Chinese Drums As An Example Of Ancient Drumming Culture

by Jeff on March 31, 2010

Drums have always been an important part of Chinese culture. The first drums appeared in this country about 6 thousand years ago during the Shang Dynasty period. Those ancient drums were made of clay and alligator skin. And since those early times China has a great and proud tradition of drumming along with using other types of percussion instruments.

Modern Chinese drums are a lot different from their ancestors of the Shang Dynasty era. They have been included into a large number of social activities like religion, farming, military purposes and entertaining purposes.

Chinese people have always paid great attention to colors. Red was associated with luck, power and some other things like this. That is why red drums have served as symbols of power of armies and rulers. Red drums are still being used in wedding ceremonies and some other rituals.

China is thought to be the motherland of Korean and Japanese drums as well. Most people have heard of famous Japanese drums named taiko. Researchers think these drums have arrived to Japan from China. The Korean galgo drum and the Japanese kakko drum are thought to be descended from the ancient Chinese drums. The Chinese analogue of these drums does not exist anymore. But these Korean and Japanese drums are still heard in both countries.

Nowadays drums are being widely used for various performances and ceremonies. Most people still remember Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony where a large number of perfectly synchronized drummers gave an amazing performance. That performance clearly showed how important drums are in modern Chinese culture.

Most modern Chinese orchestras could not be imagined without drums. A well-known Chinese percussion instrument is a paigu which includes 7 small drums. This instrument is usually present in professional music bands. A great number of other percussion instruments could also be seen and heard around the country.

Another possibility to hear traditional Chinese drums is at a lion dance. This is a type of traditional dance when the dancers are dressed like lions and try to show the animal’s movements and spirit. Drum music is an important part of the performance. This dance has some associations with the art of kung fu. That is why drums are also widely used for martial performances as well. The drum music at these performances is highly powerful and it shows the spirit of Chinese culture and Chinese people in some way.

Drums could be found in any culture all over the world. It is impossible to say where they originated. Chine is known for a long drumming history and that is why we talked about Chinese drums in this article. However, other cultures also have their own types of drums and you will find it highly interesting learning about their peculiarities as well.

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