Chinese Arts And Crafts

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instead of blending in harmony, and the rhythms are typically Chinese. Chinese melodies are very different from American tunes. Chinese scales are extremely different from American ones. Chinese music is built on five or seven notes. American music is built on the eight-note octave, with five half notes. Many Chinese tunes are never written on paper. They are remembered and taught to younger musicians.
The Chinese use stringed instruments, similar to mandolins. They also use many bells, gongs, and reed instruments. Malm says, "There are descriptions of musical instruments which, in China, give us tantalizing hints of the flavor of a musical cuisine as exotic as even the most romantic westerner could imagine" (80). One of the earliest instruments is called a hsuan. It is similar to an ocarina and it has six finger holes. Another early instrument was a stone chime cut in the shape of an L. The two-stringed Chinese fiddle is called an erh hu. The player ...

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