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How did the eight sounds system classify Chinese musical instruments?
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Chinese music
Twelve pitches of Chinese music as produced by overblowing the lü, bamboo tuning pipes (starting for ease of comparison from Western C).
The ancient Chinese system known as the eight sounds (ba yin) classified musical instruments based on the primary material used in their construction. Established during the Western Zhou dynasty, this system categorized instruments into the following eight groups:12
- Stone: Includes stone chimes.1
- Earth: Includes vessel flutes made of pottery.1
- Bamboo: Includes various tubular flutes.1
- Metal: Includes bronze bells (zhong) and bronze drums.1
- Skin: Includes drums.1
- Silk: Includes stringed instruments, which traditionally used twisted silk strings rather than gut or metal.1
- Wood: Includes percussive clappers and the yu, a tiger-shaped instrument.1
- Gourd: Reserved for the sheng mouth organ, which utilizes a gourd or wooden wind chest.1
This classification reflects the historical importance of material composition in organizing the instruments used in imperial orchestras.1