Jiangnan Sizhu - Instruments

Instruments

Instruments typically used in Jiangnan sizhu include plucked, bowed,strummed and struck string instruments; flutes and sometimes also mouth organs; and small percussion instruments. The most commonly used instruments are:

• Dizi - transverse bamboo flute, most commonly with traditional equal distant finger holes which does not produce an equal temperament, although the equal-tempered dizi is standard with professionals
• Xiao - end-blown bamboo flute, as with the dizi, equal distant finger holes are preferred with the equal-tempered type standard with professionals
• Erhu - two-string vertical fiddle, standard erhu D4, A4 tuning. A second erhu is sometimes used, known as fanhu (meaning "counter fiddle" or "cross fiddle"); it has thicker strings tuned a minor third (B3, F4#) or fourth (A3, E4) below the leading erhu
• Pipa - pear-shaped lute with four strings, uses standard tuning of A2, D3, E3, A3. Although G2, C3, D3, G3, a whole tone lower, is sometimes used, with other string instruments also tuned a tone lower
• Yangqin - hammered dulcimer, smaller than the large professional solo type, has range of two octaves and a fifth; D3 to A5
• Sheng - free-reed mouth organ, most commonly with 17 pipes
• Sanxian - plucked lute with three strings, the small "southern" type is used, tuned to D3, A3, D4.
• Qinqin - plucked lute, tuned to D3, A3, (optional 3rd string is tuned to D3)
• Wooden clapper (guban) and small drum (biqigu, diangu, or huaigu)

Several other instruments sometimes are also used:

• Zhonghu - two-string fiddle, larger and lower pitched than the erhu
• Ruan - plucked lute with four strings
• Liuqin - small plucked lute with four strings
• Guzheng - plucked zither with movable bridges
• Pengling – a pair of small bells

As in an Irish traditional music session, the instrumentation is not fixed, and so may vary according to the musicians who are available for a particular performance. Usually only one of each instrument is used, and an ensemble can range from as few as two to as many as ten or more musicians, with the erhu, dizi or xiao, pipa, and yangqin being the core instruments. Players may sometimes switch instruments between pieces.