Knowledge about Xun

An ancient wind instrument made of clay, round or oval in shape, with six holes. Also known as "Taoxun". Pottery is the most common, but there are also stone and bone ones. Xun, 厣xūn (phonetic. From soil, smoked sound. Original meaning: an ancient wind instrument made of clay, as big as a goose egg, with six holes and a mouthpiece at the top. Also called "pottery Xun") with the same original meaning [an egg -shaped, holed wind instrument]. There are also vessels and musical instruments made of stone, bone, and ivory. It is made of soil and has six holes. ——"Shuowen". The character is also called Xun. Xun Xiao Guan. ——"Zhou Li·Xiaoshi". Note: "As big as a wild goose egg." ——"Book of Rites·Yue Ling" The Bo family plays the flute, and the Zhong family plays the chi. ——"Poetry·Xiaoya·He Rensi" Like a baby. ——"Poetry·Daya·Ban". Note: "The sound is flat and harmonious with the chi." It is also the sound of ritual and music. ——"Bai Hu Tong" There are six holes, one on the top, three on the front and two on the back. ——"New Set of Three Rituals·Tou Hu Tu·Xun" Another example: Xun Chi (Xun is an earthen instrument, Chi is a bamboo instrument, the sound of the Xun Chi ensemble is harmonious. It was later used to express brotherly harmony, and also refers to brothers) Xun (噙) xūnㄒㄩㄣˉ Zheng code: BJLO, U: 57D9, GBK: DBF7 Number of strokes: 10, radical: soil, stroke order number: 1212512534 [Edit this paragraph] History of Xun Xun is a unique closed-mouthed performance in our country Musical instruments occupy an important position in the history of primitive art in the world. The origin of Xun is related to the labor and production activities of ancestors. It may have been made by ancestors by imitating the sounds of birds and animals to trap prey. Later, with the progress of society, it evolved into a simple musical instrument, and gradually added sound holes, and developed into a melody instrument that can play tunes. Xun utensils in primitive society came in various shapes. For example, the pottery Xun excavated at the Hemudu site in Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province was oval in shape, with only blowing holes and no sound holes. It dates back about 7,000 years. The pottery whistle at the Yangshao Cultural Site in Banpo Village, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province is slightly shaped like an olive and has only one blow hole. It is made of fine clay and is one of the original forms of Xun. It dates back about 6,000 years. Xuns in the Shang Dynasty have developed greatly compared with the primitive period and the Xia Dynasty. They are made of pottery, stone and bone. Pottery is the most common, and the shape is mostly flat-bottomed and oval. During the Warring States Period, pottery xuns were also flat-bottomed and oval, but there were also other shapes. After the Qin and Han Dynasties, Xun was mainly used in the court music of past dynasties in the history of Chinese music. In court music, Xun was divided into two types: Song Xun and Ya Xun. Songxun is smaller in shape, like an egg, and has a slightly higher sound; Yaxun is larger in shape and has a deep and deep sound. It is often played with a wind instrument made of bamboo. In the Book of Songs, China's earliest collection of poems, there is a sentence such as "Bo's blows the xun, Zhong's blows the chi", which means that two brothers, one blows the xun and the other blows the chi, expressing the brotherhood of harmony and goodwill. Some special-shaped pottery or porcelain xuns are occasionally found in archaeological excavations and xuns handed down from ancient times. The Palace Museum and the Music Research Institute of the China Academy of Arts have a red lacquered Yunlong Xun used by the Qing Dynasty court. It is 8.5 centimeters high and 7 centimeters in diameter. The Xun body has six sound holes: four in the front and two in the back. It is painted in red and depicts golden dragons and cloud patterns. The nine-hole pottery xun improved and developed by modern people is based on the ancient six-hole xun, and then expands its shoulders and inner tube to increase the volume. The sound holes are increased to eight: six in the front and two in the back, plus blowing holes, *** It is nine holes. In order to facilitate fingering performance and minimize the complicated cross fingering method, the sound holes are arranged in a sequence similar to that of a flute. Professional players can play twenty-six notes, including all semitones and one overtone in two octaves. Professor Cao Zheng of the China Conservatory of Music has been making antique pottery xuns since the late 1930s. Later, Professor Chen Zhong of Tianjin Conservatory of Music designed a new type of nine-hole pottery Xun based on the ancient pear-shaped six-hole Xun, which was made of purple pottery from Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. This kind of nine-hole xun not only maintains the original shape and timbre of the traditional xun, but also increases the volume and expands the range of the sound. It can play scales and semitones, making it an instrument that can be modulated. The timbre is simple, mellow, deep and solemn, and extremely Rich in character. In addition, because the nine-hole xun has changed the original irregular sound hole arrangement, it makes it more convenient to play according to modern people's playing habits and can be used solo, in ensemble or with accompaniment. The emergence of the nine-hole pottery Xun marks that ancient Chinese Xun has regained its vitality. Soon after, another student of Professor Chen Zhong, Zhao Liangshan of the Hubei Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, developed a ten-hole xun out of mahogany, which solved the problem of the xun being difficult to play high notes. [Edit this paragraph] Development of Xun: Zimu Xun Xun has also been unearthed in Shanxi, Gansu, Henan, Shandong and other places in my country. Judging from the unearthed cultural relics, Xun has gone through a long period of time. About four to five thousand years ago, Xun developed from one sound hole to two sound holes and could blow three tones. After entering the slave society, the Xun has been further developed. A few years ago, the Xun from the late patriarchal society to the early slave society was unearthed in Huoshaogou, Yumen, Gansu Province. It has three sound holes and can blow four tones. By the late Shang Dynasty, more than 1,000 BC, Xun had developed to have five sound holes and could play six tones. By the Spring and Autumn Period more than 700 BC, Xun had six sound holes and could play a complete pentatonic and heptatonic scale. It took more than 3,000 years for Xun to develop from one sound hole to six sound holes. [Edit this paragraph] Types of Xun There are many types of Xun. In addition to the traditional oval Xun, there are also many types such as gourd Xun, holding Xun, Yuanyang Xun, and Zimu Xun. The traditional Xun is mostly oval, but now there are many kinds such as gourd Xun, holding Xun, Yuanyang Xun, Zimu Xun, etc., with beautiful styles and fine craftsmanship.

1. Gourd Xun: It has a throat device and looks like a gourd. It requires a second tire making process and the process is complicated. This kind of xun is thinnest near the waist. When the airflow passes through this place, it can cause the edge sound effect again, so that the range of the high-pitched area of ??the xun can be appropriately expanded. Because the xun body is lengthened, it is more convenient and labor-saving to play, and the tone is softer than the traditional oval xun. The characteristics of the ten-hole gourd xun: a. The range above the fundamental note (counted from the full flat blow) is expanded by a minor third; but the down blow part below the fundamental note is reduced by a third; b. It is more labor-saving when playing the high range; c. Due to With a throat device, the tone in the bass range is affected. 2. Holding the xun: holding the xun when playing, using ten fingers and the base of the thumb to control the sound hole. 3. Yuanyang Xun: refers to two conjoined Xuns with different pitches, opposite directions and connected bases. This kind of xun has a blowing hole at each end, and the sound holes of the upper and lower xuns are exactly the same as those of ordinary xuns. When playing, you can switch quickly as needed. Characteristics of Yuanyangxun: Rich timbre and widened range. However, the shape is not beautiful (compared to the original Xun shape), and it is not very convenient to switch between Yuan Xun and Yang Xun when playing. The bull-head-shaped Xun is more convenient. Moreover, the sound quality changes greatly, so the timbre is not uniform. 4. Zimu Xun: refers to two conjoined Xuns of different sizes, consistent directions, and connected left and right. The interval relationship between the big Xun and the small Xun is generally a pure fifth. For example: the big Xun is G and the small Xun is d. You can also combine them as needed. 5. Niutou Xun: Based on the improvement of Ningxia Hui instruments, it has 10 holes, and the range is from bass 5 to treble 2. It has a sound insulation board inside. The sound is mellow and thick, and the high notes are easy to play. The disadvantage is that the holes are slightly larger and the range is not easy to expand. 6. Bullet Xun: The latest patented product of Feng's Tao Xun. The interior is made of a double-cavity structure imitating a gourd Xun. It can be mastered by beginners at will, and the high notes are easy to blow. The disadvantage is that it is not easy to blow in a downward direction. 7. Lady Xun: Konggu Musical Instruments designed the Xun with the image of ancient ladies as its theme. The Xun is mostly made of Nixing pottery, one of the four famous pottery in China. The unglazed kiln is the unique one, showing the grace and elegance. When the leaves fall, with the sad and melancholy ancient Xun music, the lead is washed away, you recall the distant dream, and turn around in the beautiful and melancholy historical picture of thousands of years. In the drinking room, the skirts of the ladies with hairpins are graceful, dancing and singing... … Most of the ladies’ xuns currently on the market are calabash xuns, ox-head xuns, bullet-head xuns and oval-shaped xuns. Other Xuns are rare. The so-called difference between craft xun and performance xun is that xun is originally a musical instrument, but most of the craft xuns sold in the tourist market are craft xuns that cannot be played. Craft xuns are generally traditional pear-shaped, with 8 holes, without standard tuning, are cheap, and have varying levels of carving. Not uniform; the musical instrument Xun is usually finely made, with the name of the maker or tuner, and the mode is marked on the Xun. [Edit this paragraph] Historical data of Xun In ancient times, Xun had many shapes, including pear-shaped, fish-shaped, spherical, pen-tube-shaped, etc. The materials for making Xun include pottery, stone, jade, wood, ivory, etc. Later, most of them were made of pottery. . Ancient Chinese books have detailed records of the shape, size, name, etc. of Xun. "Shiben" says: "Baoxin Gong made Xun", and another theory is that it was made by the people of Emperor Ku's time (Pangjiachui). "Du Shi Tong Principles" said: "There is a violent country in Zhou Ji, how can we enter at this time?" These statements are not credible. Er Ya's note: "The big one is like a goose, with a sharp top and a flat bottom, and it is shaped like a weight with six holes. The small one is like a chicken." Nie's Three-Body Diagram says: "There are six holes, one at the top, three at the front, and two at the back." "Old Tang Book Music Records" also said: "Xun, the sound of the beginning of autumn, everything is yellow, and the earth is made of it...". "Shi Xiaoya" He Rensi said: "The Bo family played the xun, and the Zhong family played the chi". This is a form of musical instrument combination that the ancients have explored for a long time. Later generations often use it as the name of brotherly harmony. "Ancient Poetry" says: "Heaven lures the people like a Xun or a chi". It means that God induces the people to be harmonious like Xunchi. Spring and Autumn Period In the Spring and Autumn Period, harmony as beauty was once an important musical aesthetic concept. "Xun sings and the harmony is harmonious" is a concentrated reflection of the Confucian philosophy of "harmony is precious" in music. Harmony refers to the soothing and peaceful content, which is helpful for education, reflects the musical aesthetic view of the time, and is the harmony of sounds. The musical function of Xun in this aspect is remarkable. The ancients said: "Xun has the virtue of governing the future, and the sage is noble; therefore, he borrowed money from ordinary people and borrowed fortune." Xun is a kind of alto wind instrument, because its timbre is simple and mellow. Compared with the high-frequency tones that the ancients used to speak, it is particularly soft and smooth. Therefore, Xun was particularly respected by the ancients. Important musical instruments in ancient times Xun is one of the important musical instruments in ancient my country. More than 3,000 years ago, ancient my country classified musical instruments into eight types based on different manufacturing materials: gold, stone, earth, leather, silk, bamboo, gourd and wood, which are called eight tones. Among the eight tones, Xun dominates the local tone. It plays the role of filling in the midrange and harmonizing the high and low sounds in the entire ancient band. The ancients said: "The five tones are correct, the six rhythms are adjusted, the hardness and softness are sure to hit the target, and the lost ones are captured lightly. The gold and stone are treated with the same respect, and the sheng pole is opened to start the criticism." Think of Xun as having the same status as bells and chimes. [Edit this paragraph] Xun's playing techniques can be divided into two categories: air blowing and tongue blowing, which together with fingering techniques constitute its playing skills 1. Air blowing techniques. The air blowing techniques of Xun include long tone and air vibration. Sounds, lip vibrations, etc. Among them, long sounds are the basis of xun playing skills. They must be full and round, loud and smooth without noise. The common techniques of Xun can be summarized into three categories: air, finger and tongue: including long sound, air tremolo, finger tremolo, labial tremolo, vibrato, glide, articulation, beat, empty beat, and cycle change. There are many kinds of breathing, double exhalation, circulation ventilation, virtual blowing sound, etc. These skills are necessary when playing Xun.

In Xun playing skills, long notes are the basis of Xun breath training. By practicing long notes, you can master the correct breathing method, develop a good playing embouchure, and achieve smooth, full, and pure pronunciation. Therefore, you must practice for a certain period of time every day. During practice, you can combine the strength and intensity at the same time. The tone must be full and round, loud, steady and without noise. Air tremolo, also called "abdominal tremolo", is produced by the tremor of airflow caused by the force of abdominal contraction. Air tremolos can be divided into large, small, fast and slow, which should be determined according to the needs of the music content in actual performance. For example, singing melodies should use even and free air tremolo, while passionate and sad melodies should use exaggerated air tremolo. Air tremolo can be used flexibly while ensuring pitch, and is required to be even and smooth. Labial tremolo is a special undulating sound produced by using both hands to drive the xun body and causing the damper and blowhole to move back and forth quickly. When the Xun body moves backward, the blowing hole becomes smaller and the sound becomes lower; when the Xun body moves forward, the blowing hole becomes larger and the sound becomes higher. This playing technique is often used to express magical and ethereal artistic conceptions. 2. Tongue playing skills: Tongue playing is a common playing skill of Xun. It is suitable for playing warm, cheerful, exciting and lively tunes. The sound is required to be strong, clean and elastic, and the rhythm should be even and steady. Tuyin is a common Xun performance technique. Suitable for playing warm, cheerful, exciting and lively tunes. There are many types of articulation: single articulation (including single external articulation and single inner articulation), double articulation, light articulation, air air articulation, lip articulation, etc. For single outward spitting (marked T), while maintaining the correct shape of the blowing mouth, the tongue naturally moves upward and slightly touches the inner edge of the lip. When exhaling, it quickly retracts, causing the airflow to rush into the mouthpiece to produce a short and powerful sound, similar to the sound of "vomiting". In the single-inward exhalation (marked K), on the basis of maintaining the correct mouth shape, the base of the tongue is retracted to block the upper palate. When exhaling, the base of the tongue is quickly forwarded, causing the airflow to rush into the mouthpiece and making a short and powerful sound, similar to "Ku" "sound. Double spitting is a combination of single internal spitting and single external spitting. The speed is twice as fast as single spitting. Its sound is similar to "Tuku" or "Kutu", which is suitable for playing cheerful and exciting tunes. Tonguing requires the sound to be strong, clean, and elastic, and the rhythm to be even and steady. There is no essential difference between light vomiting and commonly used voicing. It is just that the range of tongue movement is short and small, the voicing intensity is weakened, and the sound is light and soft. It is similar to the "Zu" sound, like the gentle bow of a string instrument, and is suitable for expressing fast and lyrical music. . Breathing out relies on the sudden contraction of abdominal strength, coupled with the strong upward support of the diaphragm, causing the airflow to rush into the blowhole in a short and powerful manner to produce sound. Similar to the "hu" sound, the breath sound is thick and round, but due to the slow speed of the breath, it is not widely used and is only used occasionally in special circumstances. Lip thrust relies on the strength of the upper and lower labial muscles. At the moment when the upper and lower lips consciously open and close, the momentum of the airflow in the abdomen is used to input the airflow into the blow hole to produce sounds. Similar to the "plop" sound, the lip pronunciation is soft and is only suitable for use at the onset of weak passages or in special circumstances. Hua Tongue means the tongue is too loud. The tip of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth slightly. When the exhalation hits the tip of the tongue, the tip of the tongue vibrates continuously and rapidly, making a "beep, beep" sound. The tongue tone is like the fingers of plucked music and is only used when there is a special need. 3 Finger Playing Techniques: Vibrato: Use your fingers to quickly open and close the sound hole to create a wave effect in the sound. The most commonly used vibratos include major and minor second, third and fourth vibrato, which can be used flexibly according to the characteristics and styles of different works. Vibrato exercise is the most important component of finger movement skills, and the fingers are required to be flexible and elastic during practice. Portamento: A commonly used playing technique of the xun, it is mostly used in humorous, humorous, deep and sad music. This technique greatly enriches the expressive power of the xun. Portamento is divided into three types: upward portamento, sliding portamento and round portamento. 1. Upward portamento: After playing the original note, the finger slides upward without leaving any trace to the second note (higher than the original note), and at the same time, the exhalation intensity increases accordingly. 2. Slide tone: After playing the original note, the fingers slide down without leaving any trace to the second note (lower than the original note), and at the same time, the exhalation force weakens accordingly. 3. Glissant: After playing the first note, slide your finger upward or downward without leaving any trace to the second note and then return to the original position. At the same time, you can press the downslide and upslide with the force of your exhalation. Round glide, also called compound glide, is a combination of up and down glides. Portamento requires a round and clean timbre and accurate rhythm. The beginning of each portamento should be played with light breath; in addition, do not be nervous when sliding your fingers and keep it in a natural state. The sound should be soft and smooth, without leaving any trace. Bonus tone is generally used as a short decorative sound at the end of a musical phrase and before the end of the main note. It is also called a complimentary tone. The gift sound is a kind of decorative sound, which hardly occupies the duration of the original sound. It is audible but not obvious. It should be played short, light and fast, and the ventilation should be timely and accurate. The overdubbed tone is to make short overlapping fills on the second, third, fourth, etc. above the original tone and descend to the original tone. When playing overlapping tones, the fingers should be opened and closed quickly, and all the movements of the passing tones should be made, but no obvious decorative sounds should be played. The main part should be the main part, with only traces of the passing tones. There are different lengths of overlapping sounds, and they should be applied flexibly according to works of different styles and characteristics. To play the sound, use your fingers to hit the sound hole or the sound hole below the sound hole, so that the sound hole produces separate sounds, which is called playing the sound. Beating is also a common Xun performance technique. Properly used, it can add color and beauty to the music. When practicing, you must exercise the speed and strength of your fingers. You must not hesitate when using your lower fingers. You must play with strong strength. You must distinguish equal notes. The phrases must be coherent and the notes must be clear. The combination of Qi and fingers should be clean and neat. When the beat tone and vibrato overlap, the beat tone sounds first, followed by the vibrato, and it sounds like they occur at the same time.

Remember: the connection must be tight and the cooperation must be tacit. To play the sound in an empty way, use your fingers to play the sound hole, so that the sound emitted from the cavity of the xun body is called the sound of empty playing. When playing hollow tone, you don't need to blow. Instead, open the sound hole and play the sound hole that best sounds. The pitch is adjusted by hearing and using the lips to control the angle of the blow hole. Air tapping requires the fingers to have strength and elasticity, as well as accurate pronunciation, and is suitable for playing profound and implicit melodies and imitating some special sound effects in nature. 4. Tips for playing high notes on the xun: When blowing the high notes, the xun should be arched upwards, strengthen the mouth, and reduce the wind. Then you can easily blow the high notes. The inability to hit high notes may be due to incorrect playing methods or irregularities in the instrument itself, making it impossible to hit high notes. [Edit this paragraph] Yu Lianjun, Lu Ji, Cao Zheng, Chen Chong, Wang Qishu, Zhang Ronghua, Lu Jinshan, Zhao Liangshan, Liu Kuanren, Du Ciwen, Tuo Huaxian, Zhang Weiliang, Wang Shengxiang, Dai Ya, Gao Ming, Liu Fengshan , Wang Hongtao, Zeng Gege, Zhang Bin, Fan Rui, Chen Shuangjiu, Wang Houchen. [Edit this paragraph] Xun fingering: Bass 5 or alto 1 is more commonly used. The picture below shows the cross fingering of the ten-hole xun. This fingering is suitable for Xun brands such as Konggu, Fengshi, and Yinshi.

The fingering when the ten-hole xun is pressed all the way to 5 [1] One of the more common fingerings (the fingering when the ten-hole xun is pressed all the way to 5), the range at this time is from bass 5 to treble 2 (excluding blowing down) The fingering when the ten-hole xun is pressed all the way to 1 is relatively The second common fingering method (the fingering method of pressing all the way to 1), the range at this time is from alto 1 to treble 5 (excluding pitch blowing)