The vast majority of traditional Chinese musical instruments are made of natural materials, such as bamboo, wood, silk and leather. Compared with Western instruments, there are few metal instruments and bass instruments. Basically, Chinese folk musical instruments can be used for solo performances and for ensembles.

Flute

A Chinese flute is made of bamboo, and it is also called a “horizontal flute”. The flute has a very long history in China is one of the oldest musical instruments. In a traditional Chi band, a flute is usually used to play the main melody and is very important instrument. Chinese flutes can be divided into bang flutes and qu flutes based on the difference in timbre and accompaniment. Generally speaking, the bang flute is popular in northern China with bright and high-pitched sound, while the qu flute is popular in southern China with soft timbre.

Classical Repertoire – A Trip to Gusu

Gusu is the old name for today’s Suzhou, an economically developed city in the Yangtze River Delta. A Trip to Gusu has included the melody of Kunqu Opera and depicts the exquisite Suzhou gardens in the beautiful tones of the flute. The listener can imagine the beautiful scenery in the garden, with pavilions, pools, lotuses, and the sunset in the garden.

Pipa

Pipa is a typical plucked string instrument in China. It was introduced into China along the Silk Road from Persia (today’s Iran) in about the 4th century. In the Sui and Tang dynasties (between the 6th and 10th centuries), Pipa became popular in China and gradually adopted the pear shape we see today.

Pipa has almost become a symbol of the Tang culture. In many lang poems and paintings, colorful images of Pipa performers have been described, and many Pipa performers have become famous. Through research by some musicians, we can listen to the Pipa music from the Tang Dynasty which was more than one thousand years ago.

Classical Repertoire –Ambush from Ten Sides

Ambush from Ten Sides is a famous Pipa tune with martial arts elements. It depicts the story of “The Chu Song from the Four Sides”. Fully deploying the Pipa techniques, this tune even creates some harsh noises to describe the scenes of battle.

Guzheng

Guzheng became popular in the State of Qin in the Spring and Autumn Period, so it was also called Qinzheng. In the Tang and Song dynasties, this 13-stringed zither was introduced to Korea and Japan. The modern Guzheng has 21 strings. Frets of different heights are used to produce different pitches of tones, based on the Pentatonic Scale.

The acoustic volume of a Guzheng is moderate, and the timbre is beautiful. Guzheng is often played in teahouses, restaurants and museums as background music.

Classical Repertoire – Evening Song from a Fishing Boat

Evening Song from a Fishing Boat is one of the most famous Guzheng tunes. Its title comes from Preface to Prince Teng’s Pavilion, a famous essay written by Wang Bo, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. “Evening song came from a fishing boat, heard loudly across Lake Poyang”. It depicts the relaxed scene of a fisherman who sings as he goes home in the sunset in his boat.

Erhu

Erhu is one of the Huqin musical instruments in China and is the most important string instrument in China. In the Yuan Dynasty, as operas flourished, Huqin became popular  as the main instrument for opera accompaniment. In modern times, Liu Tianhua, a musician, adopted the techniques used in Western string instruments and established the modern Erhu playing techniques. In the streets and in the parks in China today, one can often hear folk artists and music lovers play the Erhu.

Apart from Erhu, there are also Jinghu, Gaohu and Zhonghu, which are in the same Huqin category. They have slightly different shapes to suit the different characteristics of different operas. For example, Jinghu brings a peculiar old Beijing flavor to Peking Opera.

Classical Repertoire – Moon Mirrored in the Second Spring

Moon Mirrored in the Second Spring, composed by Ah Bing, a folk musician in Wuxi, is a famous Erhu t une.

Ah Bing was a blind musician who lived at the bottom of society. In this tune, he gave masterful play to the sound characteristics of Erhu. The ups and downs of the melody, the many twists and turns, fully manifest to us the sufferings and sorrows in life. Listeners are often brought to tears by the sad tune.

Gongs and Drums

Gongs and drums are very important musical instruments in traditional festivals, in Chinese opera performances, and in some Kung Fu movies. The Chinese often decorate gongs and drums with bright red and yellow colors for auspiciousness.

Not only do the gongs and drums set the rhythm of bands, they can also be played for ensemble. Dragon dancing, lion dancing, and dragon boat competitions are the occasions when the gongs and drums are played in full action.