Artistic characteristics of mowing gongs and drums in northern Sichuan

Every year in July and August, when gongs and drums are loud, corn grass and soybean grass should be removed, and several or dozens of households get together and line up along the hillside. One person beats the gong and the other drums, and sings rhythmically while knocking, so as to boost the morale of workers, unify the pace and eliminate fatigue. Most of the people beating gongs and drums are local old people with knowledge and prestige or young people with promising prospects. Those who beat gongs are called singers, and those who beat drums are called walking hand in hand.

The process of mowing grass, beating gongs and drums in a day can be roughly divided into: matchmaking, tying the lid (starting or arranging music), arranging music for five parties (or worshiping five parties), speaking, playing music and handling handover. At about eight o'clock in the morning, when the gong rings, it tells people it's time to go to work. Gong players walk in front, others follow, and gradually become a line on the mountain road, commonly known as matchmaker. When he arrived at the farm work destination, Grandet began to sing first, starting with a high voice in the sound of gongs and drums. Next, there is the Anwufang. Some singers worship the gods of the East, West, North and South, and some singers worship heaven and earth directly, paying attention to the weather, location and harmony between people.

In a day's work, it is the text that takes up most of the time. The content of lyrics is not only written lyrics, but also seven words or crosses written in a fixed format, which are circulated orally by Han people. In the special red era, Mao Zedong's seven laws and four sentences and Guo Moruo's seven-character poem also became the lyrics of the text. In labor, if someone is found to be behind the times, Grant will come behind him and beat drums hard to encourage and urge the laggards to catch up. The singers sang loudly and passionately, the workers mowed the grass quickly, and you chased me, showing a lively scene of drums and music, singing and laughing. Cutting grass and beating gongs and drums can not only ensure the progress and quality of weeding, but also make heavy physical labor easier with laughter, so that workers can fully enjoy the fun and happiness of labor. There are seven beats, nine beats, twelve beats and flower beats in gongs and drums. Melody lyrics are divided into seven-character spectrum and cross spectrum according to the number of words, in addition to five-character spectrum, traditional lyrics, impromptu lyrics and other tunes. His singing works mainly include Biography of Han Xiang, Eight Immortals, Ying Ge's Story, Portrait of Officials, Double-faced Willow Leaves, March of Grass, and other folk songs.

Caogongs and drums in northern Sichuan are rich in content, authentic and simple in singing, and have a long history of inheritance. More than 10,000 lyrics are handed down from mouth to heart, and the tunes are simple, lively, unique and infectious, which greatly enriches the cultural life of the people in the depths of the mountains. Protecting and inheriting the grass, gongs and drums in northern Sichuan will enrich and improve the Han folk music culture in China.