What is the difference between folk music and Western music?

I. Differences in historical development:

Folk music:

Chinese national instrumental music has a long history. From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, folk music was popular in the form of instrumental music such as blowing the sheng, blowing the yu, drumming the serpent, striking the building and playing the zither, and at that time, there emerged zither artists such as Shi Juan and Shi Kuang and famous zither songs such as "High Mountain" and "Flowing Water".

The Drum and Blow Music of the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Qing Shang Music of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Pipa Music of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Fine Music and Qing Music of the Song Dynasty, and the Shifan Gongs and Drums and the Strings and Strings of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties have been played in a rich and varied form. The various genres and forms in recent times are the inheritance and development of the traditional forms.

Western music:

Western music, on the other hand, has five phases, the Baroque period, the Classical period, the Romantic period, the Impression period, and the Modern period. That is, from the beginning of the 17th century to the middle of the 18th century, the music of this period, phrases are very irregular, rarely contrasted, so the melody is very free. That is, from the middle of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, the music of this period differed from that of the Baroque period, and the main emphasis was on simplicity and clarity.

That is, from the first half of the 19th century to the end of the 19th century, the music of this period can be regarded as a combination of the styles of the Baroque and Classical periods; that is, from the latter half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, the music of this period is very distinctive, with a strong oriental color.? That is, from the first half of the 20th century to the present, this period can be said to be a rebellion against the music of the classical period.

Second, the form of the difference:

Folk music:

Folk traditional music played with traditional Chinese instruments in the form of solo, ensemble and dance.

Western music: .

Western music is roughly divided into two categories, major and minor, and the instruments used to play Western music are mainly cello, violin, saxophone, flute and other Western instruments.

Expanded Information:

There are various kinds of instrumental music. p>Folk instrumental music includes solos of various instruments, repertoire and ensemble of various combinations of different instruments. The combination of different instruments, different repertoire and performance styles form a wide variety of instrumental music. The solo performance of various instruments is an important part of folk instrumental music.

The zither piece "Guangling San", "Plum Blossom Sanlang"; pipa piece "Ambush on Ten Sides", "Sunset xiaojiao drums"; zheng piece "Fishing Boat Sings the Evening", "Crows Playing in the Water"; suona piece "Hundred Birds Toward the Phoenix", "Little Open Door"; flute piece "Five Clappers", "Partridge Fly"; erhu piece "Two Fountains Reflecting the Moon", and so on, are all excellent solo repertoire.

Purely with percussion instruments such as gongs and drums ensemble of the Qing gong music, rich in tone, rhythmic, good at showing warmth and red-hot, lively and light and other life interests. For example, "The Eight Immortals" (East Zhejiang gongs and drums), "Eighteen, Sixty-four, Two" (Southern Jiangsu blowing and beating), "The Harrier Turns Over" (Shaanxi Guasha), "Eight Bathing Brothers" (Xiangxi Tujia "playing skateboarding"), and so on.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Folk Music

Baidu Encyclopedia - Western Music