Picture of the Week: Uyghur Instruments

 

I took this picture at the Uyghur Musical Instrument Factory in Kashgar. All along every inch of wall space stringed instruments were either hanging or leaning. The most famous of these is the rawap, the instrument you see with what looks like horns coming out of its neck. The owner convinced me to sit down and try to pick out a few songs with him but I ended up spending most of the time just watching him play.

It is possible to buy a souvenir Uyghur instrument for pretty cheap but it’s not quite playable. The nicer ones however, like the ones in this picture, were far too expensive for me to purchase. I’m a guitar player and I’ll probably pick one up someday, but for now I’m content listening to people who play it far better than I ever could.

Picture of the Week: Diverse Xinjiang Music

Can you spot which CD doesn’t belong?

So the title of this picture is a bit misleading, I admit. Xinjiang music is very diverse and incredibly fascinating, however my knowledge and understanding of it is still quite limited. Even so, while traveling to a desert oasis in Xinjiang a couple months ago I came upon a merchant trying to sell his display of Xinjiang-related books and CDs. I'm no expert, but something just didn't look right.

I would like to set the record straight: despite his popularity all over China, Kenny G is not a Xinjiang native and his music carries no trace of local flavor.

My New Chinese Instrument: the Gu Zheng

I bought a new instrument today! I told Tiff before we left to live here in Xinjiang that I wanted to buy a traditional Chinese instrument while we were here. Forget the little trinkets, touristy souvenirs, or t-shirts - give me a nice instrument. So after looking at many different instruments I chose what is known as the Gu Zheng (pronounced "goo-jun") and bought a very nice one last weekend with the help of Tiff and one of our teaching partners. Its rich redwood is a beautiful compliment to its deep tone. Now some friends have already pointed out that this instrument is traditionally played by a female, and while I am taking lessons in a class of all girls under the age of 12 (and that IS humbling), there aren't many instruments that are played by males here. Well, let me rephrase that - there are a few, but they sound absolutely horrendous and look just as ugly (i.e. the erhu or pepa). Anyway, the Gu Zheng now sits in our bedroom so (presumably) I will serenade Tiff's naps.