Guan
Guan ( Chinese 管 , pinyin guǎn ) is a wooden double-reed instrument that is used in ceremonial Chinese music in northern China , less often in the south. Due to its cylindrical bore, the guan sounds softer and more like a clarinet , in contrast to the louder Chinese suona with a conical bore.
The guan is made of hardwood , is 18 to 23 centimeters long and has seven finger holes and one thumb hole. In northern China it is also known as guanzi ( Chinese 管子 , pinyin guǎnzi ). In Cantonese music, the guan is called houguan and is made from bamboo in three sizes .
The guan is difficult to play due to the double reed construction . The tones are mainly influenced by the approach of the instrument. Accordingly, the wisdom in China applies that the mouth organ sheng can be learned in 100 days, while the guan takes 1000 days.
The guan is related to the Korean piri , the Japanese hichiriki , the Thai pi nai , the Cambodian pi a and the Vietnamese pile . In the 20th century, a larger version of the guan with metal keys was developed, which is primarily used in orchestras.
literature
- Stephen Jones: Guan . In: Grove Music Online , 2001
Web links
- asza.com The Guanzi or Bili .
- Guan, northern China, circa 1950. National Music Museum, University of South Dakota