Chinese Musical Instruments

2 string bowed fiddle, most popular instrument in CHina. Two pegs on top. Has a snakeskin soundbox made from python skin. Strings tuned a fifth apart. Bow stick is bamboo with horsehair

Erhu

multi-string zither, highly esteemed. Pentatonic scale without half steps. Plucked with right hand fingernails or picks. left hand puses the strings down to make vibrato. Brought to Japan as the koto

Zheng

Sheng

Mouth blown free reed instrument with vertical pipes. Accompaniment in ensembles and a solo instrument. Breathe in and out to prodce sounds. Can make chords as melody and harmony

Suona

double reed instruent used at weddings. From Middle East

ruan

short neck, flat soundbox. Round body with 2, 3 and 4 stringed version. One of three Peking Opera stringed instruments

DOule reed instrument with nasal sound. SOunds like duck calls.  Made of bamboo

guan

block of wood in shape of fish. Hollowed out and struck by a stick

muyu

dahu

two-stringed fiddle. One octave below erhu. Traditionally used in peking Opera