Chinese Instruments

Over the course of world history, music has been a way for people to express themselves and their ideas.  Different types of instruments have developed through the centuries, from all around the world.  Every instrument is unique to the country it originates from.  Here are some of the instruments that are native to China:

 

1.) Guzheng (古箏)

This instrument is very unique to China.  It is very large and has 16-25 strings!  It is usually played for Chinese opera and concert performances.  The modern Guzheng is played by pinching the strings to play notes and chords.

 

2.) Erhu (二胡)

This is a two-stringed instrument played with a bow.  Like the Guzheng, the Erhu is played in operas and traditional orchestras, although now you will see it being played more as a solo instrument.

 

3.) Pipa (琵琶)

This instrument has four stings and a wooden, pear-shaped body.  It is thought that the Pipa became popular through Silk Road trade, which spread Buddhism, along with many other great ideas and inventions.  It is played upright and plucked by five small plectra on each of the player’s fingers. 

 

These instruments are so wonderful and so unique to China’s history and culture.  As tourists visit China, they say they remember the wonderful sounds of the unique musical instruments played there.  Until next time, 再见!

Sources:

http://www.philmultic.com/home/instruments/

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/classical-instruments.htm

There are 31 comments

  1. Juliann L

    This article was very informative. I like how the history of each of the different types of Chinese instruments was included in the article. I also like how you incorporated many details about each instrument and a photo. I learned so much!

  2. Tiffany C.

    Wow! I didn’t think string instruments were so popular in China. My grandfather used to play the Erhu, and I’ve always wondered what that was. I would love to hear the other instruments played in real life too. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Eric Wang

    Wow! I didn’t even know that much about Chinese instruments and its history, but I can understand it perfectly and so much more after I read this, this article is a great article and it sure gave me tons of information about Chinese instruments!

  4. Pritesh P.

    I didn’t realize that string instruments were popular in China. This article informed me on different types of string instruments and their background. I learned a lot from this. Thanks!

  5. Boshu

    我觉得中华文化中的乐器是最赞的。我本人很喜欢音乐,这种能够以不同风格演出古典音乐的乐器让我无比喜爱。

  6. Kelly M.

    It’s so interesting to learn about the different kinds of instruments that had originated in China! I’ve definitely seen the 古筝 and 二胡 played before. This article was very interesting and I can’t wait to learn more about other instruments!

  7. Maya Yu

    I found it really fascinating learning about the history of Chinese instruments! I really want to learn how to play the GuZheng! Thanks for the great article. Keep up the great work!

  8. Serin A

    I’ve never had a chance to learn in depth about Chinese traditional instruments. This article surely taught me a lot about Chinese music (traditional). Ancient Chinese instruments hugely influenced other Northeast Asian countries, and this is why many traditional instruments across Korea and Japan are very similar to those of China. Understanding Chinese culture also helps me understand other Asian cultures. Thank you Jason for writing this article 😀

  9. Michael P.

    This is so interesting! I have never even seen any such instruments before in my life. I imagine, by the looks of them, that they are more difficult to play the Western instruments. Keep up the great work!

  10. Dylan S.

    This article was very interesting, I didn’t know about any Chinese instruments before reading this article. Thanks for sharing! ???

  11. Nicholas Yum

    Chinese music is so unique! These three instruments are a staple of Chinese culture and their masters are highly respected. I hope to be able to play one of these iconic instruments one day! Great article, Jason!

  12. Jeff Bao

    From a young age, my parents always played Chinese music and it I find very interesting. These three instruments are one of the most ancient instruments in China history and are very hard to master. Overall this article was very interesting. Thanks Jason!

  13. Ashley Silverstein

    It was so fascinating to learn about these different instruments! I never heard of them before and now become aware of them and how to say them in chinese!

  14. Halle Fishman

    this was very interesting. I learned a lot about different instruments. I love how I can now say their names in Chinese!

  15. Logan C

    Wow, Jason!! Learning about these string Chinese instruments not only supplies me with information about the instruments but also China’s past time.

  16. Preethi S.

    I find the Chinese instruments to be very cool! Its very different from the american instruments! Nice article!

  17. Serene L.

    I’ve always wanted to learn how to play instruments. These types of instruments are very unique and barely heard in America. I wish to learn these instruments in the future.

  18. Jake Moreh

    Wow this was really interesting to read about! I wasn’t familiar with any of these instruments until now. It’s fascinating to see how different cultures have varying musical traditions.

  19. Michael Lin

    I remember when Mrs. Song showed us these instruments on fun Friday. They were so lovely to listen to and was really cool to experience the music of china.

  20. Andrew Zheng

    Wow I was never familiar with these unique Chinese instruments. They are very different compared to those in American and Europe. This article definitely helped in informing me about these incredible instruments.

  21. Maggie Guo

    I think it is very interesting that although the Chinese instruments are similar to Western instruments, they are also extremely unique and different in its own ways. It is also very intriguing that the Pipa became popular through Silk Road trade along with many other great ideas and inventions. Thanks for the great article!

  22. Cali Liu

    我最喜欢二胡,因为它的声音很喜感。有时还很悲伤。可以表达很多不懂得感情。东北二人装上也经常出现二胡。

  23. Preethi Sridhar

    I find the Chinese instruments to be very cool! Its very different from the american instruments! Nice article!

  24. Nathan Davis

    As a musician, I was interested in your article. Music plays an important role around the whole world and learning about one place’s interpretation is very fascinating.

  25. Helen Zhang

    Good Job!! I really enjoy reading this. I’ve always wanted to play GuZheng. It sounds really fun and cool.

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