Chinese Musical Instruments Research Articles

The Value and Development Strategy of Guzheng Performing Arts

As one of the traditional Chinese musical instruments, the guzheng has a long history and rich musical connotation. From the perspective of the value and development of guzheng performing art, this paper firstly introduces the historical development of guzheng, its musical characteristics and its position in Chinese music culture, and then analyses the value of guzheng performing art in music aesthetics, cultural inheritance and social education. When discussing the current development of guzheng performing arts, the article points out the phenomena of the prosperous performance market, the improvement of the education system and the conflict between innovation and tradition. On this basis, the article puts forward a series of development strategies, including adhering to the combination of tradition and innovation, improving the quality of education, expanding the performance market and communication platform, and utilising modern technology. Finally, the article summarises the value and importance of the development of guzheng performing arts, and emphasises that in the context of the new era, opportunities should be seized to promote the prosperity of guzheng performing arts.

Research on contemporary bamboo flute teaching concept

This paper analyzes the technical essentials of the scientific and international concept of contemporary bamboo flute performance, emphasizes the importance of musical style and language characteristics, and points out that each musical style carries a specific cultural background and emotional expression, and as a traditional Chinese musical instrument, its timbre changes depict the beauty and humanity of mountains and rivers in a rich and delicate way. A deep understanding of how to control the timbre through different playing techniques, such as adjusting the structure of the mouth, so that the flow between notes can be warm and delicate, or passionate and loud emotional colors. In the performance, the three elements of "confrontation, friction and pressure" are put forward, which is a concise summary of the mechanical principle of bamboo flute performance. As well as the coordinated pressure between various parts of the body, these seemingly simple physical effects are actually the key to improving the quality of the performance.

Developmental Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Guzheng Performance Techniques

The guzheng, as one of the traditional Chinese musical instruments, has developed and evolved its playing techniques throughout the thousands of years of Chinese history. This paper starts from the origin of guzheng, and then analyses the development characteristics and influencing factors of guzheng playing techniques. In general, the development and evolution of guzheng playing technique is an important part of Chinese music culture, we should continue to pay attention to and promote its development, so that the guzheng playing technique will bloom more brilliantly in the new era.

Influencing Factors and Countermeasures to Improve the Expressive Power of Guzheng Artistry

As one of the traditional Chinese musical instruments, guzheng has a deep cultural heritage and unique artistic charm. The improvement of guzheng's artistic expression is of great significance to the inheritance and development of guzheng culture. This paper analyses the factors affecting the guzheng's artistic expression from the aspects of players' skill level, emotional commitment, music selection and arrangement, as well as the playing environment, and puts forward corresponding countermeasures to improve the performance. Firstly, to improve the players' professionalism, including skills training and music theory learning. Secondly, to cultivate the players' musical emotion, so as to make the performance more infectious. Thirdly, innovate music arrangement and performance techniques to meet the needs of different audiences. Finally, improve the playing environment and equipment to provide good material conditions for playing. Through empirical analyses, this paper verifies the effectiveness of the proposed countermeasures and provides useful insights for the future enhancement of guzheng's expressive power.

Dong Pipa: Chinese Musical Instrument in Literacy Functions and Educational Occasions

The Dong Pipa, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, is a significant element of the Dong ethnic group’s cultural heritage. The objective is to investigate the historical development of the Dong Pipa, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, in literacy functions and educational occasions. The research was conducted in Liping, Congjiang, and Rongjiang counties in Guizhou Province, Tongdao County in Hunan Province, and Sanjiang in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Two key informants and four casual informants, including national transmitters and experts in Dong Pipa music, were interviewed, and data were gathered through fieldwork, interviews, and observations. The analysis focused on the integration of the Dong Pipa into educational settings and its role in fostering cultural literacy. The results indicate that the Dong Pipa has played a dynamic role both historically and in contemporary times, contributing significantly to cultural transmission and education. The study suggests that incorporating traditional instruments like the Dong Pipa into modern educational practices can enhance cultural literacy and support preservation efforts.

Musical Literacy Development: The Case of Qin Zheng Playing Techniques of Zhou Wang

The Qin Zheng, an ancient Chinese musical instrument, embodies centuries of cultural heritage and artistic expression. Amidst its strings, melodies resonate with stories of ancient China, reflecting the country’s rich history and cultural identity. The objective of this study is to analyze the Qin Zheng playing techniques of Zhou Wang in musical literacy development. The research investigates Zhou Wang’s historical development, pedagogical approach, and playing techniques through a qualitative analysis. The study focuses on the Xi’an Conservatory of Music as the primary research site, where Zhou Wang has taught and mentored students for over three decades. Key informants include Zhou Wang herself, her students, and colleagues in the field of Chinese musical education. Data analysis involves structured interviews, observations of performances and teaching sessions, and transcription of musical examples. The findings reveal Zhou Wang’s mastery of Qin Zheng techniques, including intricate right-hand and left-hand skills, and their significance in fostering musical literacy development. The study highlights the potential benefits of integrating music education, particularly traditional Chinese music like Qin Zheng, into curricula as a means to enrich students’ language skills, cognitive abilities, and emotional intelligence.

The Role of Lusheng Chinese Musical Instruments in Promoting Literacy through Educational Functions and Transmission

Lusheng is a traditional wind musical instrument cherished by various ethnic minorities in China. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of Lusheng Chinese musical instruments in promoting literacy through educational functions and transmission. Conducted in Guizhou Province, a region rich in ethnic diversity, this study employs qualitative methods and engages two key informants who are local artisans with interview and observation forms. The data analysis reveals multifaceted insights into Lusheng’s transmission and promotion. Findings highlight the challenges posed by modernization to traditional craftsmanship, emphasizing the urgency of preserving Lusheng production skills. The inclusion of Lusheng in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list and the establishment of educational programs in primary, and secondary schools, and universities underscore the government’s commitment to safeguarding Lusheng culture. Moreover, the research underscores the transformative impact of modern media on Lusheng’s dissemination, and cross-cultural engagement is recognized as vital for expanding its influence. Balancing tradition and innovation remains a challenge. The study suggests collaborative efforts among government, academia, and society to develop a comprehensive conservation strategy, ensuring the continued transmission and promotion of Lusheng culture.

Transmission of Guqin Knowledge and Literacy by Changchao Lu

Chinese music has played a significant role in the lives of the Chinese people for generations, being passed down from one generation to the next. Particularly, Changchao Lu’s Guqin teaching holds valuable academic insights. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the transmission of Guqin knowledge and literacy by Changchao Lu. The researchers used qualitative approaches, specifically interviews and observations. The study’s findings illustrate that Changchao Lu’s Guqin playing style exhibits attributes of tranquility, minimalism, strength, and adaptability. The instructor’s pedagogical approach integrates conventional and progressive elements, placing significant emphasis on a comprehensive and balanced educational experience. He established the College of Chinese Arts, which aimed to amalgamate conventional and contemporary Guqin education. The institution prioritized several aspects, such as theoretical knowledge, performing skills, pedagogy, and even the craft of instrument-making. The use of online technologies, the promotion of collaborative learning, and the implementation of a student-centered approach all improve the educational experience. Changchao Lu’s activities encompass the integration of Guqin, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, into rural schools, the promotion of cultural understanding, and the active engagement of local education officials. In addition, he engages in collaborative efforts with local governmental bodies to rejuvenate rural culture by means of Guqin, therefore nurturing artistic potential and establishing connections between Guqin art and local industry.

The Image Transmission and Cultural Heritage of Chinese Musical Instruments

The Image Transmission and Cultural Heritage of Chinese Musical Instruments

The application and innovation of erhu music in modern popular music

Abstract This study introduces a sophisticated music recognition classification system designed to preprocess musical samples from various instruments and extract cepstrum coefficients. These coefficients are subsequently utilized to train the tuning parameters of a deep confidence network. Once trained, the model is employed to predict the types of instruments used in test samples. Additionally, this paper explores the innovative application of a digital sound effector to process audio from the erhu and popular music, aiming to achieve a harmonious integration of frequency and pitch, thereby facilitating both reference and innovation of the erhu within the realm of popular music. The analysis delineates that within the digital sound effector, the pitch accumulation plugin and the stirring effect plugin exert a more pronounced influence on the fusion of erhu sounds with pop music compared to the comb filter plugin. The integration of frequencies is predominantly observed in two key segments of the composition. The first segment, spanning from 1’30” to 3’25”, showcases the fusion within bars 21-85 of the erhu piece “Chu Song”. The second segment, occurring from 4’68” to 7’49”, employs equalizer and delay effects to blend electronic music elements with the erhu, enhancing the piece’s contemporary relevance and appeal. This innovative approach underscores the potential of digital effects in bridging traditional Chinese musical instruments with modern music genres.

A History of Chinese Musical Instrument Education in Toronto

AbstractWhereas students in China can take Chinese instrument training in a variety of settings, Canada has no systematized structure of Chinese music education. Indeed, little scholarly attention has been paid to the development of Chinese instrumental music education in the Chinese diaspora within North America. Based on extensive fieldwork in Toronto, I address the following questions in this article: How do Chinese immigrants pass down their music? How and where do students take Chinese instrument training? How have the methods of transmission evolved? And how do Chinese instrument pedagogical techniques bridge Chinese and Canadian contexts?

Creating Zhudi and Guzheng sampler based on Nyquist

Nyquist is a strong and basic software for making music with algorithms. With the western instruments available as functions inside the software, this research aims to create sampler of traditional Chinese instruments that can read Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) files based on the present functions. This research mainly focuses on two instruments: Guzheng, a traditional plucked instrument in China and Zhudi, the oldest Chinese musical instrument found so far and the most representative woodwind in the Chinese musical instrument family. The methods used in this research is built on original functions, envelopes, filters in the software. After creating the samplers, the MIDI file users uploaded will be converted into scores inside Nyquist for the samplers to read. The separation of the MIDI file is done by if and else clauses, splitting the samplers to each focus on a certain part of the song. Based on the methods above, this research yields a sample song that has a MIDI file originally in the timbre of piano applied to both samplers at the same time. The outcome yielded applies two samplers separated at a certain pitch, forming a contrast between the main melody and the chords. This research successfully achieves its intended purpose, creating a bridge that connects western music culture with traditional eastern music culture.

Deep Chnet 1-D CNN using raw audio waveform for recognizing traditional Chinese musical instrument

The classification of music information using various deep learning models is increasingly popular in the field of Music Information Retrieval research. However, as most proposed works focus on western music and musical instruments, little attention is given to traditional Chinese music. This paper proposes a 1-D Convolutional Neural Network (1-D CNN) using only raw audio waveform as input, to undertake the task of traditional Chinese musical instruments classification. This paper starts with a review of the current state of research on the related field, then discuss the proposed model and its data in detail, followed by its performance metrics and then a conclusion on the experiment. The result shows that 1-D CNN provides competitive and even superior results when compared to its 2-D versions as well as when compared to traditional models.

Combining Traditional Culture with Trends to Innovate the Way of Cultural Dissemination-Taking Henan Satellite TV as an Example

From Hanfu culture to traditional costumes of various ethnic groups, the national style has gradually become mainstream among Chinese young people in recent years. On We-media, many videos about traditional Chinese culture have become popular. From the performance of traditional Chinese musical instruments in streets and alleys around the world to Chinese dancers like Ma Jiaolong dancing Chinese folk dances around the world, Chinese traditional culture is reinterpreted in a novel way. And Henan Satellite TV has also been on Weibos hot search because of its unique traditional cultural programs. In the "Tang Palace Night Banquet" in the twelfth lunar month of 2020, Henan Satellite TV adopted the form of choreography to "live" the cultural relics displayed in the museum again, giving life to the cultural relics, and creating a new way of disseminating traditional culture. Taking Henan Satellite TV as an example, this paper will discuss the new way of spreading Chinese traditional culture in the new era based on the history of Henan itself. The integration of traditional culture and modern new communication methods, combined with the integration of modern audiences' artistic aesthetics, makes traditional culture adapt to contemporary communication styles, which is more conducive to the spread of traditional culture. This breakthrough by Henan Satellite TV provides new ideas for the more extensive and long-term dissemination of traditional Chinese culture.

Muzykal'naya integraciya melodij dlya kitajskih muzykal'nyh instrumentov guchzhena i gucinya, poezii epohi Tan i liricheskoj poezii perioda dinastii Sun

The specifics of Tang poetry and Song lyrics are revealed in the sound of traditional Chinese musical instruments - guzheng and guqin. The peaceful, implicit and restrained timbre of guqin is similar to the implication of Tang poetry. The bright and soft timbre of guzheng is very similar to gentle and graceful Song lyrics. The article studies the specifics of the process of the melody integration of guzheng and guqin with Tang poetry and Song lyrics.

Effect of music therapy based on traditional Chinese musical instruments on fine motor development of patients with mental retardation

BackgroundMental retardation is a kind of mental disorder in which the intelligence of the patient is lower than that of children of the same age before maturity, which is specifically manifested as difficulties in social adaptation and sports ability defects. Music therapy establishes a good therapeutic relationship through music experience, without obvious toxic side effects. Therefore, the study used traditional Chinese musical instruments to intervene in patients with mental retardation and explore the therapeutic effect on fine motor development.Subjects and MethodsThe 68 children with mental retardation who came to our hospital from February 2019 to June 2020 were selected and included in the study according to their compliance and the principle of parental voluntariness. Then, 68 children’s fine motor development quotient and original scores of fine motor test items were evaluated and recorded by Peabody Motor Development Scale. The patients were given music therapy with Chinese traditional instruments and music playing, three times a week. After 12 weeks of treatment, they were evaluated again with Peabody Motor Development Scale.ResultsTable 1 shows the comparison of children’s fine motor scores and development quotient before and after music therapy. The results showed that the fine motor of the children improved significantly after treatment, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001).Table 1.Comparison of fine motor score and development quotient of children before and after music therapyProjectGrasping abilityVisual motor integrationFine motor development quotientBefore treatment27.76±3.3850.61±9.6354.78±4.72After treatment31.18±3.7558.41±8.5658.71±5.13t5.5864.9924.649P0.000.000.00ConclusionsMental retardation is a kind of mental disorder that endangers the healthy growth of children. The study used music therapy of traditional Chinese musical instruments to treat patients with mental retardation. The results showed that the method effectively improved the fine motor function of children and had certain clinical application value.

Research on the Integration of Traditional Music Culture and Playing Techniques in Cello Teaching

Chinese traditional music culture is a kind of artistic wisdom accumulated by human beings for thousands of years. The wonderful tone combines the thoughts and emotions of people of different regions and races, and integrates various different and changeable musical forms. It takes root in the soil of traditional culture and can be inherited and developed. Cello is a musical instrument that entered China from the West, but after it was introduced into China, it was further developed and integrated with Chinese traditional music culture. In cello class, teachers can adopt strategies such as highlighting the playing skills of the instrument, flexibly displaying the sound of the instrument, customizing famous music according to classic works, analyzing the characteristics of cello solo and ensemble, and realizing the combination of cello and Chinese musical instruments, so as to enrich the educational resources of Chinese traditional music and better integrate them into the traditional music culture, so as to improve students' musical ability.

Situating affect in Chinese mediated soundscapes of suona

ABSTRACT Situating affect in the soundscapes of suona as a Chinese musical instrument in various media, this study investigates how these mediated soundscapes shape social ideologies, hierarchies of cultures, and social resistance in ancient and contemporary China. Several mediated soundscapes are tapped into, including (1) the poem titled “To the Tune of Seeing the Emperor-Ode to the Trumpet”; (2) a TV program demonstrating how suona can be “languaging” in localized contexts; (3) a famous movie titled “Song of the Phoenix” capturing the contestation of affective regimes represented by the Chinese conventional versus the Western modern; (4) works of a well-known rock band, the Second-Hand Rose, showing how two differing affective regimes were conflated. In examining these mediated soundscapes, this study showcases how stratifications of cultures as the high versus the low, the conventional versus the modern, vernacularism versus globalism are constructed, resisted, and transmuted via competition and conflation of affective regimes in Chinese media.

Entertainment Juncture of Two Castes: The identity and representation of Guqin and Guzheng

Similar physical features of two traditional Chinese musical instruments, Guqin and Guzheng, have mistakenly led the general public to discern them as complementary duos. Contrary to this belief, both instruments have different historical backgrounds and purposes. Therefore, this research is conducted to (i) identify the identity of the two instruments and (ii) signify the representations of each instrument. This qualitative research adapted the descriptive comparative research design and used individualizing as an analysis method. In conclusion, despite the similarities in shape and playing techniques, these two instruments depict different messages, leading to other representations and purposes.

Feature Extraction and Classification of Music Content Based on Deep Learning

To study the use of in-depth training in extracting and classifying the content of music samples, the work offers an algorithm for identifying and classifying musical genres based on a deep network of beliefs, enabling it to be used to extract and classify traditional Chinese musical instruments, and using real-world experiments to test its performance after training. The experimental results are as follows: the improved depth confidence network algorithm has the highest accuracy for music recognition and classification, which can reach 75.8%, higher than other traditional methods. The improved depth confidence network identifies and classifies Chinese traditional musical instruments through Softmax layer, and the accuracy is even as high as 99.2%; DBN is combined with Softmax neural network algorithm when only a few labeled samples in the training set are used for network fine-tuning, and the accuracy of the algorithm can still reach more than 90%, which can reduce the workload in the early stage. This study effectively solves the problem of too much workload and low accuracy in the process of music content recognition, classification, and extraction.