Chinese Musical Instruments Trivia Quiz

Answer: Zither

The guzheng is over 2000 years old, and became the most popular Chinese instrument in the Tang Dynasty. The strings were originally silk but now are most often nylon covered steel. The instrument is often highly decorated. There are fixed bridges on either end and movable bridges in the center; it is tuned to a pentatonic scale.

Player pusdoc crossed the bridge to write this question for Red Crew's participation in the Phoenix Rising Global Tour 2022

Answer: 4

The pipa is another ancient instrument that likely led to the development of similar instruments around the world. It is played with the index finger and thumb of the right hand, often while wearing plectra, while the left hand adds tonality. The instrument is held vertically while played. The instrument is often heard in Chinese opera productions as well as solo play - rock musicians have incorporated it into their repertoire as well.

Player pusdoc used the force, lute, to write this question for Phoenix Rising's Red Crew

Answer: Calabash gourd and bamboo

The hulusi , gourd flute or curcurbit flute originates from China, Shan State, Vietnam and Assam. Bamboo pipes pass through a Calabash gourd. They can have up to three bamboo pipes, one of which will have finger holes. The name comes from 'hulu' meaning calabash gourd (a plant of the cucurbit family) and 'si' meaning silk, referring to the silky smooth tone of the instrument. Musicians outside of China have begun using the hulusi in their performances.

Phoenix Rising's smpdit has a calabash gourd engraved with hummingbirds, it isn't musical though.

Answer: Both hands, vertically

The xiao is a vertical flute. It is held with both hands and blown through the end. It is dated back to the early 200s AD and the Han dynasty. The xiao is typically made of bamboo, with the higher quality coming from black, or purple, bamboo. The Chinese flute does not have key pads like the Western concert flute. Instead, it has holes for the pads of the fingers rest, raise, and lower for playing various notes. The xiao is typically used for soft, sentimental, melancholy tunes.

Jaknginger of PR's Red Crew was quite relaxed listening to the xiao while researching this question.

Answer: Guqin

The guqin has seven strings that are played by plucking. It is considered to be one of the oldest Chinese instruments being mentioned in 3000 year old texts, and has been called 'the instrument of sages' It has a range of four octaves and the sounds are made by plucking open strings and it can also produce sliding tones (glissando) that are similar to a slide guitar. It was selected to be included in the recording for the Voyager missions because the tonal quality of the guqin displays the physical laws of vibration and overtone and can represent human intelligence through music. Guan Pinghu is considered to be one of the best guqin players of the 20th century.

Red Crew's smpdit would get more out of plucking a chicken than plucking an ancient stringed instrument.

Answer: Bronze

A bianzhong is a wooden frame or series of frames holding various bronze bells that are then struck with a mallet. It is thought that while clapperless bells were used in China as far back as 2100BCE, the bianzhong wasn't invented until the Zhou Dynasty (1046 to 256BCE). While some bianzhong are a simple frame of a dozen or so bells, one found in the Tomb of the Marquess Yi of Zhou in 1978 is very large with two perpendicular three-tiered frames holding 64 bells. It is on display in the Hubei Provincial Museum of Wuhan.

Phoenix Rising's member leith90 admits to being tone deaf, but happily rang this question into the quiz.

Answer: Chinese bamboo flute

Dizi is a transverse flute and is a popular instrument in folk music, Chinese opera and is also widely used in the Chinese orchestra. Bamboo is generally the material used in their manufacture, but they have also been made from other types of wood and stone. Jade dizi are highly prized for their beauty, by collectors, they are however not so resonant musically as bamboo. Different types of bamboo can be used, including purple or violet bamboo or white bamboo depending on regional variations, that give variety in tonality.

Red Crew's smpdit cannot hold a tune in a bucket, let alone a piece of bamboo.

Answer: Python

The erhu has been tracked to pre Mongolian culture, and is a folk instrument that was mainly found in southern China. Unusual features of the erhu include; a sound box covered in python skin that vibrates to produce the characteristic sound, lack of a fingerboard, and a horse hair bow that does not become separated from the strings.
Following China passing a law on the 'Protection of Endangered Animals' the python skin has been sourced from farmed snakes; using wild python skin is illegal.

Red Crew's smpdit finds it amazing that one particular snake skin can make discernable difference to the sound.

Answer: Suona

The suona is a double reed horn, traditionally made from wood with a conical body which produces a sound reminiscent of the modern oboe. Possibly dating back to the 3rd century it is thought to have been brought to China from elsewhere in Asia.
The film 'Song of the Phoenix' is the story of a young boy, You Tianming, who learns how to play the suona which is a traditional form of music at weddings and funerals. As more western instruments become popular, respect for suona players wanes much to the sorrow of the ensemble.

Red Crew's smpdit would like to hear the 'Song of the Phoenix' , naturally.

Answer: Red

Two drums were found near the Yellow River in an archaeological site called Taosi. They dated back to the first Chinese dynasty, Zia. The drums were over 4000 years old and red in color. Most writings refer to red on the Chinese drums as symbolizing the power and strength of the ruler and the army. In ancient times, blood was sometimes used to "paint" the drum barrel. Tanggu is two-headed and barrel-shaped. Animal skin is typically stretched over each opening. The drum can be carried depending on the festival or celebration, but it can also be supported on wood stands.

Jaknginger of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew drummed this question into the team quiz.