A zheng is a everyday instrument in a Chinese orchestra.
The ruan is commonly referred to as the "Chinese guitar" due to its appearance. It dates back to the 1600s, with four different sound and style types: the daruan, zhongruan, xiaoruan and diruan. The sanxian is a long-necked, three-string lute that usually accompanies singing. A yueqin is a more unusual lute that owes its name ("yue" is Chinese for "the moon") to its round base. The big difference between a Chinese and Western symphony orchestra is the instruments. A Chinese orchestra uses classic Chinese instruments.
Bowed String
Some bowed string instruments are similar to Western bowed string symphony instruments while others are much different. The erhu is like a Chinese violin, while the zhong-hu is like a Chinese viola. The dagehu and diyingehu are equivalents of the cello and bass. The banhu, gaohu and jing-hu are all two-stringed instruments, with the gaohu having the most delicate and graceful sound. The banhu is used primarily in Cantonese-style music. The jing-hu has the highest pitch and used almost exclusively in the Beijing opera.
Plucked String
The zheng is a popular solo instrument that lays horizontally and is made up of 13 to 21 strings. The pipa is one of the oldest Chinese instruments and sits vertically on the player's lap. The liuqin is a smaller, higher-pitched version of the pipa that sounds similar to a mandolin.Chinese orchestras are organized similarly to a Western symphony. There are 20 to 100 people divided into four sections based on instrument. The four instrument sections are stringed, plucked, wind and percussion.
Wind
Most Chinese orchestras have four main wind instruments. The dizi is the Chinese equivalent of a flute, made from bamboo. It is believed to be of Tibetan origin. The sheng dates back to 1000 BC and is the only Chinese instrument that can play various notes simultaneously. This is done by using both inhalations and exhalations to play. The xiao is similar to the dizi in that both are made from bamboo, but the xiao is longer with a mellower tone used for playing melodies. The suona comes in bass, alto, soprano and the small hai di. The body is wood with a metal bell at the end and a straw double reed at the mouth.
Percussion
Like a symphony orchestra, the percussion section consists of many different instruments like tambourines, cymbals, maracas and bamboo. There are three necessary percussion instruments. The drum is first. This includes various types of drums made from different materials. The gong, also known as the luo, is a popular folk instrument that is often the most associated with China. It consists of hitting a metal plate with a mallet. The wooden block was originally used by Buddhist priests to use while chanting but is now used in Chinese orchestra arrangements. It is a hollow block that is hit with sticks.
