Gudi (instrument) explained

The Jiahu gǔdí are the oldest known musical instruments from China, dating back to around 6000 BCE. Gudi means "bone flute" in Chinese.

History

Since 1984, six complete bone flutes, as well as the fragments of at least thirty more,^[1] have been excavated from several early Neolithic Jiahu culture tombs in Jiahu, Wuyan County, Henan Province, in Central China.^[2] They have been dated to 6000 BCE.^[3]

Description

The bone flutes have average dimensions of approximately 20x, and are made from the legs of the red-crowned crane.^{[4] [5]} They are open-ended and vary in the number of their finger holes, from one to eight; the 4 holed version has 3 holes in front and one thumb hole in back. The Jiahu bone whistles are much shorter than the flutes, with lengths of 5.7to, and generally having a smaller amount of holes. The number of holes and the spacing between the holes determined the musical range and scale or mode in which the flute was intended to function. Lee and Shen believed that the Jiahu culture understood the "resonance of an air column" (see open tube and closed tube) and were able to create an instrument that contained their "complete interval preference of Chinese music".Blowing across the open end of an end-blown bone flute to produce a musical sound, is accomplished in the same way, and produces a similar effect, as blowing across the open top of a bottle. The eight-holed flute can play "all harmonic intervals and two registers." These harmonic intervals are said to be a "function of culture" and were of a larger set compared to that now familiar in the West. Bone flutes were apparently also played as part of sacrificial rites, and employed in bird hunting. Gudi are not very common now, but there are some musicians today who play them. Musician Tang Junqiao organized a team in 2016 to replicate the bone flute, and played music composed for the instrument at the Shanghai International Spring Music Festival.^[6]

See also

• Chinese flutes
• Divje Babe Flute
• Dizi
• End-blown flute
• Music of China
• Paleolithic flutes
• Traditional Chinese musical instruments

Sources

1. Chang, Lulu Huang. From Confucius to Kublai Khan. Canada: The Institute of Mediaeval Music, 1993. (2-7)
2. Lee, Yuan-Yuan and Sin-Yan Shen. Chinese Musical Instruments. Chicago: Chinese Music Society of North America, 1999. (63-66)
3. Shen, Sin-Yan. China: A Journey into Its Musical Art. Chicago: Chinese Music Society of North America, 2000. (107-108)
4. So, Jenny F. ed. Music in the Age of Confucius. Washington, D.C.: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M Sackler Gallery, 2000. (88-90)
5. Wu, Ben. "Archaeology and History of Musical Instruments in China". The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. Vol. 7. Ed Robert C. Provine, Yosihiko Tokumaru, and J Laurence Witzleban. New York: Routledge, 2002. (105-6)
6. Zhang . Juzhong . Harbottle . Garman . Wang . Changsui . Kong . Zhaochen . Oldest playable musical instruments found at Jiahu early Neolithic site in China . Nature . September 1999 . 401 . 6751 . 366–368 . 10.1038/43865 . 16862110 . 1999Natur.401..366Z . free .

External links

• Flutes under Wind Section
  • Natural History Magazine

Sample music

• Turkey Bone Flute
• Samples in Article

Notes and References

1. Zhang . Juzhong . Harbottle . Garman . Wang . Changsui . Kong . Zhaochen . 1999-09-23 . Oldest playable musical instruments found at Jiahu early Neolithic site in China . . en . 401 . 6751 . 366–368 . 10.1038/43865 . 16862110 . 1476-4687. free .
2. Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics . 河南省文化研究所 . 河南舞阳贾湖新石器时代遗址第二至六次发掘简报(in Chinese) . Wenwu 文物 . January 1989 . 1 . 1–14，47 . 25 July 2021.
3. Encyclopedia: Picard . François . 28 May 2015 . 8 December 2014 . . Gudi . . Oxford . 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.L2281191 . 978-1-56159-263-0 . subscription .
4. Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics . 河南舞阳贾湖新石器时代遗址第二至六次发掘简报(in Chinese) . Wenwu 文物 . January 1989 . 1 . 12. 25 July 2021.
5. Huo . Kun . 贾湖骨笛乐音初义(in Chinese) . 北方音乐 North Music . July 2017 . 37 . 7 . 27–28 . 25 July 2021.
6. News: Mengjie . Musical to reproduce sound of ancient flute at coming festival . https://web.archive.org/web/20180428042427/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/10/c_137100898.htm . dead . April 28, 2018 . 1 October 2019 . Xinhua . 4 April 2018.