Traditional Chinese Instrument (Part 1)

String instruments

Erhu

     The erhu is a very famous stringed instrument in China. Its history can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It was welcomed among the ethnic people of the northeastern part of China. The erhu has long been the instrumental accompaniment in traditional dramas.

     The erhu’s structure is quite simple. There is a slim neck about 80 centimeters, on the surface of which two strings are fixed. In addition, there is a cup-shaped canister and a bow made of horsehair. While performing, the musician is usually seated, with the organ and bow held in the left and right hand respectively.

     The range consists of three octaves. The somewhat melancholic tone is close to the human voice and is good at conveying sad emotions. Some people call it the Chinese violin.

     The making, renovation, and performing skills of the erhu have been greatly improved since 1949. It can be played solo or as an accompaniment in operas and traditional dramas. In ethnic orchestras, the erhu even plays the leading role, just as the violin does in Western orchestras.

     The erhu is highly popular with the Chinese people because of its simple design and low cost. Nearly every Chinese family loves it.

Banhu

    The banhu is also called banghu and qinhu. With a history of more than 300 years, it was developed along with the appearance of the local opera, and led to the spawning of another musical instrument called the huqin. The banhu is loud and has a clear tone, but is graceful and soft at the same time. It is called banhu because it is made of pieces of wood flock, which are bonded together.

     At first, the banhu was popular mainly in northern China. It was frequently used as the major accompaniment instrument in many local operas and musical performances. Because the banhu is closely related to Chinese operas and dramas, it is especially good for those performances. The way the Banhu is used such performances varies from place to place.

     The structure of a banhu is quite similar to that of an erhu, but there are still differences. The canister of the banhu is made of tung wood (a kind of wood from China), which is the key to producing the sound, while that of the erhu is made of animal skin. The tone of the banhu is especially clear and loud, and carries the flavor of the countryside. It plays the leading role among all the accompanying instruments in the band, and it produces the alto voice part in the chord.

     Since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, musicians and instrument designers have made great efforts to improve their manufacturing skills. Many new types of banhu have been created. Among those new members are the mediant banhu, alt banhu, three-stringed banhu, bamboo banhu, and so on.

     Along with improvements in manufacturing, performance skills have also been improved. The banhu has become an indispensable part of ethnic bands in China, and is also a solo-performing instrument with strong local flavor. It is often used to perform accompaniment for ethnic operas and singing and dancing as well as plain singing.

Pipa

     This instrument resembles the Spanish guitar in some ways, with long fingernails being cultivated to pluck the strings. The Pipa has a history of over 2,000 years spanned from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. The most common pipa has a body with a short neck and a wooden belly. There are 19 to 26 bamboo frets called Xian on the neck. The Xian 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 range 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.

Zheng  Or  Guzheng

     The zheng is an ancient Chinese instrument. It has been developed from a small instrument made from bamboo, originally used by herdsman. It was very popular during ancient times, as early as the Warring States Period and the Qin Dynasty (225 to 206 BC and earlier). 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 playing range spans from three to four octaves.