#Chinese string instrument guzheng skin#
The resonator is made out of snake skin and is rectangular but with extended curved edges making it look like a circular shape. In general it is composed of three strings, three tuning pegs and a resonator. It comes out as different from its lute counterparts because of its fretless design and its long fingerboard. Sanxian is a very popular member of the plucking instruments. Only eight fingers are required to play this instrument, four on each side. To play the Guzheng, it is advisable to wear fingerpicks so that you can be able to generate a louder sound. The head is usually closed but can be opened to access the tuning pegs. Across the sound board, you get 21 strings and 21 bridges. It is generally made up of a 64 inch rectangular body composed of a head, soundboard and a tail. It is normally tuned to the five note scale known as the pentatonic scale. The Guzheng delivers very strong melodies. The Guzheng is considered as the godfather to various Asian stringed instruments such as Koto from Japan, dan tranh from Vietnam, Gayageum from Korea and Yatga from Mongolia. The strings of the instrument for example kept gradually increasing from five to thirteen and right now twenty one. Through all those years, the Guzheng has gone through major changes some of which were caused by cultural exchanges among the Asian countries. Some of their first versions were made using silk strings and bamboo frames. The Guzheng, also known as Zheng, has a history that dates back to over two millennia ago. Like the Ruan, Liuqin is played using a pick. Despite the high pitch, the instrument can be played in both orchestras and solo performances. The tone produced by this instrument can be termed as penetrating or piercing. Liuqin is not as big as the Ruan or the Pipa but what it lacks in size it replaces with an unrivaled high pitch.
The materials commonly used to make the Liuqin are rosewood, willow wood and the red sandal wood. It is composed of four strings, around 24 frets and a body shape similar the Pipa. Some popular ancient names included Liuyeqin and Tu pipa. This Chinese string instrument has undergone a number of name changes before arriving to the one we know to this day. You can go for the soprano, alto, tenor, bass or even the contrabass. This Chinese stringed instrument also comes in a range of sizes. The difference between these two materials is that the latter produces a clearer, louder and higher pitched sound. The frets are made using ivory or for the modern ones metal. Its strings were originally made using silk but this all changed during the 20th century where ever since steel has been used. Ruan is easily noticeable because of its moon-round body. It is made up of a neck, 4 tuning pegs, 4 strings, a wooden body and 24 frets. Ruan is sometimes called the Ruanqin especially in Taiwan and is another member of the plucked instrument family as well as a lute. The Pipa has a selection of popular traditional techniques for the left and right hand used to produce different sounds. Among these, the features that make it instantly recognizable are the many number of frets and the body shape that resembles a pear. The Pipa is made of 4 strings, 4 tuning pegs, 12 to 26 frets and a wooden body. They include: the bipa from Korea, the biwa from Japan and the dan ty ba from Vietnam. Through the Pipa, we have been able to get a number of related instruments primarily from the East and Southeast Asia. It is sometimes referred to as the Chinese lute and is placed in the plucked instrument family. With nearly two millennia of history to its name, the Pipa is another spectacular traditional Chinese string instrument. The Erhu can be used in solo performances as well as in ensembles. This music instrument enables a person to express his/her feelings and mood, from sadness to happiness. The sound produced by the Erhu is almost equivalent to that of a violin but with a higher pitch. The bow of the Erhu is usually fitted between the 2 strings and is moved in a horizontal manner over the two 2 strings.
Although this is a quality alternative, the sound produced is just not as good as one with the python skin. The elastic nature of the python skin helps the Erhu to produce its amazing sound.Ĭurrently, with the advancement in technology, some of the erhu resonators are covered with synthetic skin instead of python skin. The front part of the resonator or the sound box is layered with python skin. The Erhu typically consists of 2-strings, 2 tuning pegs, the wood, a bow, the nut and a resonator.
The prominence of this bowed musical instrument can still be seen in China to this very day. The Erhu is a traditional Chinese string instrument that has been in existence for over a millennium.
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