Hulusi

The hulusi or cucurbit flute is a free reed wind instrument from China. It is held vertically and has three bamboo pipes which pass through a gourd wind chest; the center pipe has finger holes and the outer two are typically drone pipes. It is not uncommon for a hulusi to have only one drone pipe while the second outer pipe is merely ornamental. The drone pipe has a finger hole, which allows it to be stopped. Advanced configurations have keyed finger holes similar to a clarinet or oboe, which can greatly extend the range of the hulusi to several octaves.

The hulusi was originally used primarily in Yunnan province by a number ofethnic-minority groups, in particular the Dai people who calls the instrument "bilangdao", and has gained nationwide popularity throughout China; similar to the popularity of the harmonica in the West, and "improved" versions have been produced outside of the indigenous realms. Like the related free reed pipe called bawu, the hulusi has a very pure, clarinet-like sound.
Although the hulusi is still predominantly performed in China, it has in recent years been adopted by European composers and performers. Rohan Leach from England, Rapheal De Cock from Belgium, Nadishana from Russia and Herman Witkamfrom the Netherlands have all taken the instrument in new directions. A similar instrument called hulusheng is a mouth organ with a gourd wind chest.

The player creates sound by vibrating the reed in the mouthpiece rather than by blowing across a hole, and the instrument is held vertically rather than horizontally. The hulusi has one or more pipes extending from the gourd, one of which has fingering holes to create melody. The others drone. The most common form of hulusi has one melody pipe and two drone pipes.

Dizi

The dizi are likely to have multiple spellings, too, depending on the transliteration used to convert from Chinese names. Nonetheless, dizi seems to be the most common name used in the West. The dizi is a major Chinese musical instrument, and is widely used in many genres of Chinese folk music, as well as Chinese opera, and the modern Chinese orchestra. Traditionally, the dizi has also been popular among the Chinese common people, and it is simple to make and easy to carry.
Most dizi are made of bamboo, which explains why dizi are sometimes known by simple names such as Chinese bamboo flute. However, "bamboo" is perhaps more of a Chinese instrument classification like "woodwind" in the West. Northern Chinese dizi are made from purple or violet bamboo, while dizimade in Suzhou and Hangzhou are made from white bamboo. Dizi produced in southern Chinese regions such as Chaozhou are often made of very slender, lightweight, light-colored bamboo and are much quieter in tone.

Although bamboo is the common material for the dizi, it is also possible to finddizi made from other kinds of wood, or even from stone. Jade dizi are popular among both collectors interested in their beauty, and among professional players who seek an instrument with looks to match the quality of their renditions; however, jade may not be the best material for dizi since, as with metal, jade may not be as tonally responsive as bamboo, which is more resonant. The dizi is not the only bamboo flute of China, although it is certainly distinctive. Other Chinese bamboo wind instruments include the vertical end-blown xiao and the koudi.

Whereas most simple flutes have only a blowing hole (known as chui kong and finger-holes, the dizi has very different additional hole, called a mo kong, between the embouchure and finger-holes. A special membrane calleddimo, made from an almost tissue-like shaving of reed (made from the inner skin of bamboo cells), is made taut and glued over this hole, traditionally with a substance called ajiao, an animal glue. Garlic juice may also be used to adhere the dimo, but it is not recommended as a permanent replacement. This application process, in which fine wrinkles are created in the centre of the dimo to create a penetrating buzzy timbre, is an art form in itself.The dimo covered mokong has a distinctive resonating effect on the sound produced by the dizi, making it brighter and louder, and adding harmonics to give the final tone a buzzing, nasal quality. Dizi have a relatively large range, covering about two-and-a-quarter octaves.

Fingerings

M = Mouth Piece

D = Membrane

X = Closed Hole

O = Open Hole

U = Half Open Hole

FOR LOW A FLUTE (A LOW A DIZI)

01. M D | X X X | X X X = E

02. M D | X X X | X X O = F#

03. M D | X X X | X U O = G

04. M D | X X X | X O O = G#

05. M D | X X X | O O O = A

06. M D | X X O | O O O = B

07. M D | X O O | O O O = C#6

08. M D | O X X | O O O = D

09. M D | O O O | O O O = Eb

10. M D | O X X | X X X = E

11. M D | X X X | X X O = F#

12. M D | X X X | X U O = G

13. M D | X X X | X O O = G#

14. M D | X X X | O O O = A

15. M D | X X O | O O O = B

16. M D | X O O | O O O = C#7

17. M D | O X O | X X X = D

18. M D | O O O | O O O = Eb

19. M D | O X X | X X X = E

20. M D | X X O | X X O = F#

21. M D | X O X | X O X = G#

22. M D | X O X | O O O = A

23. M D | O X X | X X O = B

Erhu

The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. A very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock, jazz.

The erhu consists of a long vertical stick-like neck, at the top of which are two large tuning pegs, and at the bottom is a small resonator body (sound box) which is covered with python skin on the front (playing) end. Two strings are attached from the pegs to the base, and a small loop of string (qian jin) placed around the neck and strings acting as a nut pulls the strings towards the skin, holding a small wooden bridge in place.



Picture showing bow hair in between the two strings.

The erhu has some unusual features. First is that its characteristic sound is produced through the vibration of the python skin by bowing. Second, there is no fingerboard; the player stops the strings by pressing their fingertips onto the strings without the strings touching the neck. Third, the horse hair bow is never separated from the strings (which were formerly of twisted silk but which today are usually made of metal); it passes between them as opposed to over them (the latter being the case with western bowed stringed instruments). Lastly, although there are two strings, they are very close to each other and the player's left hand in effect plays as if on one string. The inside string (nearest to player) is generally tuned to D4 and the outside string to A4, a fifth higher. The maximum range of the instrument is three and a half octaves, from D4 up to A7, before a stopping finger reaches the part of the string in contact with the bow hair. The usual playing range is about two and a half octaves.
Various dense and heavy hardwoods are used in making the erhu. According to Chinese references the woods include zi tan (紫檀 red sandalwood and other woods of the genus Pterocarpus such as padauk), lao hong mu (老红木 aged red wood), wu mu (乌木 black wood), and hong mu (红木 red wood). Particularly fine erhus are often made from pieces of old furniture. A typical erhu measures 81 cm from top to bottom, the length of the bow also being 81 cm.

The erhu is almost always tuned to the interval of a fifth. The inside string (nearest to player) is generally tuned to D4 and the outside string to A4. This is the same as the two middle strings of the violin. The erhu is played sitting down, with the sound box placed on the top of the left thigh and the neck held vertically. However, performers of more recent years have played while standing up using a specially developed belt-clip.

The bow is held with an underhand grip. The bow hair is adjusted so it is slightly loose. The fingers of the right hand are used to push the hairs away from the stick in order to create tension in the hairs. The bow hair is placed in between the two strings and both sides of the bow hair are used to produce sound, the player pushes the bow away from the body when bowing the A string (the outside string), and pulls it inwards when bowing the "inside" D string.
Aside from the usual bowing technique used for most pieces, the erhu can also be plucked, usually using the second finger of the right hand. This produces a dry, muted tone (if either of the open strings is plucked, the sound is somewhat more resonant) which is sometimes desired in contemporary pieces. The left hand alters the pitch of the strings by pressing on the string at the desired point. As the instrument has no frets, the tone is slightly muddled, but resonant. Techniques include hua yin (slides), rou xian (vibrato), huan ba (changing positions).

Pipa

The pipa is a four-stringed Chinesemusical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 26. Another Chinese four-string plucked lute is the liuqin, which looks like a smaller version of the pipa.

The pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for almost two thousand years in China. Several related instruments in Eastand Southeast Asia are derived from the pipa; these include the Japanesebiwa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà, and the Korean Bipa. The Korean instrument is the only one of the three that is no longer widely used; examples survive in museums, but recent attempts to revive the Korean instrument have been partially successful in recent years.

The name "pípá" is made up of two Chinese syllables, "pí" (琵) and "pá" (琶). These, according to the Han Dynasty text by Liu Xi, refer to the way the instrument is played - "pí" is to strike outward with the right hand, and "pá" is to pluck inward towards the palm of the hand. The strings were played using a large plectrum in the Tang Dynasty, a technique still used now for the Japanese biwa. The plectrum was then gradually replaced by the fingernails of the right hand, although finger-playing techniques existed as early as Tang. The most basic technique, tantiao, involves just the index finger and thumb (tan is striking with the index finger, tiao with the thumb). The fingers normally strike the strings of pipa in the opposite direction to the way a guitar is usually played, i.e. the fingers and thumb flick outward, unlike the guitar where the fingers and thumb normally pluck inward towards the palm of the hand. Plucking in the opposite direction to tan and tiao are called mo (抹) and gou (勾) respectively. When two strings are plucked at the same time with the index finger and thumb (i.e. the finger and thumb separate in one action), it is called fen (分), the reverse motion is called zhi (摭). A rapid strum with four fingers is called sao (掃), and rapid strumming in the reverse direction is called fu (拂). A distinctive sound of pipa is the tremolo produced by the lunzhi (輪指) technique which involves all the fingers and thumb of the right hand. It is however possible to produce the tremolo with just one or more fingers.

The left hand techniques are important for the expressiveness of pipa music. Left-hand techniques that produce vibrato,portamento, glissando, pizzicato, harmonics or artificial harmonics found in violin or guitar are also be found in pipa. String-bending for example may be used to produce a glissando or portamento. Note however that the frets on all Chinese lutes are high so that the fingers and strings never touch the fingerboard in between the frets, this is different from many Western fretted instruments and allows for dramatic vibrato and other pitch changing effects to be produced by downward pressure to stretch the string, as with the Indian sitar, rather than a sideways action to bend the string, as on a guitar.

In addition, there are a number of techniques that produce sound effects rather than musical notes, for example, striking the board of the pipa for a percussive sound, or strings-twisting while playing that produces a cymbal-like effect.

The strings are usually tuned to A-D-E-A, although there are various other ways of tuning. Since the revolutions in Chinese instrument-making during the 20th century, the softer twisted silk strings of earlier times have been exchanged for nylon-wound steel strings, which are far too strong for human fingernails, so false nails are now used, constructed of plastic or tortoise-shell, and affixed to the fingertips with the player's choice of elastic tape.

The pipa is held in a vertical or near-vertical position during performance, although in the early periods the instrument was held in the horizontal position, or near-horizontal with the neck pointing slightly downwards. Through time, the neck was raised and by the Qing Dynasty the instrument was mostly played upright.

Yang Qin

The yangqin was traditionally fitted with bronze strings (though older Chinese stringed instruments used silk strings), which gave the instrument a soft timbre. This form of instrument is still occasionally heard today in the "hudie qin" played in the traditional silk and bamboo genre from the Shanghai region known as Jiangnan sizhu, as well as in some Cantonese music groups. The Thai and Cambodian khim are nearly identical in their construction, having been introduced to those nations by southern Chinese musicians. Since the 1950s, however, steel alloy strings (in conjunction with copper-wound steel strings for the bass notes) have been used, in order to give the instrument a brighter, and louder tone. The modern yangqin can have as many as five courses of bridges and may be arranged chromatically. Traditional instruments, with three or more courses of bridges, are also still widely in use. The instrument's strings are struck with two lightweight bamboo beaters (also known as hammers) with rubber tips. A professional musician often carries several sets of beaters, each of which draws a slightly different tone from the instrument, much like the drum sticks of Western percussionists. The yangqin is used both as a solo instrument and in ensembles.






Bridges and strings of a yangqin. This particular image is of the lower strings, which are thicker and wound with copper.
Modern yangqin usually have 144 strings in total, with each pitch running in courses, with up to 5 strings per course, in order to boost the volume. The strings come in various thicknesses, and are tied at one end by screws, and at the other with tuning pegs. The pegs and screws are covered during playing by a hinged panel/board. This panel is opened up during tuning to access the tuning pegs.
There are usually four to five bridges on a yangqin. From right to left, they are: bass bridge, "right bridge", tenor bridge, "left bridge", and the chromatic bridge. During playing, one is supposed to strike the strings on the left side of the bridges. However, the strings on the "chromatic bridge" are struck on the right, and strings on the "left bridge" can be struck on both sides of the bridge.




A pair of yangqin hammers.




The hammer on the left plays fourths, and the one on the right plays thirds.


Furthermore, some songs require the use of shuāng yīn qín zhǔ, literally "double-note yangqin hammers". These specially-constructed hammers have 2 striking surfaces, allowing the player to play up to 4 notes simultaneously (or even 8 notes, if the strings of the "left bridge" and "tenor bridge" are struck at a point where they intersect each other), resulting in a rich, powerful tone, which is especially pronounced in the lower The hammers are made of flexible bamboo, and one end is half covered by rubber.

Due to their unique construction, there are two ways to play: with the rubber side for a softer sound, and with the bamboo side for a crisper, more percussive sound. This technique, known as fǎnzhǔ, is best utilized in the higher ranges of the yangqin. Additionally, the ends of the sticks can be used to pluck the strings, producing a sharp, clear sound. Glissandos can also be achieved in this way by running the ends of the sticks up or down the strings.
When using it, the left hand holds a beater that plays intervals of a perfect fourth, while the right hand's beater plays thirds. These intervals are standard over most of the yangqin's range, due to the positioning of its strings.



The bodies of a pair of yangqin hammers. The pointed ends of the sticks are used to pluck strings, producing a crisp, clear tone.


On both sides of the yangqin, aside from the tuning screws, are numerous cylindrical metal Nuts that can be moved for fine tuning the strings or to raise the strings slightly to eliminate unwanted vibrations that may occur. More modern designs also have moveable ball-shaped nuts that can be adjusted on the fly with the fingers; this provides some micro tuning and additional dynamics during performances, such asportamentos and vibratos




Cylindrical nuts, fitted into fine-tuning devices.

Gu Zheng

Guzheng is musical instrument originating in China approximately 2,000 years ago. It can be said that it is China's national treasure. Guzheng belongs to the family of fretless plucked zithers. It is the predecessor of the Japanese Koto, Korean Kayagum and Vietnamese Dan Tranh. Guzheng is not the same as Guqin.




The guzheng is the ancestor of several Asian zither instrument



Most commonly, modern guzheng (after 1961) has 21 strings, tuned pentatonically (do, re, mi, so, la; D major) over 4 octaves. Very rarely guzhengs with lesser or greater number of strings are available: advanced players may use guzhengs with 23 or 26 strings. The strings are strung across the full length of the soundboard, over moveable bridges which transfer vibrations from strings to the soundboard and keep the strings from touching the soundboard. Their position, along with string tension, determines the pitch of each string. Guzheng is placed horizontally on a special stand. Smaller guzhengs can be played on the musician's lap. In its early history it was played while placed on the floor.

Strings are plucked by fingers of the right hand using 4 plecta (picks) attached to tips of fingers. Left hand is used to create half tones (as well as fa, ti) and tremolos (pitch bending), and sometimes also plucks the strings to compliment the melody. Some musicians use plectra on both hands, which is beneficial not only for plucking but also for protecting fingers of left hand from pain.

Guzheng has a very large sound producing cavity, which is necessary for proper bass resonance. The top of the sound cavity (soundboard) is usually made from single piece of wutong wood (Paulownia tomentosa). Higher quality guzhengs also use wutong for the bottom soundboard. The wood must be well aged, in order to minimize deformation and shape changes over time, weather and humidity. In many cases wutong wood aged for 1 year is quite adequate for crafting an instrument, however, patience can add a great deal to quality of sound (and price). Some large volume instrument makers use ovens to accelerate the ageing process of the wutong in an attempt to increase profits. High-end luthiers consider this to be a deplorable practice, detrimental to the structure of the wooden grain.


Extremely critical in guzheng construction are bridges. Their design, shape, material selection and manufacturing quality are crucial for producing most desirable sound. Ancient guzheng bridges were made from ivory (as were other parts of guzheng). Today, bridges are usually made from rosewood or zitan wood.Other parts of the guzheng are less sensitive to wood selection, but mostly for appearance reasons, zitan, rosewood, sandal wood and other rare tropical woods are used most often.