Tag Archives: Musical Instruments

The ruan (zhongruan)

Posted on 2011-09-15 by Danwei

The ruan (阮) or moon guitar is a four-stringed Chinese instrument similar to the pipa. It is also sometimes called the qin pipa (秦琵琶) and ruanxian (阮咸). The most common ruan is the zhongruan (中阮) or tenor ruan. The bass ruan … Continue reading →

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The erhu

Posted on 2011-09-14 by Jeremy Goldkorn

Perhaps no musical instrument is more evocative of China than the erhu (二胡), but its origins are in central Asia: The erhu is one of several instruments including gaohu, zhuihu and jinghu that were historically known as “huqin” (barbarian’s fiddle) … Continue reading →

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The dizi

Posted on 2011-06-29 by Danwei

The dizi (笛子) is one of China’s oldest instruments. Similar- though not identical to- the Western flute, the dizi probably originated around 8,000 years ago and remains ubiquitous in contemporary China. Early dizi were made from bone but bamboo became … Continue reading →

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The pipa: How a barbarian lute became a national symbol

Posted on 2011-06-10 by James A. Millward

‘Playing the pipa behind the back’ is a special kind of Chinese gongfu that expresses flying in heaven at Dunhuang. [See image of pipa player from Mogao caves at Dunhuang] The road to industrialization with Chinese characteristics was taken by Mao Zedong after … Continue reading →

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The guzheng

Posted on 2011-06-09 by Danwei

The guzheng is a 21-stringed zither that has been played in China – in one form or another – for about two thousand years. Aside from having 21 strings (compared to the guqin‘s 7 strings), the guzheng’s other major difference from … Continue reading →

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New uses for old Chinese instruments

Posted on 2011-06-08 by Danwei

Here are some videos showing musicians using traditional instruments to play all kinds of new music. If you cannot watch any of these videos, please complain to your local Internet provider or your government about censorship or slow connection speeds. … Continue reading →

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The pipa

Posted on 2011-06-07 by Danwei

The pipa (琵琶) is a pear-shaped type of lute with four strings. It’s one of the most common Chinese musical instruments – varieties of pipa have been played in China for about two thousand years. Like many instruments now considered … Continue reading →

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The guqin and earth’s greatest hits

Posted on 2011-06-06 by Peter Micic

In 1977 NASA sent Voyager I into deep space to explore the great beyond. The spacecraft contained a 12-inch copper disc titled “Sounds of the Earth”, featuring “greetings from the People of Earth in 60 languages, and natural sounds such … Continue reading →

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