Chinese Traditional Orchestra and Music Workshop

I did this workshop because for my final artwork I will be composing a piece of music in far eastern style. The first half was very useful, however the second half was just about western music and was aimed at the Chinese students who were visiting Leeds.

I learned about a lot of Chinese instruments. Here are a few:

• Erhu - A 2 stringed bowed instrument (hence Er - 2). It’s often nicknamed the Chinese Violin. Unlike the violin, however, the bow goes in between the 2 strings, and it’s played on the knee.                                                                                                          

• Gekkin - A plucked instrument. It’s also called the moon guitar because it looks like the full moon. It sounds like a folk guitar.                                                                                       

• Dizi - A flute. It sounds like a clarinet.                                                                                

In the interval, I met the girl who played the Erhu. She was very nice to me and let me have a go on it.

Overall, I can say that the the workshop was useful and it taught me a lot of things.