
In fact, by comparing these two instruments, we will discover a myriad of fun facts regarding their similarities and differences, which will in turn help us to learn more about their playing techniques.įirst of all, the Xun and the ocarina are made using very similar raw materials, namely clay.
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This does however lead to some problems and misunderstandings, such as people thinking that the two instruments have the same fingering, same structing and that knowing how to play one of them makes it far easier to play the other. When first introducing the Xun to people outside of China, we always start by mentioning that the Xun is similar to the western vessel flute – the ocarina. If you have passion to write about Oriental Aesthetic in Fashion, Home Decor, Art & Crafts, Culture, Music, Books, and Charity, please contact us at, we would love to hear from you! We Need People with Similar Passion to Join Our Blogging Team! Our team speak English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, and serve customers worldwide with passion and hearts. So far we carry 3000+ goods covering Ladies Fashion via, Kungfu Fashion, Home Furnishings, Babies & Kids, Painting Arts, Textile Arts, Carving Arts, Tribal Jewelry Art, Wall Masks and Musical Instruments. Having direct partnerships with artisans, designers, craft masters and tailors, along with 15 years of solid experience in e-commerce via, we are well positioned to bridge talented artisans in the East with the rest of the world, and directly bring you finely selected products that are of good quality and aesthetic taste. “A Social Enterprise in E-commerce Promoting Oriental Aesthetic Worldwide!”Īileen & Norman co-founded Interact China in 2004 with specialization in fine Oriental Aesthetic products handmade by ethnic minorities & Han Chinese. Furthermore, it’s widely played in traditional small wind and percussion ensembles in Northern China. Just like Bangzi and some percussion instruments we’ve discussed, Sheng is also one of the main instruments in Kunqu (Kun opera, 昆曲) and other various forms of Chinese opera. Traditionally, it has been used as an accompaniment instrument for solo Suona (we’ll discuss later!) and dizi (link previous article here) performances.Ĭheck out the ensemble of a Sheng and a Suona here! – its “family members” He and Yu were first mentioned in bone oracle writings dating from 14 th to 12 th century B.C, while the first appearance of the word “Sheng” existed in some of the poems of Shijing (《诗经》, Book of Odes), dating back 7 th century B.C. Speaking of the history of Sheng, it’s one of the oldest instruments in China, with images depicting its kind date back to 1100 B.C.

It’s a polyphonic instrument and is enjoying an increasing popularity worldwide recently especially as a solo instrument, while in the modern large Chinese orchestra, it’s usually used for both melody and accompaniment.

Sheng (笙), similar to Hulusi, is a mouth-blown free-reed instrument consisting of multiple pipes. Of course not! There are more interesting stories behind! You may wonder are they just made from different shapes of gourds. This tone includes Hulusi – which we are now very familiar with, Sheng, Yu, and He, etc.

Gourds, not only the fruits of some flower plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, but also form its own family in Chinese traditional musical instruments – one of the 8 tones as “gourd tone” (匏).
