Traditional music in China is played on solo instruments or in small ensembles of plucked and bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums. The scale is pentatonic. Bamboo pipes and qin are among the oldest known musical instruments from China; instruments are traditionally divided into categories based on their material of composition: animal skins, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal, and stone. Chinese orchestras traditionally consist of bowed strings, woodwinds, plucked strings and percussion.

china

Instruments •Woodwind and percussion

dizi, sheng, paigu, gong, paixiao, guan, bells, cymbals <bottle gourd silk>

•Bowed strings erhu, zhonghu, dahu, banhu, jinghu, gaohu, gehu, yehu, cizhonghu, diyingehu, leiqin

•Plucked and struck strings guqin, sanxian, yangqin, guzheng, ruan, konghou, liuqin, pipa, zhu

Chinese vocal music has traditionally been sung in a thin, non resonant voice or in falsetto and is usually solo rather than choral. All traditional Chinese music is melodic rather than harmonic. Chinese vocal music probably developed from sung poems and verses with music. Instrumental pieces played on an erhu or dizi are popular, and are often available outside of China, but the pipa and zheng music, which are more traditional, are more popular in China itself. The qin is perhaps the most revered instrument in China, even though very few people know what it is or seen and heard one being played. The zheng, a form of zither, is most popular in Henan, Chaozhou, Hakka and Shandong. The pipa, a kind of lute, believed to have been introduced from the Arabian Peninsula area during the 6th century and adopted to suit Chinese tastes, is most popular in Shanghai and surrounding areas.Ethnic Han musicHan Chinese make up 92% of the population of China. Ethnic Han music consists of heterophonic music, in which the musicians play versions of a single melodic line. Percussion accompanies most music, dance,talks, and opera. Han Chinese Folk Music had many aspects to it regarding its meaning, feelings, and tonality. This genre of music, in a sense, is similar to the Chinese language. This relationship is made by tones, sliding from higher tones to lower tones, or lower to higher tones, or a combination of both. These similarities mean that the instrument is a very important part in mastering technique with both left and right hands (left hand is used to create tonality on the string, right hand is for plucking or strumming the string), particularly for the classical (literati) tradition. Sometimes, singing can be put into the music to create a harmony or a melody accompanying the instrument. Han Chinese Folk's feelings are displayed in its poetry-like feeling to it with slow soothing tempos that express feelings that connect with the audience or whoever is playing the piece. Han Chinese Folk is delivered in a way, using silences that alter its meaning, this also creates a sound similar to poetry.

Chinese operaMain article: Chinese operaChinese opera has been hugely popular for centuries, especially the Beijing opera. The music is often guttural with high-pitched vocals, usually accompanied by suona, jinghu, other kinds of string instruments, and percussion. Other types of opera include clapper opera, Pingju, Cantonese opera, puppet opera, Kunqu, Sichuan opera, Qinqiang, ritual masked opera and Huangmei xi.[edit] Folk musicHan folk music thrives at weddings and funerals and usually includes a form of oboe called a suona and percussive ensembles called chuigushou. Ensembles consisting of mouth organs (sheng), shawms (suona), flutes (dizi) and percussion instruments (especially yunluo gongs) are popular in northern villages; their music is descended from the imperial temple music of Beijing, Xi'an, Wutai shan and Tianjin. Xi'an drum music consisting of wind and percussive instruments is popular around Xi'an, and has received some popularity outside China in a highly-commercialized form. Another important instrument is the sheng, pipes, which is an ancient instrument that is an ancestor of all Western free reed instruments, such as the accordion. Parades led by Western-type brass bands are common, often competing in volume with a shawm/chuigushou band.In southern Fujian and Taiwan, Nanyin or Nanguan is a genre of traditional ballads. They are sung by a woman accompanied by a xiao and a pipa and other traditional instruments. The music is generally sorrowful and mourning and typically deals with love-stricken women. Further south, in Shantou, Hakka and Chaozhou, erxian and zheng ensembles are popular.Sizhu ensembles use flutes and bowed or plucked string instruments to make harmonious and melodious music that has become popular in the West among some listeners. These are popular in Nanjing and Hangzhou, as well as elsewhere along the southern Yangtze area. Sizhu has been secularized in cities but remains spiritual in rUral areas.Jiangnan Sizhu (silk and bamboo music from Jiangnan) is a style of instrumental music, often played by amateur musicians in teahouses in Shanghai, that has become widely known outside of its place of origin.Guangdong Music or Cantonese Music is instrumental music from Guangzhou and surrounding areas. It is based on Yueju (Cantonese Opera) music, together with new compositions from the 1920s onwards. Many pieces have influences from jazz and Western music, using syncopation and triple time.

Patriotic / RevolutionaryMain article: GuoyueGuoyue are basically music performed on some grand presentation to encourage national pride. Since 1949, it has been by far the most government-promoted genre. Compared to other forms of music, symphonic national music flourished throughout the country. In 1969 the cantata was adapted to a piano concerto. The Yellow River Piano Concerto was performed by the pianist Yin Chengzong, and is still performed today on global stages. During the height of the Cultural Revolution, musical composition and performance were greatly restricted. A form of soft, harmonic, generic, pan-Chinese music called guoyue was artificially created to be performed at conservatories. After the Cultural Revolution, musical institutions were reinstated and musical composition and performance revived. At the height of the Mao Zedong era, the music accelerated at the political level into "Revolutionary Music" leaning toward cult status and becoming mainstream under pro-Communist ideology.

india

Plucked String InstrumentsBela Bahar, a combination of Sarod, Violin & Santoor.Bulbul TarangDotar, the two-stringed version of the Ektar, in Bengal known as Dotora or Dotara.EktaraGetchu Vadyam or Gettuvadyam, Gethu Vadyam, JhallariGopichand or Gopiyantra or KhamakGottuvadhyam or ChitravinaKathoRababSantoorSarodSeni RababSitarSurbaharSurshringarSwarabatSwarmandalTamburaVeena

Magadi VeenaMohan VeenaNakula VeenaRudra VeenaSaraswati VeenaVichitra Veena

ChikaraDilrubaEsrajKamanchaMayuri Vina or TausPena or BanaRavanhastaSarangiSarindaTar ShehnaiViolinTabla

Wind instruments[edit] FluteAlghoza - double fluteBansuriBombashi or BommbanshiPullanguzhalVenu (Carnatic flute)[edit] Single reedPepaPungi or Been[edit] Double reedKuzhalNadaswaramShehnaiSundari[edit] Free reedGogonaMorsing[edit] Free reed and bellowSurpetiHand-pumped harmonium

Percussion instruments

•Chande or Chenda•Daf - a tambourine•Dhadh or Damru•Dhol•Dholak•Dollu•Esraj•Ghumot•Idakka•Kanjira•Khol•Maddale•Mizhavu•Mridangam•Nagara - a pair of kettledrums

•Pakhavaj•Panchamukha vadyam•Pung•Shuddha madalam or Maddalam•Tabla•Tabla tarang•Tasha - a kettledrum•Tamak'•Tamte•Thanthi Panai•Tumbak•Thappu or Parai•Thavil•Urumee•Udukai

Membranophones•[edit] Idiophones•Chimpta - a fire tong with brass jingles

•Chengila •Ghatam •Ghungroo •Jal tarang •Khartal •Kasht tarang •Manjira or jhanj or tala •Thaarai •Thappatai

japan

String

PluckedBiwa (琵琶) - pear-shaped luteIchigenkin (kanji: 一絃琴) - one-string zitherKoto (琴, 箏) - long zitherJunanagen (十七絃) - 17-stringed zitherTaishogoto (大正琴) - zither with metal strings and keysKugo (箜篌) - an angled harp used in ancient times and recently revivedSanshin (三線) - three-string banjo from OkinawaShamisen (三味線) - three-string banjoYamatogoto (大和琴) - ancient long zither; also called wagon (和琴)Tonkori (トンコリ) - plucked instrument used by the Ainu of Hokkaidō[edit] BowedKokyū (胡弓) - bowed lute with three (or, more rarely, four) strings and a skin-covered bodyWind

FlutesJapanese flutes are called Fue. there are eight different flutesHocchiku (法竹) - vertical bamboo fluteNohkan (能管) - transverse bamboo flute used for noh theaterRyūteki (龍笛) - transverse bamboo flute used for gagakuKagurabue (神楽笛 ) - transverse bamboo flute used for mi-kagura (御神楽 , Shinto ritual music)Komabue (高麗笛 ) - transverse bamboo flute used for komagaku; similar to the ryūtekiShakuhachi (尺八) - vertical bamboo flute used for Zen meditationShinobue (篠笛) - transverse folk bamboo fluteTsuchibue (hiragana: つちぶえ; kanji: 土笛; literally "earthen flute") - globular flute made from clay[edit] Reeded InstrumentsHichiriki (篳篥) - double-reeded instrument used in gagaku[edit] Free reed mouth organsShō (笙) - 17-pipe mouth organ used for gagakuU (竽) - large mouth organ[edit] HornsHoragai (法螺貝 ) - seashell horn; also called jinkai (陣貝 )

percussionDrumsKakko (羯鼓) - small drum used in gagakuTaiko (太鼓), literally "great drum"

Ōtsuzumi (大鼓) - hand drumShime-daiko (締太鼓) - small drum played with sticksTsuzumi (鼓) - small hand drum

Tsuri-daiko (釣太鼓) - drum on a stand with ornately painted head, played with a padded stickIkko - small, ornately decorated hourglass-shaped drumSan-no-tsuzumi (三の鼓 ), hourglass-shaped double-headed drum; struck only on one sideDen-den daiko (でんでん太鼓 ) - pellet drum, used as a children's toy[edit] OtherHyōshigi (拍子木) - wooden or bamboo clappersMokugyo (木魚) - woodblock carved in the shape of a fish, struck with a wooden stick; often used in Buddhist chantingShōko (鉦鼓) - small gong used in gagaku; struck with two horn beatersSasara (ささら ) - clapper made from wooden slats connected by a rope or cord

Ita-sasara (板ささら ) - clapper made from wooden slats connected by a rope or cordBin-sasara (編木 , 板ささら ; also spelled bin-zasara) - clapper made from wooden slats connected by a rope or cord

Kokiriko (筑子, こきりこ) - many people confuse the kokiriko with the sasara and sasara are often sold in the West under the name kokiriko. In fact, the kokiriko is a pair of sticks which are beaten together slowly and rhythmically.Kagura suzu - hand-held bell tree with three tiers of pellet bellsKane (鉦) - small flat gongShakubyoshi (also called shaku) - clapper made from a pair of flat wooden sticks

america

The BERIMBAO (BER) is an instrument used to accompany the Brazilian martial art-dance of "Capoeira". The string is struck with a thin bamboo stick and a snaring sound is made with a metal ring or stone held in the other hand. The attached calabash produces a muffled sound when pressed against the drummer's body. The TAMBOURINE DRUM (TA) and LOG DRUM (FA) of the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico are still used today in ancient traditional ceremonies that haven't changed in centuries. The deep healing qualities of the TAMBOURINE DRUMS are already being used today in many different meditative and therapeutic settings.

The POWWOW-DRUM (PW) is a very special instrument. It has always been seen as a symbol for peace and understanding. In intertribal gatherings of Native people, the POWWOW-DRUM is an important element that brings "tribes" together. Increasingly, POWWOW-DRUMS are being used for therapeutic practices. Groups can gather around the drum or play them while walking in a ceremony designed to foster inner peace.

The mystery of the RAINSTICK (RAI) is captured inside : countless cactus thorns have been driven into the hollow core of the cactus stem. They form a tightly woven net for tiny pebbles to rain through. The tighter the net, the longer the "rain" falls through to produce a calming and soothing sound effect.

The AQUAPHONE (WA.. in three sizes) produces mystical sounds (wale sounds, underwater echoes ...). The water-filled instrument can be played with a bow, with mallets or by hand.

franceFrench music history dates back to organum in the 10th century, followed by the Notre Dame School, an organum composition style. Troubadour songs of chivalry and courtly love were composed in the Occitan language between the 10th and 13th centuries, and the Trouvère poet-composers flourished in Northern France during this period. By the end of the 12th century, a form of song called the motet arose, accompanied by traveling musicians called jongleurs. In the 14th century, France produced two notable styles of music, Ars Nova and Ars Subtilior. During the Renaissance, Burgundy became a major center for musical development. This was followed by the rise of chansons and the Burgundian School.

Classical music

OperaMain article: French operaThe first French opera may be Akébar roi du Mogol, first performed in Carpentras in 1646. It was followed by the team of Pierre Perrin and Cambert, whose Pastoral in Music, performed in Issy, was a success, and the pair moved to Paris to produce Pomone (1671) and Les Peines et les Plaisirs de l'Amour (1672).Jean-Baptiste Lully, who had become well-known for composing ballets for Louis XIV, began creating a French version of the Italian opera seria, a kind of tragic opera known as tragédie lyrique or tragédie en musique - see (French lyric tragedy). His first was Cadmus from 1673. Lully's forays into operatic tragedy were accompanied by the pinnacle of French theatrical tragedy, led by Corneille and Racine.Lully also developed the common beat patterns used by conductors to this day, and was the first to take the role of leading the orchestra from the position of the first violin.The French composer, Georges Bizet, composed Carmen, one of the most well known and popular operas.[edit] Romantic Era & Hector BerliozMain article: Classical music eraOne of the major French composers of the time, and one of the most innovative composers of the early Romantic era, was Hector Berlioz.In the late 19th century, pioneers like Georges Bizet, Jules Massenet, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy revitalized French music. The last two had an enormous impact on 20th century music - both in France and abroad - and influenced many major composers like Béla Bartók and Igor Stravinsky. Erik Satie was also a very significant composer from that era. His music is difficult to classify but sounds surprisingly ahead of its time.[edit] 20th CenturyThe early 20th century saw neo-classical music flourish in France, especially composers like Albert Roussel and Les Six, a group of musicians who gathered around Satie. Later in the century, Olivier Messiaen, Henri Dutilleux and Pierre Boulez proved influential. The latter was a leading figure of Serialism while Messiaen incorporated Asian (particularly Indian) influences and bird song and Dutilleux translated the innovations of Debussy, Bartók and Stravinsky into his own, very personal, musical idiom.The most important French contribution to musical innovation of the past 35 years is a form a computer-assisted composition called "spectral music". The astonishing technical advances of the spectralist composers in the 1970s are only recently beginning to achieve wide recognition in the United States; major composers in this vein include Gérard Grisey, Tristan Murail, and Claude Vivier.

Folk music

Traditional styles of music have survived most in remote areas like the island of Corsica and mountainous Auvergne, as well as the more nationalistic regions of the Basques and Bretons.In many cases, folk traditions were revived in relatively recent years to cater to tourists. These groupes folkloriques tend to focus on very early 20th century melodies and the use of the piano accordion.[edit] Western FranceThe West of France comprises the Pays de Nantes, the provinces of Vendée, Anjou and Maine, and the Poitou-Charentes region. Traditions of ballad-singing, dance-songs and fiddle-playing have survived, predominantly in Poitou and the Vendée. Jérôme Bujeaud collected extensively in the area, and his 2-volume work "Chants et chansons populaires des provinces de l'ouest: Poitou, Saintonge, Aunis et Angoumois" (Niort, 1866) remains the principal scholarly collection of music and songs. In recent decades John Wright, Catherine Perrier and Claude Ribouillault (amongst others) have done much to collect, analyse and promote the surviving traditions.The Marais Breton of Vendée is noted particularly for its tradition of veuze playing - which has been revived by the bagpipe-maker and player Thierry Bertrand - and for traditional singers such as Pierre Burgaud.Folk dances specific to the West of France include the courante, or maraichine, and the bal saintongeais. Bourrées in triple time have been noted in the 19th century by Bujeaud, and more recently, in Angoumois. Circle- or chain-dances accompanied by caller-and-response singing have been noted in the West, and also in other regions such as Gascony, Normandy and Brittany.Notable contemporary folk musicians include Christian Pacher and Claude Ribouillault (Poitou) and the group La Marienne (Vendée.)[edit] Central FranceCentral France includes the regions of Auvergne, Limousin, Morvan, Nivernais, Bourbonnais and Berry. The lands are the home to a significant bagpipe tradition, as well as the iconic hurdy gurdy and the dance bourrée. There are deep differences between the regions of Central France, with the Auvergne and Limousin retained the most vibrant folk traditions of the area. As an example of the area's diversity, the bourrée can come in either duple or triple meter; the latter is found in the south of the region, and is usually improvised with bagpipes and hurdy gurdy, while the former is found in the north and includes virtuoso players.[edit] Bagpipe and Hurdy HurdyMain articles: Bagpipe and hurdy gurdyThe hurdy gurdy, or vielle-à-roue, is essentially a mechanical violin, with keys or buttons instead of a finger board. It is made up of a curved, oval body, a set of keys and a curved handle, which is turned and connected to a wheel which bows the strings that are stopped by the keys. There is a moveable bridge, a variable number of drones and hidden sympathetic strings, all of which can also effect the sound. Simpler forms of the hurdy gurdy are also found in Spain, Hungary and Russia.The bagpipe is found in a wide array of forms in France, which has more diversity in bagpipes than any other country. The cabrette and grande cornemuse from Auvergne and Berry are the most well-known. These forms are found at least as far back as the 17th century. Prominent bagpipers include Bernard Blanc, Frédéric Paris and Philippe Prieur, as well as bandleader Jean Blanchard of La Grande Bande de Cornemuses and Quintette de Cornemuses. Frédéric Paris is also known as a member of the Duo Chabenat-Paris, a prominent duo who use elements like mixed polyphonic ensembles and melodies based on the bourrée. Bernard Blanc and Jean Blanchard, along with Eric Montbel from Lyons, were among the musicians who formed the basis of La Bamboche and Le Grand Rouge. It was these two bands who did more than anyone to revitalize the traditions of Central France during the 1970s folk revival. The festival of St. Chartier, a music festival held annually near Châteauroux, has been a focal point for the music of Auvergne and Limousin.The provinces of Morvan and Nivernais have produced some traditional stars, including Faubourg de Boignard and Les Ménétriers du Morvan, respectively. The Nivernais collector Achille Millien was also notable in the early part of the 20th century.[edit] Basque CountryMain article: Basque musicThe music of the French Basque Country (east of the Basque Country) should be considered against a Pyrenean cultural background. Up to recent times and still ttun-ttun and xirula should be highlighted in traditional folk music (especially in the province of Soule) as a tabor and pipe like pair.It's worth remembering the role of Mixel Etxekopar or Jean Mixel Bedaxagar as xirula players as well as traditional singers. Other popular performers like Benat Achiary take up a more experimental approach. These performers refer to a former tradition collected and restored by figures like Etxahun Iruri (1908–1979) where singing improviser poets (bertsolaris) played an important role in popular culture. Unfortunately, this bertsolari tradition has come almost to a halt, while some efforts are being made to restore it on new generations along the lines of the "southern" tradition, i.e. of the Spanish Basque Country.Music from the Basque Country nowadays caters to almost all the tastes of music, with a wide range of music being played in Basque, from choral music (Oldarra in Biarritz) to elaborate music bands (e.g. Bidaia) to ska or hardcore trends, while it's much praised lately for the fine bare voices that have arisen with the likes of Maddi Oihenart, Maialen Errotabehere or Amaren Alabak, to mention but a few.[edit] CorsicaMain article: Music of CorsicaCorsican polyphonic singing is perhaps the most unusual of the French regional music varieties. Sung by male trios, it is strongly harmonic and occasionally dissonant. Works can be either spiritual or secular. Modern groups include Canta u Populu Corsu, I Muvrini, Tavagna and Chjami Aghjalesi; some groups have been associated with Corsican nationalism.Corsican musical instruments include the bagpipe (caramusa), 16-stringed lute (cetera), mandolin, fife (pifana) and the diatonic accordion (urganettu).[edit] BrittanyMain article: Music of BrittanyDistinctly Celtic in character, the folk music of Lower Brittany has had perhaps the most successful revival of its traditions, partly thanks to the city of Lorient, which hosts France's most popular music festival.The documented history of Breton music begins with the publication of Barzaz-Breizh in 1839. A collection of folk songs compiled by Hersart de la Villemarqué, Barzaz-Breizh re-branded and promoted Breton traditions and helped ensure their continuity.Couples de sonneurs, consisting of a bombarde and biniou, is usually played at festoù-noz celebrations (some are famous, like Printemps de Chateauneuf). It is swift dance music and has an older vocal counterpart called kan ha diskan. Unaccompanied call and response singing was interspersed with the gwerz, a form of ballad.Probably the most popular form of Breton folk is the bagad pipe band, which features native instruments like biniou and bombarde alongside drums and, in more modern groups, biniou braz pipes. Modern revivalists include Kevrenn Alre Bagad and Bagad Kemper.Alan Stivell is perhaps the most influential folk-rock performer of continental Europe. After 1971's Renaissance of the Celtic Harp, Breton and other Celtic traditional music achieved mainstream success internationally. With Dan Ar Bras, he then released Chemins de Terre (1974), which launched Breton folk-rock. This set the stage for stars like Malicorne in the ensuing decades.In later years much has been done to collect and popularize the musical traditions of the Pays Gallo of Upper Brittany, for which the singer Bertran Ôbrée, his group Ôbrée Alie and the association DASTUM must take much credit. The songs of Upper Brittany are either in French or in Gallo.Modern Breton folk music includes harpists like Anne-Marie Jan, Anne Auffret and Myrdhin, while singers Kristen Nikolas, Andrea Ar Gouilh and Yann-Fanch Kemener have become mainstream stars. Instrumental bands, however, have been the most successful, including Gwerz, Bleizi Ruz, Strobinell, Sonerien Du and Tud.