What are the Musical Instruments of the Manchu People

There are many kinds of traditional ethnic instruments of the Manchu people, including wind instruments, plucked instruments and percussion instruments.

The main wind instruments are: cow horn, deer whistle, dragon flute, shell and so on.

The ox horn is made of the horns of the bull, with a rich and melodious tone, which was initially used as a signal for offense during hunting, and was widely used in wars in the future.

Deer whistle (Manchu "Bra"), made of birch or reindeer antlers, the beginning of the hunt is to lure the deer sound imitation apparatus, and later used in song and dance accompaniment.

Dragon flute, is the Manchu early absorption of Mongolian musical instruments, Manchu dragon flute is made of wood, seven holes, painted brown or yellow.

Shell, also known as the conch, conch, Brahma. It is also an early Manchu instrument absorbed by the Mongols. Made of conch, conch tail drilling a small round hole, the sound of woo - woo - sound. After the introduction of Manchu, commonly used in war and major ceremonies.

Plucked instruments are: Manchu pipa, Bohaiqin, Mokuni (mouth harp) and so on.

Manchu pipa, the speaker is larger, half-pear-shaped, wooden board masked, on the upper set of ten pins, treble pins on both sides of the crescent-shaped sound window, the head of the instrument is bent backward, on the upper set of four string shafts, four strings Zhang. The Manchu pipa is not only the instrument of shamanism, but also the main accompaniment for songs, dances and banquets.

The Bohai zither is a court instrument of Longquanfu, the upper capital of the Bohai Kingdom, when it was established by the ancestors of the Manchu people, the Sumo (Gemo Gehoya) people. It has been lost.

Mouth harp, is the Manchu, Daur and other northern minorities **** with the national musical instruments. Made of metal, the shape of a pincer, with a reed, upward curved. This instrument volume is weak, narrow range, not widely used.

Percussion instruments are: section, Harry saber, clapboard, waist bell, octagonal drum.

Jie, also known as dustpan. The Jin Dynasty women began to use it for song and dance accompaniment, making it a unique musical instrument, and the Manchu continued to use it in the Qing Dynasty. The festival used by the folk is made of wickerwork. The ones used in the court were made of bamboo. When playing, the left hand holds the section, and the right thumb and forefinger hold two bamboo chopsticks, to pluck, beat, and scratch the sound of different rhythms of high, low, fast and slow.

Hali saber (ringing knife, knife), is made of metal with a round head knife, about three feet long, two inches wide. The head of the knife, the back of the knife decorated with iron rings, generally three rings of the head of the knife, the back of the knife nine rings (commonly known as the "nine rings of the knife"), dancing knife, knife, ring collision, clattering, very powerful.

Beat the board (Manchu "chi laqi"), as early as the Bohai period Manchu ancestors began to use beat the board, the Qing Dynasty beat the board is extremely wide-ranging, not only for shamanism activities, or folk and court songs and dances accompanied by musical instruments. Manchu clapboard by two large, a small (or more) rectangular wooden boards, with a thin rope strung together, playing each other hit the sound. (Similar to today's fast board)

Waist bells (Manchu "Xisa"), made of metal, shaped like a small trumpet tube, each tube on a small ring, with a leather rope or wire will be 32 small trumpet tube decorated with nails in a belt. When the performance is tied to the waist for the flinging, swinging, dun, trembling, shaking and other movements, so that the bells hit each other to make a sound. It is the main musical instrument in shamanistic activities.

Eight iron drums, octagonal drum body, frame made of wood, one side covered with python skin, embedded around the bell, decorated with silk spikes. Playing the drum with fingers to play the drum surface to send out drums, hand shaking the drum to send out bells.