Introduction to Chinese Percussion

This course is for young musicians (aged 10 - 15 years) who would like to explore traditional Chinese Percussion.

The course will be conducted in English, but the course tutor is able to explain details to Chinese participants in Mandarin.

Chinese Percussion is an important component of traditional Chinese music, with a long history and rich local characteristics and ethnic flavor, existing since ancient times.

Chinese folk percussion instruments possess a distinctive national style, are diverse in variety, and boast rich playing techniques, including gongs, cymbals, and clappers.

These instruments are not only rhythmic instruments, but each percussion group can also be played independently. They are widely used in traditional Chinese music, opera, and folk music, playing a vital role in enhancing musical content, dramatic plots, and expressive power.

Folk percussion instruments are also frequently used in symphony orchestras.

The core appeal of Chinese percussion lies in three dimensions: cultural heritage, tonal depth, and expressiveness. It is both traditional and captivating:

1. Profound Cultural Symbolism: Carrying thousands of years of history, such as the chime bells associated with pre-Qin ritual music and gongs and drums symbolizing folk celebrations, it is a concrete expression of Chinese ritual and cultural memory.

2. Unique Tone and Instrumental Diversity: From the majestic solemnity of the chime bells and the clear, resonant sound of the cymbals, to the crisp, lively sound of the wooden fish and the deep, stirring sound of the tanggu (a type of drum), the range of tones is vast, allowing for rich layers of sound even with a single instrument.

3. Strong Emotional and Scene Adaptability: It can convey excitement through rapid rhythms (such as festive gongs and drums) and create an ethereal atmosphere with gentle percussion (such as accompaniment to ancient melodies), adapting to various scenes including traditional folk music, opera, and modern fusion music.

Course Overview:

In the four course sessions (each sesssion to last 2 hours, incl. a short break), participants will be introduced to Chinese percussion.

They will learn how to use Chinese drumsticks, and play a few simple excerpts, and together with their tutor, study a short ensemble piece, being assigned to a number of individual group  sections. Once the music has been learned and the percussive elements are established, participants will also learn to incorporate body movements into the music, with carefully considered hand and body movements, which both play a significant role in Chinese percusssion. The course will finish with a short ensemble performance of the learned course content.

(Course participants will be playing on some original Chinese instruments, as well as substitute percussion instruments from RIAM's own ressources.)

Schedule:

Course participants will:

• Develop a basic understanding of Chinese percussion
• Be able to play basic Chinese percussion gongs and drums
• Have learned a piece of Chinese percussion repertoire and performed this as an ensemble together with other participants
• Broadened their awareness of another (non-European) music culture.

Participants Age:  This course is restricted to participants aged 10 - 15 years. 

Language:  Participants are expected to have a good command of English, as the course will be delivered in English. (The course tutor also speaks Mandarin, which may be useful to some participants with a Chinese background).

Yubing Zhang

Yubing Zhang is a dedicated percussionist from China with over ten years of training in percussion. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chinese Percussion Performance from the Xi’an Conservatory of Music and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Percussion Performance under Professor Richard O’Donnell at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She specializes in both Chinese and Western percussion and is passionate about cross-cultural performance and research.