Pipa - Plucked String Instrument This instrument resembles the Spanish guitar in some ways, with long fingernails being cultivated to pluck the strings. The Pipa has a history of over 2,000 years spanned from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. A pipa traditionally had 4 silk strings mostly with common tunes of A, D, E, and A. With the pipa held vertically in the lap, the player plays it using imitation fingers. The range of techniques that can be used are the widest among all of the Chinese plucked-strings, making it the most expressive instrument in the plucked-string section. Some of the techniques include: fretted pitch-bends, tremolos, various double and triple, and a continuous strumming of the strings with four fingers.
Dizi - Wind Musical Instrument The Dizi is the traditional Chinese flute. As only three keys can be played accurately on traditional instruments, most players carry a chromatic set. It can have a membrane over an extra hole to give the characteristic rattle effect. It is believed to have been brought in from Tibet during the Han Dynasty and since then it has been used for over the past 2,000 years in China. The player plays the Dizi by blowing across the mouthpiece and produces different notes by stopping the six holes found in the rod. The player uses several distinct playing techniques: fluttered tonguing, double tonguing, triple tonguing, combinations of tonguing techniques and fingering techniques. A skilled player will also use circular breathing.
Erhu - Bowed String Instrument Erhu’s origin would be dated up to the Tang dynasty (618-907) and related to the instrument, called xiqin originated from a Mongolian tribe Xi. Erhu is a kind of violin with two strings, which, together with zhonghu, gaohu, sihu, etc, belongs to the "huqin" family. Erhu has a vertical post with a fingerboard, which goes through the sides of a resonator at its base. This resonator is covered with a piece of stretched snakeskin (python), which results in a unique "whining" tone color of the instrument. The bow for the erhu is placed between its two strings. Erhu's range spans about three octaves. Two famous artists Hua Yanjun (1893-1950) and Liu Tianhua (1895-1932) made an exceptional contribution to the improvement of the erhu and made it a solo instrument.