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Music instrument:Gambang by Genaeve(22) and Chin Shuen(15) What is a  Gambang?             -xylophone-like instrument   -with wooden/bamboo bars -bars are mounted in a deep wooden case that serves as a resonator                              -has 17 to 21 keys that are easily removed             Where does it originate from and when was it created?     -originated from Indonesia   -it is not known when it was created                                     -played among peoples of Indonesia and the southern Philippines                        How do you play it?                -you play it with a pair of long,thin mallets called tabuh.                             Where is it used?                    -it is used during death rites traditionally             

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Music instrument:Gambang by Genaeve(22) and Chin Shuen(15) What is a  Gambang?             -xylophone-like instrument   -with wooden/bamboo bars -bars are mounted in a deep wooden case that serves as a resonator                              -has 17 to 21 keys that are easily removed             Where does it originate from and when was it created?     -originated from Indonesia   -it is not known when it was created                                     -played among peoples of Indonesia and the southern Philippines                        How do you play it?                -you play it with a pair of long,thin mallets called tabuh.                             Where is it used?                    -it is used during death rites traditionally             

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What is a Guzheng?
-Guzheng is believed to be developed as a bamboo-tube zither as recorded in the Shuowen Jiezi, which was later redesigned and made from larger curved wooden boards and movable bridges.
-There are a variety of accounts for how the Guzheng came to be. An early Guzheng-like instrument is said to have been invented by Meng Tian a general of the Qin dynasty.

Origins
-The oldest specimen that was discovered held thirteen strings and was dated to around 500 BCE, possibly during the Warring States period (475-221 BCE). By the Tang dynasty(618-907 BCE) the Guzheng may have been the most commonly played instrument in China.

How to play this instrument?
-The Guzheng is played by picking or plucking the strings with the right hand, and pushing or pulling the strings with the left hand to change the pitch and create the vibrato.The Yaozhi tremolo technique involves rapidly picking a string inward and outward repeatedly.

-When is the instrument used?
-Guzheng became prominent during the Qin dynasty. By the Tang dynasty, the Guzheng may have been the most commonly played instrument in China.

-Interesting facts!
-The wood piece to the right of the strings can open!
Guzheng players usually store their tuners, fingerpicks, extra strings, extra bridges, extra fingerpick tapes, and basically anything that we would need in that compartment.
- They use turtle shells and ivory to make their fingerpicks!

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What is the biwa?

-A japanese instrument classified under necked bowl lutes and string instruments.

-It is also the chosen instrument of Benten, the goddess of music,eloquence,poetry and education in Japanese Buddhism.

-It has a water-drop-shaped body with a handle and usually has 4 strings, although some have 5 strings.

-It is generally 60 cm to 106 cm in length and is made from wood.

Where and when did it originate from?

-The biwa was evolved from the Chinese pipa and was said to have arrived in Japan from China during the Nara Period around 710-794 (the 7th century). Some even say that it traces back to Persia.

How do you play it?

-In Japan ,the biwa is generally plucked with a bachi instead of the fingers, and is often used to play gagaku.

-The first string is the thickest and the fourth string is the thinnest. The varying string thickness creates different timbres when strokes from different directions.

-Tuning is not fixed, resulting in tones and pitches fluctuating up and down entire steps or microtones.

-Biwa singers tend to sing with a flexible pitch, which is complemented by the biwa.

When was it used?

-Was/Is used as musical accompaniment when blind monks recite scriptural texts or The Tale of the Heike, which is a war chronicle from the Kamakura Era (1185-1333).

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What is a Komungo?
The Komungo, also called a Geomungo, is a six-stringed Korean ethnic instrument. The structure of a typical Komungo is about 150 cm long, with three movable bridges and 16 convex frets supporting six strings.  It belongs to the family of zither family of instruments.
Origins
The instrument originated from the 7th century from the kingdom of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three KIngdoms of Korea, although the instrument can be traced back to the 4th century. The Komungo was invented by prime minister Wang San-Ak by using the form of the ancient Chinese instrument guqin (a seven-string zither).

How to play it?
The Komungo is usually played while seated on the floor. It is played by plucking the strings with an short bamboo plectrum called a suldae which is held between the index and middle fingers of the right hand, while the left hand presses on the strings by either pulling or pushing to produce different pitches.
Where is it used?
The instrument is generally used in court ensemble music, first used during the Koryo Dynasty(918-1392). It is an essential instrument in many of the folk music and court music.
Other facts about the Komungo
It is also called a hyeongum (literal meaning, "black zither").
Komungo music

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Geomungo - Korean string instrument, Sunrise

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Joanny da Balony (7)and mAsTeR qUaCk Zexi(23)

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Joanny da Balony (7)and mAsTeR qUaCk Zexi(23)

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~Ghatam~
Introduction:The ghatam is one of the most ancient percussion instruments of India.Ghatams are mostly manufactured in Manamadurai, a place near Madurai in Tamil Nadu.Ghatams are also produced in other places , but the ones made by Manamadurai have special tonal quality. The pitch of the Ghatam is determined by its size. To have a even tone/ sound from the Ghatam, the walls of it must have the same thickness.
When the Ghatam was found and used: It was found during the 500 CE.
Meaning behind its name: This instrument is called Ghatam because of its appearance. ‘Ghata’ in Sanskrit (the county’s language) means pot.
Description:It is a clay pot(it really looks like an ordinary pot)with narrow mouth. It is made mainly of clay, backed with brass or copper filings with a small amount of iron filings.

How to play: Ghatams can be really heavy and difficult to play.It is played with the heel of the palms and the fingers, while held in the lap, the mouth facing the stomach of the musician . Only sometimes, the musician might face the mouth of the Ghatam to the audience. To play the instrument,use the fingers, thumbs, palms, and heels of the hands to strike its outer surface.  To vary the tone of the instrument, you must change the distance between the pot and your stomach .Different tones can also be produced by hitting areas of the pot by using different parts of the hands.However for the sounds or tone to be even, the thickness of the walls of the Ghatam must be even.

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Despacito - Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee [Ghatam Mix]

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Whats a Koto??

- Koto is an instrument that is 1.8m made from kiri wood .
-They have 13 strings that are usually strung over 13 movable bridges along the width of the instrument. There is also a 17 string variant.
-The person can adjust the string pitches by moving the white bridges before playing

How do you play it?

-To play the instrument, the strings are plucked using three finger picks.

Facts about the Koto

-Koto had an ''ancestor'', and that is the gu zheng that originated from China.
- The Koto was first introduced in Japan
-Fun fact!!! The koto is the national instrument of Japan.

What is a Koto used for generally?

-The instrument was originally used for court music. Thereafter, it came to be played by Buddhist monks, and eventually, reached the general populous.

- This is a video showing a Koto being played. You can enjoy the soothing music made by this piece of instrument.

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Kora byCherise(3) &Narelle(12)
The Kora typically has 12 strings which are played by pucking with the fingers, combines features of the lute and harp
The kora was developed in the 16th century.
The kora is designed like a bow with a gourd and the origins of the kora may be linked with Jali Mady Fouling Cissoko, some time after the founding of Kaabu in the 16th century.The Kora is found in all Mande cultures. It is played by the Mandinka in Gambia, Senegal and Guinea Bissau, the Malinke or Maninka in Guinée, the Bambara or Bamana in Mali and the Dioula in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
The Kora is taken vertically with the strings to the body, usually runs between the legs feel supported the body of the instrument. There are also two small sticks to hold the Kora with your fingers and touch the strings with just the index and thumb of each hand.
The kora most likely developed from similar Mande instruments
approximately 300 years ago
https://youtu.be/JNl8kIwj1_k

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*What is an Erhu?*
The Erhu is a unique two stringed instrument with no frets.
*Where did it originate from?*
It originated from China during the Tang Dynasty(618 to 907 AD)
*How is it played?*
The Erhu is played sitting down, with the sound box placed on top of the left thigh and the neck head vertically
*When can we use it?*
It can be used in group performances on occasions such as opera, banquet and funerals etc.
Other interesting points:
-It was used in Lee Seung-hwan in his song 'Request' in his sixth album. As shown below, it can be heard at about the 1:37 mark(it will play from there)
-Phyton skin was used to make the soundboxes of Erhu until it was banned.

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Lee Seung Hwan - Request (His Ballad II mix)

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Sitar by Jayden(34) Damien(32)&Yi Jie(25)

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Sitar by Jayden(34) Damien(32)&Yi Jie(25)

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sitar is a instrument that has strings originated from the India subcontinent.
The instrument was invented in medieval India and flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries and arrived at its present form in the 18th century India.
This instrument is pops for Bangladeshis and Pakistans.
It is normally 1.2m.It has a gourd shape resonance chamber and a long hollow neck.
In appearance the sitar is similar to the tampura,except that it has frets

https://youtu.be/hTPxqUtlLdo

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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the chinese paigu is a set of 3-7 tuned drums (normally 5) , traditionally made of wood with animal skin heads. it is played by hitting the heads (sometimes the body) with sticks. most are double sided and turnable. both sides have different tunings. the drums are normally painted red with decorative patterns. the paigu is considered a middle pitched instrument , together with the jingluo (opera gongs) and the jingbo (opera cymbals). in most chinese instrumental music , the percussion section serves to create an atmosphere or set the tempo for the orchestra to follow. in chinese opera , the percussion section is most responsible for the dramatic feel. it is capable of deepening an actor's character , complementing singing and pushing for a climax.
the four drums in the middle are the paigus.
skip to 2.33 in the video to hear the paigus

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The Gayageum or Kayagum is a traditional Korean Zither-like string instrument with 12 strings. However, there some instruments with 18 or 25 strings and is probably the best known traditional Korean musical instrument. The Kayagum is related to other Asian instruments, including the Chinese guzheng, Japanese koto and a few other instruments. When played, the sound varies between traditional
Eurasian stringed instruments and the Appalachian banjo.
There are two types of Kayagums. First, there is the beobguem Gayaguem. The beobguem Gayaguem is 160cm long by 30cm wide by 10cm deep. Its body is made of a single piece of paulownia wood. The resonator  chamber is hollowed out of the wood body and it is used in court music. Next, we have the sanjo Gayaguem. The sanjo gayaguem is about 142cm long by 23cm wide by 10cm deep. The soundboard is made of paulownia, but the sides and back are of a harder wood such as chestnut or walnut and it is used in folk music.

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~Yang qin originated from Shanghai region in the 17th century.
~In the past, it only had two bridge sets and three rows of strings, severely limiting the range of the instrument. However, following China's liberation, the yang qin was reformed into  the revolutionized yang qin that we know today.
~ It has since become a staple of chinese orchestra. It nows possesses four bridge sets. Each possess peaks and cavities to fit the strings resting on it. A single bridge may contain from seven to ten peaks.
~ Although classified as a plucked string instrument,  the Chinese yang qin is in a hammered dulcimer.
~ The instrument's strings are struck with two lightweight bamboo beaters. In the shape of a trapezium, the yang qin is stringed in groups; each group consists of four to five individual stringed that are tuned to the single same pitch. Long bridges with plastic, ivory or metallic tips are used to support the strings.
~ Some interesting facts about the yang qin:
- It is softer than other Chinese instruments, thus it is usually positioned at the front of the orchestra, in the row just in front of the conductor.
-It is also called the " Chinese piano" as it has an indispensable role in the accompaniment of Chinese string and wind instruments.

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【揚琴Yangqin】楊宗緯&張碧晨-涼涼-三生三世十里桃花

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A djembe is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes from the saying "Anke djé, anke bé" which translates to "everyone gather together in peace" and defines the drum's purpose. In the Bambara language, "djé" is the verb for "gather" and "bé" translates as "peace." The djembe can produce a wide variety of sounds, making it a most versatile drum. The drum is very loud, allowing it to be heard clearly as a solo instrument over a large percussion ensemble.
How to play a Djembe :
~Sitting up in your chair, hold the djembe between your legs, angled behind them and underneath your chair.
~The bass tone is played by hitting the center of the drum with your open hand
~Make a Tone sound
~Make a slap sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTnP0qlWdn8

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Shimedaiko by Yi Jing (14) & Min Woon (6) 

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Shimedaiko by Yi Jing (14) & Min Woon (6) 

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What are the features of the Shimedaiko?

shime-daiko (締め太鼓) is a small Japanese drum. It has a short but wide body with animal skin drumheads on both its top and bottom sides. The hide is first stretched on metal hoops, then stretched over the body.

What is the origin of the Shimedaiko?

Shimedaiko have a mythological origin in japanese folklore, but historical records suggest that taiko were introduced to japan through Korean and Chinese cultural influence.

What is the process of developing a Shimedaiko?

You would have to make and shape of the drum body (or shell), then prepare the drum skin, and tune the skin to the drumhead.

How to use it?

Like the larger taiko drums, the shimedaiko is played with sticks called "bachi," while it's suspended on a stand.

When was the Shimedaiko used?

It was used around the 15th century.

Where was it used?

Shime-daiko are used in various Japanese music ensembles, from nagauta, hayashi, takio, to folk music, or minyo ensembles.

Other fun facts

The word shimedaiko comes from a larger word tsukeshimedaiko (付締め太鼓) often shortened to simply, shimedaiko or shime. The prefix "tsukeshime" (付締め) incorporates the verbs tsukeru (付ける, to fasten, attach), and shimeru (締める, to fasten, tie); the compound connotes a tight, secure fastening.

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-The balafon is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone.
-It has been played in the region since the 1300s and originated in Mali according to the Manding history narrated by the griots.
-Balafon keys are traditionally made from béné wood, dried slowly over a low flame, and then tuned by shaving off bits of wood from the underside of the keys. Wood is taken off the middle to flatten the key or the end to sharpen it.
-The balafon is amplified by small gourds underneath the keys, with small layers of film covering holes to create a unique buzzing sound. Some people say it sounds like an electric keyboard! One hand typically plays the lower half, and the other hand plays the upper half.
Did you know? :

•The Balafon was played in the ancient Kingdom of Kongo in west central Africa 12th CE. The first Balafon, which is kept in Guinea, was constructed over 800 years ago!

•Meaning of balafon:
- Composed of two separate words put together
- Balan is the name of the instrument
- Fo is the verb "to play" in the Malinke language

•Other names for Balafon:
balafo, bala, balaphone, balaphon, balaphong, balani, gyil, balangi

Here, listen to this performance using a balafon.

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Balafon, Kora & Percussions Performance by Sila Fato: Kalliolle - Di Naa La Bay

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Shamisen by Nadia (21) and Jia Ying (22)

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Shamisen by Nadia (21) and Jia Ying (22)

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Description of the Shamisen
The Shamisen is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument, it is a plucked stringed instrument. Its construction follows a model similar Its construction follows a model similar to that of a guitar or a banjo, with a neck and strings stretched across a resonating body. The body, called the dō (胴), resembles a drum, having a hollow body that is covered front and back with skin. The skin used depends on the genre of music and the skill of the player. The neck of the shamisen is a singular rod that crosses the drum-like body of the instrument, partially protruding at the other side of the body and there acting as an anchor for the strings. The pegs used to wind the strings are long, thin and hexagonal in shape. They were traditionally fashioned out of ivory, but as it has become a rare resource, they have been recently fashioned out of other materials, such as various kinds of wood and plastic. The three strings are traditionally made of silk, or more recently, nylon. They are stretched between pegs at the head of the instrument, and a cloth tailpiece anchored at the end of the rod which protrudes on the other side of the body.
Origin of the Shamisen
The Japanese shamisen originated from the Chinese instrument sanxian (Chinese: 三弦). The sanxian was introduced through the Ryūkyū Kingdom (Okinawa) in the 16th century, where it developed into the Okinawan instrument sanshin (三線) from which the shamisen ultimately derives.
Process of development of the Shamisen
A Tokyo Shamisen is comprised of three major components. These are joined together by tenon and mortise joints.
Ayasugibori (the carving of wavy resonance patterns) occurs after the instrument’s stop has been cut. The backside of the wood used to make the body of the instrument is chiselled away. A namazori (spear-shaped chisel) is then used to further shave down the back side of these pieces. Using yet another chisel carefully creates the distinctive ayasugi patterns. During this process, extreme care is taken in order to prevent even a single error occurring.
After the four pieces that will make the body of the instrument have undergone ayasugibori, they are joined together using nikawa glue. Being created from hardwood and fashioned in ellipse shapes, these pieces are affixed together using only glue with no metal fittings. Thus, the glued contact surfaces of the pieces must be precise.
The skin stretched to cover the instrument’s sound hole is especially prepared. To moisten the skin, it is wrapped in a damp cloth that has been thoroughly wrung out in advance to remove excess water. Special clips called kisen are then used to mount the skin on a stretching device called a haridai. Chords are then slowly tightened to stretch the skin over the sound hole.
How to play with a bachi (picks for stringed instruments)
Hit down the bachi straightly and vertically to the edge of the shamisen body. First, play with the third (bottom three) string. Move your bachi vertically to the surface of your shamisen, from your first holding position. Secondly, play with the second string. Swing the point of your bachi up to the second string and drop it vertically to the surface of your shamisen. Lastly, play with the first string. Shift the point of your bachi up to the first (top of three) string and swing it.
How to press tsubo (the strings)
For most of the time, use the index finger, the middle finger and the forth finger to press tsubo points (equivalent to pitches). The thinnest third string is pressed with your nail. For the other two strings, be careful not to use nail due to the sound in result is not desirable. Wehm you hold your shamisen’s neck, the bottom of your thumb is placed on a curb on the back side of your shamisen neck.
Where it is used
It was first used by street singers and geishas (Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song) and considered a lower class instrument. Now, its use spreads from classical solo, chamber or concert instrument to folk music and to contemporary versions of some kind of improvised jazz music. The shamisen plays a major role in Japanese theatre – the very special Japanese form of puppet theatre. In a bunkaru play, the shamisen player has to accompany the narrator, the man who tells the story. The shamisen is often used in an ensemble with two other Japanese instruments – the bamboo flute (shakuhachi) and the koto – a flat floor 13 string instrument. This three instrument ensemble is called sankyoku.
Interesting facts about the Shamisen
It can be called the Shamisen, Samisen or Sangen.
Its resonating body used to be square and traditionally covered with snake skin. Since Japan struggled to obtain this specific material, it was quickly replaced by dog or cat skin, and now plastic.
Video

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Shamisen Girls Ki&Ki - Tsugaru Jongara Bushi

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What is a kalimba: the mbria ( also known as the kalimba , pronounced as m-BEER-ra) is an African musical instrument , traditional to the Shona people of  Zimbabwe. It consits of a wooden board ( often fitted with a resonater) with attached staggered metal tines.
Kalimba's origin: Africa. The kalimba, family of lamellophones , is a musical instrument from Africa. Its appearance is very old, it seems to date from 1000BC. This would involve models with bamboo reeds
How the kalimba is made: The basic kalimba is a modern mbira with a soundbox with metal keys or tongues attached on the top. The keys or tongues are sometimes made from cane. The soundbox is kyatt wood ( an African hardwood ) , with keys or tongues made out of European spring steel.
How the instrument is used:The kalimba is played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with thumbs ,the right forefinger , amd sometimes the left forefinger.
When the instrument was used: The kalimba used to accompany singing and dancing at religious ceremonies,  weddings and social gatherings throughout all of Africa.
To listen to how a kalimba sounds like, watch the video below:
https://youtu.be/a-EtES9sQgo

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~ A tabla consists of two drums, both single headed and are played while sitting on the floor. It is small and shaped like a barrel but one smaller than the other.
~ The tabla originated from India, Pakistan. It was created only from 1745, and it continued to shape until the early 1800s.
~ The tabla consists of two sets of drums. The larger drum is called a Bayan, which was originally made from clay, but is now constructed of metal like bras, steel, or copper. It is the bass drum of the set, but there is a tremendous range of expression possible by using certain techniques used by a skilled drummer.
The right-hand drum is called the Dayan, and is made of a seasoned hard wood and hollowed out like the Bayan.
Both drums have two layers of goatskin stretched over it as a drum head. The top layer is cut in a circle around the rim, and the bottom layer stretches across the entire drum.  There are goatskin straps to hold the drum heads in place at a very high tension and there are also tuning blocks on the sides of the drums to control its pitch.
Watch to see how the tabla is made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQnW7_5OMxw
~ The Dayan is tuned to a lower pitch like a vocalist, while the Bayan is not tuned to a specific pitch, but to one that can be modulated easily to imitate the intricate drum language. Both drums are played with the fingers and sometimes the palm.
~ The tabla is mostly used in North Indian music, traditional, classical and folk music.
~ The most unique aspect of tabla is the mixture of an iron and rice paste that is placed in a circle on top of the drum head. That black paste is called the Shyahi and, once it is dried, it allows for sound possibilities that are not found on any other drum in the world.

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Clean Bandit   Rockabye ft  Sean Paul & Anne Marie~ Tabla & Bongo cover by Shifar Abdoelaziz

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This my draft about the Sitar. This my draft about the Sitar.

This my draft about the Sitar. This my draft about the Sitar.

This my draft about the Sitar. This my draft about the Sitar.

This my draft about the Sitar. This my draft about the Sitar.

This my draft about the Sitar. This my draft about the Sitar.

This my draft about the Sitar. This my draft about the Sitar.

This my draft about the Sitar. This my draft about the Sitar.