Although the metal keys were originally smelted directly from rock containing iron ore, now they may be made from sofa springs, bicycle spokes, car seat springs, and other recycled steel materials. Of course, you’ll want to learn some Chinese before you go so you can chat with the musicians.The mbira of the Zezuru group of the Shona people of Zimbabwe consists of 22 to 28 metal keys mounted on a gwariva (hardwood soundboard) made from the mubvamaropa tree (Pterocarpus angolensis).
#Chinese stringed instrument played with padded bamboo free#
It’s a great, free way to experience traditional Chinese music. Oftentimes, you’ll find an entire group practicing together. In my experience, the best place to find people jamming on classic Chinese instruments is at local parks. If you travel to China, be sure to seek out some traditional music.
In recent years, the Bawu has become popular with European composers, proving that ancient Chinese instruments are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.Ī very interesting variation of the traditional Bawu.
You might recognize the sound of this ancient instrument, as it was featured heavily in “ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (卧虎藏龙 – wò hǔ cáng lóng). The Bawu is know found all throughout China, and its rich, mellow tone has become a favorite with composers of film soundtracks. On hearing her sad voice the villagers came to kill the demon and relieved the girl.” Following the advice from a bird, that bamboo can talk, the girl made an instrument from bamboo pouring out her misfortune through it. Then the demon cut off her tongue, and threw her into the deep mountains. “ Two young Hanis fell in love with each other and in one day a demon grabbed the girl. In Southern Chinese mythology, there is a fantastic story associated with this instrument: It is played in a traverse (horizontal) manner, and it originates from Southwest China’s Yunnan Province (云南省 – yún nán shěng), which is home to many of China’s ethnic minorities. While the Bawu (巴乌 – bā wū) might be shaped like a flute, it is in fact a free-reed instrument, with a single metal reed. Image by Nikolaj Potanin from .Īttribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) This traditional instrument has a very peculiar tone and is often used to add special colors to ensemble and orchestral music. These days, it is also used in Beijing opera to depict military scenes. Later, it became popular in the drum and wind (鼓吹 – gǔ chuī) folk ensembles. It was very important in court and ritual music during the Tang Dynasty. It’s believed that this instrument originates from Northwestern China – the area that is now Xinjiang (新疆 – Xīn jiāng). This style has a range of about one octave, while the Northern guanzi has a range of two and a half octaves, due to its overblowing technique. The length of a traditional guan varies from 7 inches (18 cm) to 13 inches (33 cm), or up to 50 cm for a large Cantonese houguan. Usually, the guan has seven frontal finger holes and one thumb hole.
“throat gun”), and it became very popular in Cantonese opera during the 1920s. Down south, it’s called the Houguan (喉管 – hóu guǎn – lit. Up north, it’s known as the Guanzi (管子 – guǎn zi) or Bili (筚篥 – bì lì) and is made from hardwood. This instrument differs depending on which region of China you’re in. “tube” or “pipe”) is a double-reed wind instrument. This instrument produces soft and gentle tones and is suitable for solo performances, as well as duets with the Guqin zither.Ī Xiao duet with a Guzheng. Modern xiao have either six or eight holes, and are usually pitched in the key of G, with the lowest note being a D.
After the Tang, however, this term came to be associated specifically with these vertical end-blown flutes.Ī peaceful Xiao performance floating down a river.Īnother term commonly used (especially in Taiwan) is Dongxiao (洞箫 – dòng xiāo) – dong meaning “hole.” This term came to be used to differentiate this style of instrument from the panpipes, which have no holes. Before the Tang Dynasty (唐朝 – Táng cháo) (618-907), the term xiao referred to the Chinese panpipes. This is a vertical end-blown flute made from purple bamboo that has a lower pitch than the Dizi. One of the most popular Chinese flutes is the Dizi (笛子 – dí zi), which you can read all about in this post.
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