Musical Instrument Museum Analysis - Essay Example

Musical Instrument Museum Analysis Instrument Types Presented In the Film The three parts of the film introduce theChinese musical instruments from the ancient times to the modern period. Ancient Chinese musical instruments were categorically made gourd, wood, leather, clay, bamboo, string, stone and metal. There are many instruments presented in the file, some of them include; Erhu: it is made from a string and a bow. An Erhu is played by placing it on the lap and then moving the bow across the strings on the vertical side to produce melodies that are perceived to be melodies of hope. Flute: the flute was made from a bamboo tree. The instrument is played by blowing air inside the holes drilled in the bamboo piece. The sound produced is highly mellifluous. Xun: this instrument is made from a gourd and is played by blocking air inside the one of the holes while momentarily blocking the other holes. It is played the same way as a flute and produces a melodious tune. Banhu: this instrument is made from wood. It is played the same way as the Erhu to produce a soft sound. It is a wonderful instrument when played in operas. Guzheng: it is made of strings and mobile bridges. The instrument is widely used in both traditional and modern Chinese music. Dizi: this is a Chinese flute made from bamboo. It is played by blowing air into one of the holes while the finger block the six other holes. Suona or Laba: this a woodwind Chinese music instrument that is mostly used in performances alongside drums and other funeral and wedding instruments. The instrument is played by blowing air inside and it produces a high-pitched sound that is rather loud. Big drum: the drum is made from leather and animal skin which covers an inside hollow vessel. The drum is used alongside bamboo or wood sticks. Pipa: the instrument pear-shaped and is made from wood. It has four strings and can be played to produce different tunes of melodies. Horse-Headed Fiddle: this music instrument is made with strings and a bow. The instrument produces a wide range of deep melodies with a variation in tonal range. Xiao: this instrument looks like a flute and is made from a bamboo piece. It has a hole to blow air in at the end. When blown, Xiao produces melodious and graceful music tunes. Hulusi: this instrument combines both bamboo and gourd material to produce a reed wind instrument that is played by blowing. It has three pieces but blowing is done in the center piece to produce a pure sound that looks like that of a clarinet. The instrument is widely used feelings of softness and tenderness. There are many instruments presented in the film that are also showcased in the Musical Instrument Museum. The Musical Instrument Museum contains many Chinese musical instruments from the ancient times to the modern instruments that have been incorporated in mainstream music including rock, orchestra, bands, and operas among others. Some of the instruments that are presented both in the films and the Musical Instrument Museum include; Woodwinds, Double-Reed, Slit Drum, Short-Necked Lutes, Long-Necked Lute, Hammered Dulcimer, Gong, Free Reed, Flutes, Drums, Two-Stringed Fiddles, bells, Hulusi, Xiao, Xiao, Pipa, Suona, Dizi, Guzheng, Guzheng, Banhu, Xun, Flute, Erhu, Dulcimer, Huqin, Hulus, Chimes and Sun among others. The Musical Instrument Museum showcases not only the Chinese musical instruments but also performance of Chinese ancient music featuring traditional melodies and modern melodies. The museum also presents modified Chinese instruments that have been influenced by European and western music. Just like in the film, the museum has organized the different Chinese instruments according to their origin, category and material used to make it. The materials used to make the Chinese instruments are classified into either categories; gourd, wood, leather, clay, bamboo, string, stone and metal. Both the film and the museum present the heritage of the Chinese music through the different phases of development the Chinese musical instruments have gone through from ancient times to modern times. There are very many Chinese musical instruments in the Musical Instrument Museum that are made from all the other materials but not from stone. While most of the instruments were earlier made of stone, they have been modified to take other materials such as gourds, bones or wood. To make the Musical Instrument Museum look even better in presenting the heritage of the Chinese music, it would be vital to present traditional stone instruments in their original form. Some of these instruments include Xun, Pinyin, carillons and chimes. The audio elements at the Musical Instrument Museum are very effective in taking the visitors through a virtual tour of the museum. The museum is very huge and appealing and therefore would take visitors a long time going through the entire museum looking for specific music instruments. The audio elements serve as a bridge to enhance easy touring, briefing about the history, nature and elements of the museum. This orients a visitor beforehand. Thus making sure that the experience would be spectacular. The Musical Instrument Museum presentation can be improved by presenting different Chinese musical instruments, naming them, zooming and focusing on them so that visitors can learn the history of different instruments through the presentation. As it is, a visitor is required to learn the background of the Chinese musical instruments before watching the presentation as it does not provide concrete background information about any of the musical instruments in the museum. The presentation can also be enhanced by using a native Chinese person, preferably an artist to showcase the different Chinese musical instruments. This is because they have a vast comprehension of not only the history of the instruments, but also the influence of modern music on the instruments, their modification and application in today’s dynamic music world. Work Cited Moore, J. Kenneth. "Music and Art of China". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Print. So, Jenny F., ed. Music in the Age of Confucius.. Washington, D.C.: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 2000. Print. Thrasher, Alan R. Chinese Musical Instruments. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. http://mim.org/visit/plan-your-visit/ http://english.cntv.cn/program/journeysintime/20100701/103036.shtml Read More