It is said that the yangqin can be played by a thousand armies, what is the origin of this instrument?

There has always been a theory that the yangqin originated in ancient countries such as Persia and Assyria, and was brought to Europe by pilgrims and crusaders. The aforementioned ancient countries were indeed the birthplace of various plucked instruments, and are still areas where plucked instruments are widely spread and used. It is not unreasonable to say that the yangqin originated here. The Chinese yangqin came from Europe, and the earliest relevant yangqin in Europe can only be traced back to the 12th century - just after the Crusades. However, some European scholars have emphasized that the yangqin has not been found in the ancient literature of Persia and Assyria, and the instrument has never even been mentioned in the historical literature of ancient music. In the European region, centered on Germany, there are many graphic records of the yangqin from the Middle Ages, indicating that the yangqin was already a popular instrument in the region. The implication is clear:The yangqin probably originated in ancient Germany.

The origin of the yangqin has been discussed from another perspective. For example, the ancient Chinese "Zhu", India's "Vina", Central Asia's "Kanon", there have been "may be the origins of the yangqin "These inferences have not yet formed a generally accepted conclusion. The author believes that this instrument must be traced back to the "sole origin" of the idea is not necessarily appropriate, it may be worthwhile to think of another angle. Today, there are many kinds of musical instruments, but for different reasons. The basic elements of "musical instruments", such as the principle of articulation, production materials9 and so on, of course, are natural materials, and do not necessarily exist only in a certain region or a certain ethnic group; in the long process of the evolution of human civilization, the understanding and use of certain things can be in an isolated region or ethnic group at the same time, but also can occur one after the other, and the creation of musical instruments is not an exception. The creation of musical instruments is no exception. In the case of the most common percussion instrument, the drum, the principle of articulation - the inevitable percussion instruments of life; production materials: soil, wood, stone, leather, etc. In the natural environment of early human life, the drum was used as a tool for the production of musical instruments. In the natural environment of early human life can be found and utilized at any time and anywhere.

The consistent creation of drums by people from different regions and ethnic groups is the reason why there are so many kinds of drums in the world today. Although different names have been given to them to distinguish them in actual use, as a whole it seems unnecessary to inquire into their "sole origin", which is one aspect of the problem. Another aspect of the problem is that not all of the instruments we use today have evolved from a single traditional instrument. In fact, there are "alternative musical instruments" driven by another way of thinking. With the progress of human civilization, the development and application of new materials and techniques, and the improvement of production levels, people have made unremitting improvements and explorations of existing musical instruments. Today, almost all of what we call traditional musical instruments have been sifted and transformed by human beings to varying degrees. Many musical instruments have been fine-tuned and completed with ever-improving technical means on the basis of a single original instrument. But a hitherto isolated tribal musician would recognize the FLUTE as the "blood brother" of the original piccolo in his hands, because the basic blowholes and finger holes are still there.

Some instruments, on the other hand, are completely different, a "creation" driven by mankind's own musical aesthetics and the needs of the times in a process of transformation. This is a complex process of scientific and technological and musical aesthetic sublimation. It is similar to today's "fringe disciplines", which are separated and derived from different traditional disciplines, and for which "another gateway" has to be established. For example, the piano (including two kinds of ancient pianos), in addition to the basic principles of articulation, in the inheritance of the original instrument does not have much weight. With the inheritance of the original basic structure of traditional musical instruments is not on a level, should not be studied from the same perspective. In the face of such a thoroughly modern industrial product, people only need to know who "made" it, and the question of its origin has no practical significance here. The author believes that the situation of the yangqin is similar.