Dizi  

 

 

“The di 笛 is also called the dizi 笛子. Today, the di is made of bamboo, with eight holes altogether: six for the fingers, one for blowing, and one for the "membrane", which gives the instrument a special and penetrating timbre. The di can be found in various sizes. The performance technique of the different sizes of the di varies depending on the individual genre in which the di is used. Traditionally it appeared in genres such as Jiangnan sizhu 江南絲竹, or Silk and Bamboo Music of the Jiangnan provinces, Guandong yinyue 廣東音樂, or Cantonese Music, chuidayue 吹打樂, or Wind-and-percussion Music, Kunqu 昆曲, or Kun Opera, and bangzi-system operas 梆子腔系戲曲. The instrument plays a vital role in the accompaniment of the last two genres. Because of this reason members of the di family can be roughly categorised into the following two types: qudi 曲笛 or bangdi 梆笛, named after the respective operas. The qudi is longer than the bangdi and thus has a lower range. Its characteristics are a round and relaxed sound, and long and cantabile melodies. This is the so-called southern style in di-playing. The sound of the bangdi, on the contrary, is more piercing. Typical of the bangdi, which represents the northern style in di-playing, are short and vivid melodies produced with more tonguing compared to that of the qudi. Nowadays, influenced by the development of a modern Chinese orchestra, the di of sizes other than the traditional ones are made to perform compositions written with Western idioms.” (So Hon To)

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