Instruments Performance Context &
Dizi (flute) - instrument is blown through a Transmission
thin bamboo membrane
Aural transmission (now standardised)
Sheng (mouth organ) - reeds vibrate when
Cipher notation - #1-7 represent degrees of
instrument is blown
the scale
Yangqin (dulcimer) - strings in double courses
Played by amateur musicians in teahouses
are hammered with bamboo beaters
and community centres in Shanghai, China
Pipa (lute) - plucked with a plectrum, fretted
Played by any number of players
Erhu (cello) - bow pulled on 2 silk strings
Now played in concert halls
Ban - wooden clapper, marks the strong beat
(Guangdong music = Guangdong region)
Bangzi (woodblock) - hit with a stick, plays
the other beats
Jiangnan Sizhu Music (Silk & Bamboo)
Scale & Melody Texture & Harmony Rhythm, Meter,
Heptatonic scale system Heterophonic texture - Tempo & Structure
Pentatonic melodies each player plays a slightly The metrical structure is
Performances use different decorated version called the banyan
pre-existing melodies of the same melody Duple / quadruple meter is
Melody often played at the common
octave to accommodate the Free tempo to start (or
different instruments finish) a piece
No (prevailing / real) sense Tempo often increases
of (Western) harmony throughout the piece
Very fast (1 in a bar) finish
Dizi (flute) - instrument is blown through a Transmission
thin bamboo membrane
Aural transmission (now standardised)
Sheng (mouth organ) - reeds vibrate when
Cipher notation - #1-7 represent degrees of
instrument is blown
the scale
Yangqin (dulcimer) - strings in double courses
Played by amateur musicians in teahouses
are hammered with bamboo beaters
and community centres in Shanghai, China
Pipa (lute) - plucked with a plectrum, fretted
Played by any number of players
Erhu (cello) - bow pulled on 2 silk strings
Now played in concert halls
Ban - wooden clapper, marks the strong beat
(Guangdong music = Guangdong region)
Bangzi (woodblock) - hit with a stick, plays
the other beats
Jiangnan Sizhu Music (Silk & Bamboo)
Scale & Melody Texture & Harmony Rhythm, Meter,
Heptatonic scale system Heterophonic texture - Tempo & Structure
Pentatonic melodies each player plays a slightly The metrical structure is
Performances use different decorated version called the banyan
pre-existing melodies of the same melody Duple / quadruple meter is
Melody often played at the common
octave to accommodate the Free tempo to start (or
different instruments finish) a piece
No (prevailing / real) sense Tempo often increases
of (Western) harmony throughout the piece
Very fast (1 in a bar) finish
