The term ''guban'' () refers collectively to a small
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...
and ''
paiban
The ''paiban'' () is a Clapper (musical instrument), clapper made from several flat pieces of hardwood or bamboo (or, formerly, sometimes also ivory or metal), which is used in many different forms of Chinese music.''Comprehensive Introduction t ...
'' (
clapper), which are played simultaneously, by a single player, in traditional Chinese music.
The drum, which may be a
bangu or some other type of drum with a high-pitched head of small diameter, is played with a stick that is held in one hand, and the clapper, which is called ''
pāibǎn'' (拍板), ''bǎn'' (板), ''tánbǎn'' (檀板, literally "sandalwood clapper"), ''mùbǎn'' (木板), or ''shūbǎn'' (书板), is played by the other hand. The clapper consists of two flat pieces of
hardwood
Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...
(either ''zitan'', ''hongmu'', or ''hualimu''
rosewood
Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...
) or
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
that are tied loosely together on one end. It is held vertically by one hand and clapped together, producing a sharp clacking sound. Somewhat confusingly, the clapper is sometimes also referred to, without the drum, as ''guban''.
The ''guban'' is used to accompany some genres of ''
shuochang'' (Chinese story-singing), as well as in
Beijing opera
Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became ...
, ''
kunqu
Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu (region), Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate ...
'', and
Yue opera. It is also used in instrumental music, such as ''
Jiangnan sizhu
''Jiangnan sizhu'' () is a style of traditional Chinese instrumental music from the Jiangnan region of China.
Name
The name ''Jiangnan sizhu'' ( zh, t=江南絲竹, s=江南丝竹, p=Jiāngnán sīzhú) is made up of two parts. ''Jiangnan'' is t ...
'', Chaozhou instrumental music, Sunan chuida (苏南吹打), ''
nanguan'', ''shifan luogu'' (十番锣鼓), and Shanxi batao (山西八套).
See also
*
Bamboo clapper
*
Whip (instrument)
External links
''Guban'' photo
Chinese musical instruments
Concussion idiophones
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