The cymbal (pinyin: chǎ) is a Chinese percussion instrument, that is, a small cymbal. Also known as cymbals, hinges, etc. There are two common types of Chinese folk cymbals: brass cymbals and iron cymbals. Because the cymbal is an instrument with no fixed pitch, generally speaking, the sound of the small cymbal is the highest, followed by the middle cymbal, and the sound of the large cymbal is the lowest.
They are made of two circular copper plates (ranging in diameter from 15 cm to 69 cm) colliding with each other to make the sound. It is usually played together with gongs and drums to form a gong and drum team. Chinese cymbals also appear in Western music, but their size is usually less than 11 cm, such as finger cymbals.
When playing, the cymbal holding and playing techniques are the same as the cymbal, and the sound is crisp and bright. It is often used in Buddhist and Taoist music and entertainment and publicity activities. It is also an important rhythm instrument in Henan Opera, Peking Opera, Jin Opera, Tibetan Opera and other operas, Hebei blowing songs, Shifan gongs and drums, Fuzhou Pingyan, Fujian Nanyin, Chaozhou gongs and drums and other instrumental ensembles and dance accompaniment. In the band, it is often combined with gongs, cymbals, and drums to strike the board and eyes for the melody.
Generally, the most common is that the player holds a cymbal in each hand and strikes each other to make a sound. There are also single-pieces for playing: hitting the edge of the cymbal with a small hammer or chopsticks or a wooden stick can produce very different sound effects, and is used for folk bands and rap accompaniments. For example, Fuzhou Pinghua, which is popular in Fujian and Taiwan, is played with a single cymbal. The singer holds the cymbal in his right hand, puts a magnetic ring on his thumb, hits the edge of the cymbal to make a sound, and hits the cymbal with a stick or chopsticks in his left hand. to perform. The lotus leaf, a popular song in Sichuan, is also played with a single cymbal.