Traditional Chinese music was greatly influenced by the orthodox rituals advocated by Confucius; music was believed to have affected the harmony of the universe. As a result, music played in ancient China was not meant for amusement but to maintain the social order and etiquette system. Therefore, musical instruments (编钟 bian zhong) in ancient China was considered sacred and only owned by members of the royal family.
When solo performances of musical instruments slowly emerged, Chinese people began to play music to for amusement purposes. They appreciated that different instruments produces different sounds and thus inflict different moods upon the listener.
A famous Qin Dynasty scholar once said, "Though the qin player's body is in a gallery or in a hall, his mind should dwell with the forests and streams." The qin that the scholar is referring to is also known as the Guqin, a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement.
Chinese traditional instruments can be divided into three categories according to how it is played: plucked instruments, bowed instruments, and wind instrument.
Erhu (二胡 er hu) is a typical Chinese bowed instrument sometimes known in the West as the "Chinese violin" or "Chinese two-string fiddle." The erhu consists of a long vertical stick-like neck, at the top of which are two large tuning pegs, and at the bottom is a small resonator body (sound box) which is covered with python skin on the front (playing) end. Two strings are attached from the pegs to the base, and a small loop of string (qian jin) placed around the neck and strings acting as a nut pulls the strings towards the skin, holding a small wooden bridge in place. Various dense and heavy hardwoods are used in making the erhu. According to Chinese references the woods include zi tan (紫檀 red sandalwood and other woods of the genus Pterocarpus such as padauk), lao hong mu (老红木 aged red wood), wu mu (乌木 black wood), and hong mu (红木 red wood). Particularly fine erhus are often made from pieces of old furniture. A typical erhu measures 81cm from top to bottom, the length of the bow also being 81cm.
Erhu produces a melancholic sound that is hauntingly beautiful but ultimately sad, one of the most famous erhu piece is "二泉映月 er quan ying yue" (The Moon Reflected In Er-quan) originally played by a blind musician named Abing (1893 - 1950) who lead a tragic life. Many people upon hearing him play the piece were moved to tears.
One of the most popular wind instrument is the Xiao(萧 xiāo). The Xiao is a very ancient Chinese instrument usually thought to have developed from a simple end-blown flute used by the Qiang people of Southwest China. The modern six-hole form of the instrument goes back to the Ming Dynasty. Xiao has a beautiful poetic sound that inflicts sentimental moods upon hearing it.
Guzheng(古筝) is one of a most popular plucked instruments and has a history of 2,500 years. The modern-day guzheng is a plucked, half-tube zither with movable bridges and 21 strings, although it can have anywhere from 15 to 25 strings (a customized version exists with more than 44 strings ). The guzheng's strings were formerly made of twisted silk, though by the 20th century most players used metal strings (generally steel for the high strings and copper-wound steel for the bass strings). Since the mid-20th century most performers use steel strings flatwound with nylon.
