Guzheng
The zheng (pinyin: zhēng), also called the guzheng (Chinese: 古筝; pinyin: gǔzhēng; meaning “ancient zheng”), is a Chinese musical instrument played by plucking strings. The modern guzheng usually has 21, 25, or 26 strings. It is about 64 inches (1.6 meters or 5 feet 4 inches) long and is tuned to a major pentatonic scale.
Guqin
The guqin (pronounced [kùtɕʰǐn]; Chinese: 古琴) is a seven-string Chinese musical instrument that is played by plucking its strings. It has been used for many years and was especially valued by scholars and educated people for its delicate and elegant sound. A famous saying about the guqin is, “A gentleman does not part with his qin or se without good reason.” It is also connected to Confucius, an important ancient Chinese philosopher.
Erhu
The erhu (Chinese: 二胡; pinyin: èrhú) is a Chinese musical instrument with two strings that is played with a bow. It is also called a spike fiddle and is sometimes referred to in the West as the Chinese violin or Chinese two-stringed fiddle. The erhu is used as a solo instrument and in small groups and large orchestras.
Tsugaru-jamisen
Tsugaru-jamisen (津軽三味線, つがるじゃみせん) or Tsugaru-shamisen (つがるしゃみせん) is a type of Japanese music played on a stringed instrument called the shamisen. This music and instrument come from the Tsugaru Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture. People in Japan play Tsugaru-jamisen music everywhere, but it is still closely connected to the Tsugaru region.
Koto (instrument)
The koto is a Japanese stringed instrument and the national instrument of Japan. It came from the Chinese zheng and se, and is similar to the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and ajaeng, the Vietnamese đàn tranh, the Sundanese kacapi, and the Kazakh jetigen. Koto are about 180 centimeters (6 feet) long and made from Paulownia wood, a type of wood called kiri.
Biwa
The biwa (Japanese: 琵琶) is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute used for storytelling. It is a plucked string instrument that became popular in China and later spread to other parts of East Asia, reaching Japan during the Nara period (710–794). The biwa is usually 60 centimeters (24 inches) to 106 centimeters (42 inches) long.
Shamisen
The shamisen or samisen (三味線), also called sangen (三絃), is a traditional Japanese musical instrument with three strings. It was inspired by the Chinese instrument called sanxian. A small tool called a bachi is used to play the shamisen.
Berimbau
The berimbau (Portuguese pronunciation: [beɾĩˈbaw], borrowed from the Kimbundu language as “mbirimbau”) is a traditional musical instrument from Angola. It is widely used in Brazil and is also called “sekitulege” by the Baganda and Busoga people. The instrument has a single string attached to a bow and a gourd, which acts as a hollow container to amplify sound.
Cavaquinho
The cavaquinho (pronounced [kɐvɐˈkiɲu] in Portuguese) is a small string instrument from Portugal. It belongs to the family of instruments similar to the guitar and has four strings made of wire or gut. A person who plays the cavaquinho is called a cavaquista.
Laud
– William Laud was born in 1573 and died in 1645. He served as the Archbishop of Canterbury. – Derek Laud was born in 1964.