Musical Instrument Museum - Essay Example

Musical Instrument Museum Analysis Instruments In the three episodes, there are different Chinese musical instruments seen. The instruments include plucked string, bowed strings, woodwinds and yangqin among others. Most of the instruments seen in the three episodes are also in the musical instrument museum which I visited. Plunked String Instruments Present The plunked string instruments were seen in the film as well in the museum. Upon visiting the museum, I came across the plunked string instruments and viewed them at the film as well. The plunking string is a musical instrument which produces different sounds. The instrument consists of liuqin, yangyin, zhongruan, sanxian, guzheng, and konghou. The plucked string instruments have a chordophone base section which produces tunes that are different from the western orchestral instrument (CCTV 1). Yangqin The yangqin is a commonly used Chinese musical instrument because it was present in the three episodes and also at the museum. Yangqin is a dulcimer, and people play it using bamboo mallets pair rubberised on one end. It is played by hitting the string with the rubberised end, but the mallets can be used through being turned over to create a sharper note. In playing some Chinese song, the player holds the mallets vertically and makes the use of the other end or the use of hands to pluck. Yangqin is referred to as a versatile instrument because it is able to play arpeggios or rapid running tunes (CCTV 1). Liuqin Liuqin was also available in the museum and at the three episodes. This instrument is referred to as a soprano range lute. Liuqin has two sound holes located at the side of the body. The instruments also look similar to pipa but has is smaller. Liuqin has four strings that are turned G3-D4-G4-D5. The instrument just like guitar is played using the plectrum. An individual can change the pitch by pressing slightly above the frets of the instrument. It is a soprano instrument because it has a bright and penetrating sound. The range of liuqin is similar to the violin (Qiang 34). Pipa Pipa is another instrument that was present in the museum as well as in the three episodes. Pipa is a member of the alto range of the section of plucked string. Pipa has been associated with imperial songstresses and concubines at teahouses since it conveys the stereotypical demure damsel image (MIM 1). Pipa does not have the sound hole, but this does not limit it from producing musical sound just like other plucked string instruments. The tuning of Pipa is A2-D3-E3-A3. The instrument is played by plucking with figures. Currently, the player has to wear customised acrylic nail set at the right hand (CCTV 1). Zhongruan The Zhongruan was available in the three episodes as well as in the museum. Zhongruan plays tenor in the music. It consists of four strings which are tuned to G2-D3-G3-D4. Just like a guitar the Zhongruan can be played using a plectrum or using the 2 to 5 acrylic figure nails set. Zhongruan is used to play tenor though it possesses a mellow tone (CCTV 1). Daruan The Daruan was also present in the museum and in the three episodes. Daruan is regarded as a bass lute. The soloist in the song uses this instrument by tuning D-A-D-A which allows an easy performance of the diatonic chords. Some people who play orchestral tunes the instrument C-G-D-A which is similar to the cello tuning (CCTV 1). Bowed String Upon visiting the museum I come across the bowed string and also viewed it in the three episodes. This instrument consist of the huqin instruments family and in other cases the double bass instruments and cello to produce the bass sound when playing the traditional song in China (CCTV 1). Wind Instruments The wind instruments were also available in both the episodes and at the museum. The wind Chinese instrument consists of sheng, dizi, and suona. Dizi is a flute made of bamboo and the player blows one side using the mouth. The sheng is another wind instrument which is a reed mouth organ. Finally, the souna is another wind instrument which is described as a double reed oboe. All those wind instruments are used by the player through blowing by mouth (CCTV 1). Pieces to add to the MIMs and make it better The MIMs was not better enough because it lacked some pieces. I could add modern electric guitar to the collection in order to have a bass, and solo played by one instrument instead of having different people playing different instruments to bring up sounds (Qiang 34). The modern electric guitar consists between 4 to 18 strings (Thrasher 79). Modern electric guitar is played by use of hands or plectrum, and an individual can play it to bring up different sounds. I could also add a modern drum set in which an individual plays different pieces using sticks to bring about different sounds and rhythm (CCTV 1). Contribution of Audio Elements to my Visit Upon visiting the museum, I was aware of some instruments so I was keen looking if I can trace some of the instruments at the museum. The instruments at the MIMs were many, and I had seen how some are used so upon seen them at the museum I was not surprised because I had a little idea on how they are used. For the instruments that I could not know how to use the attendants showed. I also understood different sounds produced by the audio instruments at the MIMs (MIM 1). Changes to Make The Chinese musical instruments are good, and they are combined adequately to produce different sounds and rhythms. The change I could make to the instrument is introduction of different sets of drum that can produce different sounds rather than the only one used to produce bass sound. The wind instruments needs to be automatically blown because the person uses a lot of energy (Jin 50). The energy used is much and when a player gets tired can stop blowing at the middle of the music that will bring confusion. Works Cited CCTV. The History of Chinese Musical Instruments. Viewed January 7, 2010, from http://english.cntv.cn/program/journeysintime/20100701/103002.shtml Jin Jie. Chinese Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Print. MIM. Virtual Tour (Google Street View). Viewed November 15, 2014, from http://mim.org/visit/plan-your-visit/ Qiang Xi. Chinese Music and Musical Instruments. China: Shanghai Press, 2011. Print. Thrasher Robert A. Chinese Musical Instruments. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Read More