Gold [Zhong]: one of the eight tones. Metal percussion instrument. With a long history, pottery bells were unearthed from the Zhuanglongshan Cultural Site in Hakka Province, Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province, which are relics of the late Neolithic period; bells since the Shang Dynasty are made of copper, mostly composed of three large and small bells, which have become a series of bells according to certain tones. composed of melodic instruments. From the late Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, the number of chime bells increased day by day, and most were in groups of nine. After the Qin Dynasty, most of the bells used in court music of all dynasties were round, and each bell sounded one note. In recent years, chimes with ethnic minority styles and local characteristics have been unearthed many times in the southwest region from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty. For example, the bells unearthed from the Wanjiaba Tomb in Chuxiong, Yunnan, are bell-like in shape, with a peach-shaped cross section and a double-horned top; Chime bells have also been unearthed in Guangxi and other places, reflecting the close connection in music culture between Southwest China and the Central Plains.
Stone [Qing]: one of the eight tones. Percussion instruments made of jade, stone and other materials. The character "Qing" in the oracle bone inscriptions is shaped like a curved ruler and is hung on a shelf. The left half looks like a hanging stone, and the right half looks like beating with hands. "Shang Shu. "Yiji" records: "When you hit a stone and pull it out, all the beasts will dance." "Shi" refers to the chime. Archaeological discoveries have found a stone chime from the Dongxia Feng site dating to the Xia Dynasty. It was made, indicating that the chime may have originated from some kind of flaky stone labor tool. It was first used in the music and dance activities of the ancestors, and later used by the upper-class rulers of all dynasties. In conjunction with ritual activities such as sacrifices and banquets, Yale has become a "ritual vessel" symbolizing one's status.
Tu [Xun]: one of the eight tones. A wind instrument made of clay. During the Warring States Period, the history book "Shiben" of the State of Zhao recorded: "Xun was created by Gong Baoxin." "Shiyiji" recorded: "Xun was made by burning the soil with blister." Although such legends are not credible, they also show that Xun has a long history. . A pottery xun with a blown hole was discovered at the Hemudu site in Yuyao, Zhejiang. It is about 7,000 years old and is the earliest physical object so far. Pottery xuns have been discovered at the Yangshao Cultural Site in Banpo, Xi'an, the Jingcun Site in Wanquan, Shanxi, the Huoshaogou Site in Yumen, Gansu, Minggong Road in Zhengzhou, Henan, the Shang Dynasty Site in Erligang, and the Yin Tomb in Liulice District, Huixian County.
Wu [混敔/yin zhuyu Zhuyu]: one of the eight tones. Refers to wooden percussion instruments. 混, shaped like a wooden sledge, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Use a wooden stick to hit the inner wall to make a sound to indicate the beginning of the music. It was struck at the beginning of ancient elegant music; A bamboo tube with one end broken into thin strips and the saw teeth scraping the tiger's back to indicate the end of the music was played at the end of ancient elegant music.
Si [Qin Se]: one of the eight tones. A plucked instrument made of sycamore wood and other wooden materials. There is a record of the harp and harp in the "Book of Songs": "A fair lady is a friend of the harp and harp." It was a five-stringed instrument in ancient times, and was increased to seven-stringed instruments in the early Zhou Dynasty. The other names of ancient Qin include "Green Qi", "Si Tong", etc.; Qin has been a commonly used musical instrument in the pre-Qin era. It occupies a very important position in ancient Chinese cultural life. Confucius, Sima Xiangru, Cai Yong, Ji Kang, etc. are all famous for playing the piano. For thousands of years, Qin has been played continuously. Luthiers of all generations have contributed to the spread and development of qin music. Most of the zithers have 25 strings, but there are also 14 and 23 strings. There are posts under each string to adjust the effective string length. According to the 25-stringed zither unearthed from Han Tomb No. 1 in Mawangdui, Changsha, it can be seen that it is tuned according to the pentatonic scale. Se appeared earlier. The pse unearthed so far is from the late Spring and Autumn Period. The zi recorded in literature since the Tang and Song dynasties and used in the courts of the Ming and Qing dynasties are quite different from the actual objects unearthed in the Zhou and Han dynasties. In ancient banquet and ceremonial activities, harp was often used to accompany singing.
Bamboo [Xiao Guan]: one of the eight tones. Bamboo reed instrument. Single tube, vertical blowing. In ancient times, flutes were mostly made of bamboo, but also made of jade and porcelain. Used for solo, flute ensemble or playing traditional bamboo music. Such as 龠 [yin yueyue], shaped like a flute, a short tube, with three holes, six holes, and seven holes. The Xiao was originally made of a group of thin bamboo tubes of different lengths arranged according to the rhythm, like a bird's wing, and called "Pan Xiao" was later made of only one bamboo pipe, and it was called "Dong Xiao" when played vertically.
匏[癙芋]: one of the eight tones. Bamboo reed instrument. There is the word "和" in the oracle bone inscriptions, which means Xiaosheng, indicating its long origin. The earliest known object is the sheng unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Hou Yi, with 14 bamboo tubes and bamboo reeds. The sheng pipes are inserted into two rows on the gourd-made sheng bucket. The Sheng was an important wind instrument during the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period, Qin and Han Dynasties. From the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there were 19 springs, 17 springs, and 13 springs. In the Tang Dynasty, it was changed to wood. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was widely used in folk instrumental ensembles, opera and rap accompaniment. Taro was widely popular from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, but was lost to the Song Dynasty. Among the pottery figurines and stone carvings unearthed from the Han Dynasty, there are many images of Yu playing. The shape of taro is similar to Sheng but bigger than Sheng.
36 tubes, later reduced to 23 tubes. A taro pipe 78 cm high was unearthed from Han Tomb No. 1 in Mawangdui, Changsha. The taro bucket and mouth were made of wood, and there were 22 taro tubes made of bamboo. It is divided into two rows, front and back, with 11 tubes in each row, arranged in a double arc shape, and inserted into the oval taro bucket.
Ge [drum]: one of the eight tones. Refers to a drum-like percussion instrument made of leather. "Book of Songs." "Guan Pheasant" records: "The graceful lady is delighted by Zhong Ge." "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals". "Xi Le" records: "The sound of wood leather is like thunder, and the sound of gold and stone is like thunder." Among them, leather and wood leather both describe the musical effect of drums.