Chinese Music

Pitch

Mode: Anhemitonic Pentatonic Scale

• Does not contain semitones between notes
• 4th and 7th degrees serve as passing/decorative notes, or are used as a part of another pentatonic key for temporary modulation

Notation

• Cipher notation
• Uses western notation more and more common
  • Oral/aural tradition of transmission
    • Taught through listening and playing by ear
    • Passed on within the family

Jiangnan Sizhu

• 江南丝竹
• Texture: Heterophony
  • Each instrument decorates the basic melodic outline in different ways according to the idiom and technique of each instrument, resulting in simultaneous variation of the same melody
• 曲牌 → melody
• 加花 → add embelishments
• 你繁我简
• 你高我低
• 加花变奏
• Performed for recreational purposes by 5-10 amateur musicians
  • Highly participatory
  • Musicians take turn to play Musicians engage via:

1. Instrument “selection”
2. Decide on song
3. Tune to 笛子
4. Musicians take tempo cue from percussionist
5. Dizi lead the ensemble
6. Collective effort based on the principles of improvisation mentioned earlier
7. Repeat from 4 if necessary

Musical Characteristics

• Lyrical
• Smooth and even
• of a moderate tempo which gradually accelerated to a climatic ending
• Easy to listen to, with the main melody clearly identifiable due to its heterophonic nature
• Supported by gentle beats which alternate between the 板鼓 and the 板
• 快板 中板 慢板 散板
• 4/4 → 一板三眼
• 2/4 → 一板一眼
• Tempo goes from slow to fast :)

Guangdong Music

• 秦琴
• 高胡 → nasal, has quarter tones
• 扬琴
• 中阮
• 中胡
• 古筝
• Played for entertainment purposes
• Played by modern, larger Chinese orchestras

Musical characteristics

• Upbeat tempo
• Unique melodic leaps
• piercing and nasal timbre
• Use of quartertones
• Lack of percussion instruments

Instruments