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Huqin (??; pinyin
Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
: húqín) are a family of bowed string instrument
String instrument

A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones....
s used in Chinese music. They consist of a round, hexagonal, or octagonal sound box
Sound box

A sound box or sounding box is an open chamber in the body of a musical instrument which alters the instrument's tone quality by modifying the way the instrument resonates....
 at the bottom with a stick attached that protrudes upwards. Instruments in the huqin family have two strings (except the sihu
Sihu

The sihu is a Chinese Bow string instrument with four strings. It is a member of the huqin family of instruments.Construction...
, which has four strings tuned in pairs) and their soundboxes are typically covered with either snakeskin or thin wood.






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Erhu
Huqin (??; pinyin
Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
: húqín) are a family of bowed string instrument
String instrument

A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones....
s used in Chinese music. They consist of a round, hexagonal, or octagonal sound box
Sound box

A sound box or sounding box is an open chamber in the body of a musical instrument which alters the instrument's tone quality by modifying the way the instrument resonates....
 at the bottom with a stick attached that protrudes upwards. Instruments in the huqin family have two strings (except the sihu
Sihu

The sihu is a Chinese Bow string instrument with four strings. It is a member of the huqin family of instruments.Construction...
, which has four strings tuned in pairs) and their soundboxes are typically covered with either snakeskin or thin wood. Huqin instruments have either two (or, more rarely, four) tuning pegs, one peg for each string. The pegs are attached horizontally through holes drilled in the stick. Most huqin have the bow hair pass in between the strings.

The most common huqin are the erhu
Erhu

The erhu , also called nanhu , and sometimes known in the West as the "Chinese violin" or "China two-string fiddle," is a two-stringed Bow musical instrument, used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras....
 (essentially a Chinese violin
Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
), zhonghu
Zhonghu

The zhonghu is a low-pitched Music of China bowed string instrument. It is a member of the huqin family together with the erhu and gaohu, and was developed in the 20th century as the alto member of the huqin family to be used in orchestras of Chinese traditional instruments....
 (Chinese viola
Viola

The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range , and nearly identical playing position....
), and gaohu
Gaohu

The gaohu is a Music of China Bow string instrument used in playing traditional Cantonese music and Cantonese opera. It belongs to the huqin family of instruments, together with the zhonghu, erhu, banhu, jinghu, and sihu, its name means "high pitched huqin"....
 (a higher pitched instrument commonly used in Cantonese music
Cantonese music

Cantonese music may refer to:*The music of Cantonese language peoples, especially the music of Guangdong, music of Hong Kong and music of Macau...
.) Over thirty types of huqin instruments have been documented.

Huqin instruments are believed to descend from an instrument called the xiqin
Xiqin

The xiqin was a bowed string instrument adopted by the Chinese people from the Xi, a Central Asian people, in ancient times. It is perhaps the original member of the huqin family of Chinese bowed string instruments; thus, the erhu and all similar Chinese instruments may be said to be derived from the xiqin....
, originally played by the Xi
Kumo Xi

The Kumo Xi were a steppes people located in current Manchuria . Their history is widely linked to the more famous Khitan. The Kumo Xi-Khitan were united in a tribal Kumo Xi entity, but when the previously defeated Kumo Xi leaders insisted to fight again with the Northern Wei and when the battlefield seems to favor Wei, the Khitan fled away,...
, a nomadic people of Central Asia.

In the 20th century, large bass huqin such as the dihu
Dihu

The dihu is a large bowed string instrument from China. It has a large soundbox covered on one end with snakeskin. Like most other members of the huqin family of instruments, it has two strings and is held vertically....
, gehu
Gehu

The gehu is a China instrument developed in the 20th century by the Chinese musician Yang Yusen . It is a fusion of the Chinese huqin family and the cello....
, and diyingehu
Diyingehu

The diyingehu is a Chinese Bow string instrument in the huqin family. It was developed by Yang Yusen along with the gehu in the 20th century....
 were developed for use in modern Chinese orchestra
Chinese orchestra

The term Chinese orchestra can refer to either:* The ancient Chinese orchestra, or* The modern Chinese orchestra...
s. Of these, the gehu and diyingehu are essentially versions of cellos and double basses designed to have a timbre that would blend in with the sound of traditional huqin. These instruments generally have four strings and fingerboards, and are played in a similar manner to cellos and double basses, and are very different from the traditional huqin.

Similar instruments are also used in neighboring countries, such as Mongolia
Music of Mongolia

Music is an integral part of culture of Mongolia. Among the unique contributions of Mongolia to the world's musical culture are the long songs, one of the greatest features of the Mongolian music, overtone singing and morin khuur, the horse-headed fiddle....
, Korea
Korean music

Traditional Korean music includes both the folk music and Korean Court Music music styles of the Korean people.See Music of South Korea and Music of North Korea for contemporary Korean music....
, Japan
Music of Japan

The modern Japanese music scene includes a wide array of performers in distinct styles both traditional and modern, ranging from rock, electro, punk, folk, metal, reggae, salsa, and tango to country music and hip hop....
, Vietnam
Music of Vietnam

Traditional Vietnamese music is highly diverse and Syncretism, combining native and foreign influences. Throughout its history, Vietnam has been most heavily impacted by the Music of China, as an integral part, along with Korea, Mongolia and Japan....
, Thailand
Music of Thailand

The music of Thailand reflects its geographic positionat the intersection of China, India, Indonesia and Cambodia, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome....
, Cambodia
Music of Cambodia

The music of Cambodia is derived both from traditions dating back to the ancient Khmer Empire and from the rapid Westernization of the popular music scene in modern times....
, and Laos.

List of Chinese huqin instruments

  • Erhu
    Erhu

    The erhu , also called nanhu , and sometimes known in the West as the "Chinese violin" or "China two-string fiddle," is a two-stringed Bow musical instrument, used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras....
    ; also called nanhu
  • Gaohu
    Gaohu

    The gaohu is a Music of China Bow string instrument used in playing traditional Cantonese music and Cantonese opera. It belongs to the huqin family of instruments, together with the zhonghu, erhu, banhu, jinghu, and sihu, its name means "high pitched huqin"....
    ; also called yuehu
  • Banhu
    Banhu

    The banhu is a Chinese traditional bowed string instrument in the huqin family of instruments. It is used primarily in northern China. Ban means a piece of wood and hu is short for huqin....
  • Jinghu
    Jinghu

    The jinghu is a Music of China bowed string instrument in the huqin family, used primarily in Beijing opera. It is the smallest and highest pitched instrument in the huqin family....
  • Jing erhu
    Jing erhu

    The jing erhu is a Chinese two-stringed bowed instrument in the huqin family of instruments, similar to the erhu. It is so named because it is used in jing xi, or Beijing opera....
  • Zhonghu
    Zhonghu

    The zhonghu is a low-pitched Music of China bowed string instrument. It is a member of the huqin family together with the erhu and gaohu, and was developed in the 20th century as the alto member of the huqin family to be used in orchestras of Chinese traditional instruments....
  • Yehu
    Yehu

    The yehu is a Chinese bowed string instrument in the huqin family of instruments. Ye means coconut and hu is short for huqin....
  • Erxian
    Erxian

    The erxian is a Chinese Bow string instrument in the huqin family of instruments. It has two strings and is used primarily in Cantonese music, most often in "hard string" chamber ensembles....
  • Tiqin
    Tiqin

    The tiqin is a name applied to several two-stringed Chinese bowed string instruments in the huqin family of instruments.There are several types of tiqin:...
  • Tihu
    Tihu (instrument)

    File:Chaozhoutihu.jpgThe tihu is a two-stringed bowed vertical fiddle in the huqin family, used in Chaozhou xianshi music of the Chaozhou people....
  • Daguangxian
    Daguangxian

    The daguangxian is a Chinese bowed string instrument in the huqin family of instruments. It is used primarily in Taiwan and Fujian, among the Hakka and Min Nan peoples....
  • Datong
  • Datongxian
  • Hexian
  • Huluhu
    Huluhu

    The huluhu is a Chinese Bow string instrument in the huqin family of instruments. It has two strings, and its sound box is made from a gourd, with a face made of thin wood....
     (traditional: ???; simplified: ???)
  • Maguhu
    Maguhu

    The maguhu is a Chinese Bow string instrument in the huqin family of instruments. It has two strings and its sound box is made from the femur bone of a horse ....
     (traditional: ???; simplified: ???)
  • Tuhu
    Tuhu

    The tuhu is a Chinese Bow string instrument in the huqin family of instruments. It is used primarily by non-Han Chinese ethnic groups of southern China, particularly the Zhuang, who live in the Guangxi province and use it in their bayin ensemble....
  • Jiaohu
    Jiaohu

    The jiaohu is a Chinese Bow string instrument in the huqin family of instruments. It has two strings and its sound box is made from a the horn of a cow....
  • Zhuihu
    Zhuihu

    The zhuihu is a two-stringed Bow string instrument from China. In construction, it resembles the sanxian, and likely evolved as a bowed version of that instrument....
     (traditional: ??; simplified: ??)
  • Zhuiqin (traditional: ??; simplified: ??)
  • Leiqin
    Leiqin

    The leiqin is a Chinese bowed string instrument....
  • Sihu
    Sihu

    The sihu is a Chinese Bow string instrument with four strings. It is a member of the huqin family of instruments.Construction...
  • Sanhu
    Sanhu

    The sanhu is a China bowed string instrument with three strings. It was developed in the 1970s and is essentially a three-stringed version of the two-stringed erhu, with an additional bass string....
  • Dahu
    Dahu (instrument)

    The dahu is a large bowed string instrument from China. It has a large soundbox covered on one end with python skin. Like most other members of the huqin family of instruments, it has two strings and is held vertically....
  • Dihu
    Dihu

    The dihu is a large bowed string instrument from China. It has a large soundbox covered on one end with snakeskin. Like most other members of the huqin family of instruments, it has two strings and is held vertically....
    • Xiaodihu
    • Zhongdihu
    • Dadihu
  • Cizhonghu
  • Gehu
    Gehu

    The gehu is a China instrument developed in the 20th century by the Chinese musician Yang Yusen . It is a fusion of the Chinese huqin family and the cello....
    • Diyingehu
      Diyingehu

      The diyingehu is a Chinese Bow string instrument in the huqin family. It was developed by Yang Yusen along with the gehu in the 20th century....
  • Laruan
    Laruan

    The laruan is a relatively new Chinese string instrument blending the acoustics of the ruan with that of the Western cello. Its larger counterpart is the dalaruan, which corresponds to the double bass....
    • Dalaruan
  • Paqin
    • Dapaqin
  • Dixianqin
  • Xiqin
    Xiqin

    The xiqin was a bowed string instrument adopted by the Chinese people from the Xi, a Central Asian people, in ancient times. It is perhaps the original member of the huqin family of Chinese bowed string instruments; thus, the erhu and all similar Chinese instruments may be said to be derived from the xiqin....
  • Niutuiqin or niubatui (??? or ???) (Guizhou)
  • Matouqin (Mongolia)
  • Aijieke (Xinjiang)
  • Sataer (Xinjiang)


Related instruments in other Asian nations


Cambodia

  • Tro
    Tro (instrument)

    Tro is the generic name for traditional Bow string instruments in Cambodia.Instruments in this family include the two-stringed tro u, tro sau toch, tro sau thom, and tro che, as well as the three-stringed tro Khmer spike fiddle....
     (Cambodia)
    • Tro che (Cambodia)
    • Tro Khmer
      Tro Khmer

      The tro Khmer is a traditional Bow string instrument from Cambodia. Its body is made from a special type of coconut covered on one end with animal skin, and it has three silk strings....
       (Cambodia)
    • Tro sau (Cambodia)
    • Tro u
      Tro u

      The Tro u is a traditional instrument from Cambodia. It is a low-pitched, two-stringed fiddle with a coconut shell body that has one end covered with animal skin....
       (Cambodia)

Japan

  • Kokyu
    Kokyu

    The kokyu is a traditional Japanese string instrument, the only one played with a bow . Although it was supposedly introduced to Japan from China along with the shamisen, its material, shape and sound are unique to Japan....
     (Japan)

Korea

  • Haegeum
    Haegeum

    The haegeum is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a fiddle. It has a rodlike neck, a hollow wooden soundbox, and two silk strings, and is held vertically on the knee of the performer and played with a bow....
     (Korea; derived from the xiqin
    Xiqin

    The xiqin was a bowed string instrument adopted by the Chinese people from the Xi, a Central Asian people, in ancient times. It is perhaps the original member of the huqin family of Chinese bowed string instruments; thus, the erhu and all similar Chinese instruments may be said to be derived from the xiqin....
    )
    • Sohaegeum
      Sohaegeum

      The sohaegeum is a North Korean musical instrument, developed in the 1960s. It is essentially a modernized form of the haegeum . So in sohaeheum means "four," because it has four strings....
       (North Korea)

Mongolia

  • Morin khuur
    Morin khuur

    The morin khuur is a Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. The full Classical Mongolian name for the morin khuur is morin-u tolo?ai tai qu?ur meaning fiddle with horse's head....
     (Mongolia)

Thailand

  • Saw (Thailand)
    • Saw duang
      Saw duang

      The saw duang is a bowed string instrument used in Thai music. It has a hardwood soundbox covered on the playing end with python skin. It is held vertically and has two silk strings that are played with a bow....
       (Thailand)
    • Saw u
      Saw U

      The Saw U is a classical Culture of Thailand instrument. It has two strings, and can produce 8 notes. It is the lowest sounding Saw of the Saw family....
       (Thailand)
    • Saw sam sai
      Saw sam sai

      The saw sam sai is a traditional Bow string instrument of Thailand. Its body is made from a special type of coconut covered on one end with animal skin, and it has three silk strings....
       (Thailand)
    • Saw peep or saw krapawng (northeast Thailand)
    • Saw bong (northeast Thailand)

Tuva

  • Byzaanchy
    Byzaanchy

    The byzaanchy is a four-stringed vertical spike fiddle used in the traditional music of Tuva. It is similar to the Chinese sihu. However, the byzaanchys soundbox is generally made of wood whereas the sihu usually has a metal soundbox....

Vietnam

  • Ðàn gáo
    Ðàn gáo

    The d?n g?o is a Vietnamese Bow string instrument with two strings. Its body is made from half of a coconut shell covered with wood, with a small seashell used as bridge....
     (Vietnam)
  • Ðàn h? (Vietnam; h? derives from Chinese hu)


External links


Photographs

  • (page 1)
  • (page 2)
  • (page 3)


See also

  • Music of China
    Music of China

    The music of China dates back to the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty ....
  • Traditional Chinese musical instruments
    Traditional Chinese musical instruments

    Traditional Chinese musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments. Traditionally, they were classified according to the materials used in their construction....
  • String instruments