Traditional Chinese Music
Traditional Chinese music can be traced back 7,000 - 8,000 years, based on the discovery of a bone flute made in the Neolithic Age. In the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, only royal families and dignitary officials enjoyed music, which was made on chimes and bells. During the Tang Dynasty, dancing and singing entered the mainstream, spreading from the royal court to the common people. With the introduction of foreign religions such as Buddhism and Islam, exotic and religious melodies were absorbed into Chinese music and were enjoyed by the Chinese people at fairs organized by religious temples.
We offer expert tuition to all ability levels in three different musical instruments, the zheng, pipa and erhu.
Erhu
Also known as the huqin, its early ancestor was generally known as the xiqin (a string instrument of a Mongolian tribe called the Xi) in the tenth century. The erhu now acts as an important solo instrument in the recital hall, being appropriate both for deep tragedy and for jauntier tunes.
Its two strings are generally tuned a fifth apart and its range cAn reach three or four octaves. Playing techniques are rich for both hands, including vibratos, harmonic tones, trills, glissando, pizzicato for the left hand and legatoas, detaches, martellatos, saltandos, tremolos and flying staccatos for the right hand.
Pipa
This instrument resembles the Spanish guitar in some ways, with long fingernails being cultivated to pluck the strings.
The Pipa has a history of over 2,000 years spanning from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty.
The most common pipa has a body with a short neck and a wooden belly. There are 19 to 26 bamboo frets called Xiang on the neck. The Xiang are either made of wood, jade, or elephant tusks. A pipa traditionally had 4 silk strings mostly with common tunes of A, D, E, and A. With the pipa held vertically in the lap, the player plays it using imitation fingers. This allows more freedom for the player to perform various techniques on the four strings. The range of techniques that can be used are the widest among all of the Chinese plucked-string instruments, making it the most expressive instrument in the plucked-string section. Some of the techniques include: fretted pitch-bends, tremolos, various double and triple, and a continuous strumming of the strings with four fingers.
From - http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Music/mus-pipa.html
Zheng
The zheng is an ancient Chinese instrument. It has developed from a small instrument made from bamboo, originally used by herdsmen. It was very popular during ancient times, as early as the Warring States Period and the Qin Dynasty (225 to 206 BC and earlier). The zheng has an arched surface and is elongated-trapezoidal with 13 to 21 strings stretched over individual bridges. Although metal strings are common today, the strings were made of silk in ancient times. The zheng rests on two pedestals and is played using 3 to 4 imitation fingernails. On the right side of the bridges, both hands pluck the strings and on the left side, the left fingers bend the strings to change pitch or to provide embellishment. Its playing range spans three to four octaves.
