How the fangxiang makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the fangxiang belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The fangxiang (also fang xiang, fang hsiang; simplified Chinese: 方响; traditional Chinese: 方響; pinyin: fāngxiǎng; also known in the West as the Chinese chang) is an organized-suspended (bianxuan) Chinese metallophone that has been used for over 1,000 years. It was first used in the Liang dynasty (502—557 CE), and then standardized in the Sui and Tang dynasties mostly for court music.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a fangxiang sound like?
As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the fangxiang?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.222).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q849667 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Fangxiang – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Chen Menglei – Public domain