Ni Hao (hi in Chinese)! Whyvillians, this is Dreamer30 and Gorjuss using Dreamer30's mom's email because she got locked out of hers =/. Anyways, we are going to talk about CHINESE INSTRUMENTS!
Well, first of all Chinese instruments are NOT like American instruments (only some). They are VERY unique and their music is very beautiful. There are a lot of Chinese instruments, but today we want to cover the MOST important ones; here they are below:
Guzheng
The Guzheng (goo-tzeng) is also known as the Zheng. In Japanese it's called the koto, in Vietnamese it's called a dan tranh and in Korean it's called the kayagum. It is a stringed instrument related to the zither family. It was first made in the Qin Dynasty (220 B.C.). It was so ancient it was given the name Guzheng because 'gu' means ancient in Chinese.
The Guzheng is made of wood with strings across an arch. It used to have 5 strings, and then in the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.) it had 16 strings. Now the Guzheng has 21-25 strings.
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed lute that is shaped like a pear. It is from the second century B.C.. There were pieces for the pipa that dated from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.). Since the Tang dynasty the pipa has been a popular instrument.
Er-Hu
The er-hu is a two stringed violin. It belongs to the 'huqin' family. It was invented in the Tang dynasty. It is also related to the xiqin (Mongolian tribe). In the song dynasty (960-1279), it was used at imperial banquets. During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (1644-1911), it was taught and played at operas.
Well, that's all, folks! Hope to see ya'll around!
Dreamer30 & Gorjuss
