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Joanne Yau

This is the fifth in a series of articles about classical Chinese instruments and the traditional Chinese music orchestra, in which we explore how musicians play the eight different types of instrument, and their history.
The drum is one of the things early humans all had in common, whether they were in Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt or China 5,000 years ago.
A collection of clay drums at the National Museum of China dates back to the Majiayao culture (circa 3800BC-2000BC) that was based in what is now Gansu province in northwest China.
These instruments would have had membranes – also called drum skins or drumheads – made from animal hides; sounds were produced by striking their surfaces.


According to the Book of Rites, or Liji, which is more than 2,000 years old, drums were ceremonial music instruments that it was thought could speak to the gods when struck, presumably because their sound could be heard several kilometres away.
They are also believed to have been beaten during hunts to drive animals out of hiding.

Today drums are used to accompany lion dance and dragon dance performances at Lunar New Year and in blessing ceremonies of new business venues, and feature in the percussion section of the modern Chinese orchestra.
According to the eight traditional material categories of Chinese music instruments (ba yin), the drum is the most common of the instruments belonging to the ge, or animal skin, category.
There are two types of drums commonly seen on the concert stage.

1. Tanggu
The tanggu is a barrel-shaped drum made of wood and comes in a variety of sizes and pitches. Dating back to the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535 AD), tanggu means “ceremonial hall drum” in Chinese. It is also used in Buddhist and Taoist religious ceremonies and in Confucian rites.
It is usually made of cowhide that is stretched over both ends of a wooden barrel and held in place by bronze tacks.
The tanggu drums most often used by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra range in size from 0.8 metres (31 inches) to 1.5 metres in diameter; the largest one has a diameter of 3.4 metres.
Smaller drums are placed on a low stand and the player strikes the drum’s top membrane with two drumsticks from either a standing or seated position. Larger ones have rings that allow them to be suspended from a frame and are hit from the side. The smaller the tanggu is, the more high-pitched the sound it produces.


2. Bangu
The bangu, or Chinese frame drum, is known for the piercing, high-pitched sound it produces. It is commonly used to set rhythm in Chinese opera and also features in chamber music ensembles.
This drum is much smaller and flatter than the tanggu, being some 25cm in diameter and 10cm deep. It is made of cowhide that is stretched tightly over wooden slats and secured with tacks, and there is only one playing membrane.
The drum is usually on a stand and the drummer, who is seated, strikes it with one or two bamboo sticks. Depending on where the drum skin is struck, sounds of several pitches can be produced.

Besides these two types of drum, others are used in China such as the 1,000-year-old yaogu (waist drum), with a membrane made of cowhide, that features in a famous dance in Shaanxi province.
Chinese drums are believed to have served as the model for the Korean janggu, an hourglass-shaped drum with two drumheads which is said to have been imported from China during the Song dynasty (960-1279) and was used in court music and folk music.
Japan has the kakko drum, introduced to Japan from China in the 7th century, which is struck by a kneeling drummer.


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Hong Kong Paralympian Daniel Chan plays the tanggu, a barrel-shaped drum made of wood, on stage in a workshop at Tsuen Wan Town Hall. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra member Wang Kaihan sits with her pipa. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra member Song Hui with her erhu, a two-stringed bowed instrument. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra percussion principal Luk Kin-bun with a drum. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra dizi virtuoso Wu Chih-ting with a xun, an ancient wind instrument. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra member and erhu virtuoso Song Hui with her instrument. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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The bianqing is a common sight when Chinese instrument orchestras perform. Photo: Sina

Some bianqing have stones carved with decorations, like this qing from the Shang dynasty. Photo: National Museum of China

Both the barrel-shaped tanggu, which can be more than 3 metres wide, and the much smaller frame drum are found on the Chinese concert stage


The Chinese drum, once thought to be an instrument that could speak to the gods, has been around for thousands of years in various forms. Two kinds are seen on the modern concert stage.


All about the Chinese drum, orchestra essential once seen as a way to talk to the gods

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Both the barrel-shaped tanggu, which can be more than 3 metres wide, and the much smaller frame drum are found on the Chinese concert stage

Both the barrel-shaped tanggu, which can be more than 3 metres wide, and the much smaller frame drum are found on the Chinese concert stage