In China, musical style varies from region to region due to it’s size, but traditional music is based on the pentatonic scale with a simple rhythm and a double meter. The single tone has a greater significance than the melody and it’s an important attribute of the substance that produces it. Instrumentals are generally short and they are based on stories, legends and true events. Traditional instruments are separated into classes according to the material in which they are made. Some of the classes are: silk (lute, two-string fiddle, hammered dulcimer with silk string), bamboo (flute and bamboo pipes), skin (a variety of large and small drums generally played with beaters) and metal (gongs, cymbals, clappers and bells).

 

 

Chinese Gu Zheng	Chinese Gongs	Chinese Pipa
Chinese Erhu	Cymbals	Yue Qin Chinese Moon Guitar

To find more instruments that represent the culture of China, use the search box on the upper left - type the name of an instrument from China, then click Search.