Music is universal across all civilisations, both ancient and modern, and stands as one of the great joys of life. Another joy is that many of the oldest songs and instruments can be played hundreds, ...

The Ruan, a traditional plucked string instrument of the Han Chinese, also known as the Ruan Xian or Ruan Qin, has a rich history and evolving identity. It was originally referred to as the Qin Pipa ...

On a summer night in August, 2,000 people filed into a concert hall in Hamburg, Germany, looking forward to a performance by a local jazz musician Joja Wendt. What they didn't expect, was to be blown ...

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an experience of the senses, an invitation to see, taste, and smell. But for me, more than anything else, the Festival is an auditory experience, with its ...

The growing presence of the guzheng reflects both cultural continuity and contemporary relevance. With a long history in ...

Plucked, like the Chinese zither, or bowed, like the erhu, stringed instruments have been played for hundreds of years in China This is the sixth in a series of articles about classical Chinese ...

It's amazing that such music could come from a single-stringed instrument. As Su Chunfa and his two granddaughters pluck duxianqins, a smooth rhythm spreads through Dongxing. A young woman plays a ...

Allison Hernandez is modest and soft spoken, but when she picks up the erhu, she slips into another world. With a slight smile on her face and closed eyes, she moves with the music, as she draws her ...