with a ponytail on a thin bamboo bow to make them vibrate and pronounce. The common stringed instruments in China are erhu, Gao Hu, zhonghu, gehu, banhu and Hu Si.

Huqin existed as early as the Tang Dynasty and was called "Qin Qin" in literary works. During the Northern Song Dynasty, it was widely circulated among the people in northern China, and was called "Xi Qin". Le Shu compiled by Chen Yong in the Song Dynasty (BC 1099) said: "Western Qin, music, comes from strings and drums; And the shape is similar, and Xi's happy department is also good. In order to make a difference, these two strings are rolled up with bamboo pieces, which have been used by the people ever since. Judging from the characters and figures in the painting, Xiqin is very similar to today's Huqin, but the playing method is different.

In the past thousand years, Huqin has been widely circulated among Chinese people, and has made remarkable progress in musical instruments and music. Due to different materials and shapes, Jinghu, Erhu, Banhu and Hu Si all evolved from the mother of Huqin. After the Republic of China, in order to meet the needs of China bands and performances, the middle Hu, the big Hu and the low Hu came into being, which enriched this type of musical instruments. At present, there are dozens of huqin instruments used in various places and operas. They not only have beautiful timbre and bright local colors, but also have high playing skills and rich expressive force, especially erhu, which has developed greatly in recent decades. It has become an excellent solo instrument and an important band instrument.

Erhu (Nanhu)

Erhu is the most popular and representative stringed instrument in China, which is widely spread inside and outside the Great Wall, north and south of the Yangtze River and even the Pearl River Basin. The name Erhu is used exclusively for soloists or China bands in the south, and it is called "South Lake" in the north. Due to different local customs, there are also some musical instruments called Erxianqin, Omzi and Huhu. Although there are many names, they are actually the same instrument. Erhu has beautiful timbre and strong expressive force. It can not only play soft and smooth tunes, but also play powerful melodic instruments. Suitable for solo, ensemble or accompaniment, it is an important accompaniment instrument in many folk operas.

Five-degree tuning method is widely used in erhu, and the most commonly used empty string tuning method is D ′ a ′.

Gehu Hugh

Gehu is a bass stringed instrument with a large volume and a wide range. It is based on erhu and reformed with reference to the playing method of western cello.

It has four strings, with fingerboards, and the piano barrel is placed horizontally. Because of the fingerboard, it is very convenient to press the strings, not only to play, but also to pluck the strings. Mainly used for ensemble, but also as a play. Its empty string pitch is CGDA.

percussion instrument

Among Chinese musical instruments, percussion instruments have the longest history and occupy an important position. Traditionally, it is divided into five categories: drums, gongs, cymbals, plates and bells. According to the manufacturing materials, it can be divided into three categories: metal, bamboo and leather. Their playing skills and expressive force are extremely rich, and their sound features are distinctive, which not only makes the rhythm of musical instruments bright and powerful, but also has profound appeal, especially strong national color. Among folk music, percussion instruments are Fan Shi gongs and drums, Chaozhou gongs and drums, percussion music in southern Jiangsu, singing in Hebei and advocating in Liaoning. Modern Chinese orchestras rarely use chimes.

1. Drum instruments:

In historical records, the drum is the earliest percussion instrument, and Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yin Ruins has its own word "drum". There are many kinds of drum instruments, each with its own characteristics, different playing methods and rich expressive force. Besides being used for ensemble or accompaniment, some kinds of music are also used as solo instruments.

bass drum

Drum, also called big drum, is a kind of big drum, and the diameter of the drum surface is generally more than one and a half feet. It is made of two pieces of cowhide with the same area at the upper and lower ends of a barrel. Usually played on a four-legged wooden frame. When playing, use two mallets to hit the drum surface to pronounce. The timbre is deep and heavy.

Dingyin Gu Gang

Tuning drum is a kind of drum that can be tuned, which is improved according to the drum "Hua Pengu". In a band, two or three are often used as a group, two are dominant and three are dominant, and other tones such as subordinate, upper dominant or lower alto are added.

2. Gong musical instrument

Gong is one of the most widely used percussion instruments in China. It was first popular in Central Asia and Southeast Asia, and was introduced to China in the early 6th century BC, when it was called sand workers. With the development of China opera, after a long period of circulation and improvement, Gong has become a musical instrument with rich performances. There are many kinds of gongs, some have a fixed pitch, some have a higher sound after being struck, and some have a lower sound after being struck.

Gong is a musical instrument with simple structure that vibrates the body. The gong body is round and curved, usually surrounded by a frame. Hit the central part with a mallet, and the mallet vibrates to produce sound.

Yunluo Yunluo

Yungong is a percussion instrument with fixed pitch, which is called nine-tone gong by the people. There are ten gongs hanging between the wooden frames, or the wooden frames are pressed on the table, and the right hand is struck with a mallet. (Large Cloud Palace, with wooden stands on the stage) Their standing arrangements are different.

3. Chessboard musical instrument

Board instruments are used in castanets, bangzi, wooden fish and other bands.

Xiang ban Xiang ban

Castanets, also called clappers, are often made of sandalwood, also called sandalwood boards, which appeared in the Tang Dynasty in the sixth century. There are six or nine castanets. Because of different uses, the number of boards used to be different, and now three boards are generally used. Due to the different scope of application, it can be divided into drum board, book board and falling board. Boss, as the main rhythm instrument of folk music ensemble and drama accompaniment, is often used in conjunction with drum board, while book board and falling board are accompanied by Quyi rap.

Bonz Bonz

Bangzi was first used to accompany all kinds of bangzi cavity, hence its name. It is often used in strong shooting to increase the dramatic atmosphere. Due to the different scope of application, Hebei Bangzi, Nanbangzi, Luobangzi and Qinbangzi are also different.

Hebei Bangzi is two solid hard sticks with different lengths and thicknesses made of rosewood or mahogany. The left hand holds a short oval, and the right hand holds a slender round stick, hitting each other with a high and firm voice.

◆ Nanbangzi is a rectangular hollow wooden body.

When playing, the left hand holds the stick and the right hand holds the mallet to knock.

Clear pronunciation and mellow voice, generally made of rosewood.

◆ Bangzi is used to accompany Henan Opera, and its shape is as follows.

Eggs.

◆ Qin Bangzi is used in Qin Opera.