Onomatopoeic words of percussion instruments in Beijing Opera: drums, gongs and cymbals.

1, drumming (describes the sound of heavy objects falling or drumming)

In ancient times, drums were revered as heavenly artifacts, mainly as sacrificial utensils. Drums are widely used in hunting activities. Drum as a musical instrument began in the Zhou Dynasty. There were eight tones in the Zhou Dynasty, and the drum was the first of the group tones.

The so-called "drum and piano" in ancient literature means that before the piano is played, there is a drum sound as a guide. The cultural connotation of drums is profound, the majestic drums are closely accompanied by human beings, and the ancient wildness is gradually moving towards civilization.

2. Gong dang (describing the sound of knocking on metal objects)

From ancient times to the present, the music of gongs and drums, whether as a social and cultural phenomenon or as a kind of music category, has always been spread, inherited and developed with the life, thoughts and feelings of people of all ethnic groups in China, and has become an art variety that people love to see and enjoy, deeply rooted in the fertile soil of folk music, and has always played its irreplaceable social and spiritual effects.

3, cymbals-Tang Qiang (describe the sound of knocking on metal objects)

Cymbals originated in West Asia and were popular in the Northern Wei Dynasty. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it became an important accompaniment instrument for traditional operas in China. Cymbals: In ancient times, they were called "copper cymbals" and "copper plates", while in folk, they were called "cymbals". It is a common percussion instrument. It has a long history and strong expressive force. It is not only used in national music, local drama, percussion and gongs and drums, but also widely used in folk songs and dances, entertainment and publicity activities of all ethnic groups.

Extended data

Beijing Opera percussion is an important part of Beijing Opera music and plays a leading role in the band. The head of percussion music in Beijing opera is the drum board, and the performer of the drum board is the conductor of the Beijing opera band. As a comprehensive art form, singing, reading, doing and playing in Beijing Opera are inseparable from the enlightenment, coordination and comparison of gongs and drums.

Percussion music in the performance drives the overall situation with the change of rhythm and sound, which runs through the whole drama and is used to match the rhythm and rhythm of performance and singing, render the plot, create the stage atmosphere, promote the development of the plot and unify the rhythm and style of the whole stage.

Over the years, Beijing Opera percussion has formed its own unique style and playing method. Its combination of gongs and drums is diverse, complex in style and rich in content, but it is not difficult to see through careful analysis that so many gongs and drums ideas are based on several simple rhythms.