Creating Chinese Ensemble, Dizi situation

[joseht]

Hello, name's Jose, and I'm from South America, Peru

I'm currently making a Chinese music ensemble with some friends from my music school
I play erhu with 2 more, 3 friends are going to play dizi 
Also got an arpist who will love to have a Gu Zheng, but it's still on plan

The problem is, we don't know which dizis are best to start, I mean, which combination from Xindi, Qudi Bangdi and Xiaodi are best for creating an stable and good sounding music ensemble, as we also dont know if we will have a Guzheng, we will need to be able to get low and high registers efectively on 3 erhu (1 solo) and 3 dizis(probably one solo)

Please Help, and sincere thanks in advance, I'm really into creating this ensemble, since it does not exist here, and I love chinese music to the core

Jose

[edcat7]

Hi Jose and welcome,

The keys commonly used for the dizi are G and D. Chinese ensembles are not short of high registers but are short of low registers. This is one reason why the zhongruan was reintroduced in 1958.

A classical guitarist should find playing the zhongruan easy. There are books available for ensemble playing though offhand I can't remember what instruments are featured in the book.

There are others who can answer your question further. Best wishes

Ed

[joseht]

Thanks a lot!, yeah I was thinking about G and D dizi, but what about their shapes? I know there are G Xindi, but I have not seen any G Qudi.

Also, sadly there is no yet any guitarist interested on this ensemble since it requires buying an entire new instrument, can I have the names of those books? one thing I lack is the knowlege of books or

thanks again

Jose

[davidmdahl]

Welcome to the forum, Jose. As Ed wrote, the keys of G and D are most typical for Chinese tunes. The usual dizi for G is the bangdi size. This is about piccolo size. The finger holes are rather close together, and the embouchure requires a focused air stream. The D dizi is typically the qudi size, and is longer and lower pitched than the bangdi G. The finger holes are further apart, but comfortable for most people. The embouchure is a little larger and is not quite so demanding. This size is probably the best to start for a beginner. There is also a xindi size for G dizi, but the finger stretch is formidable. I suggest that the range of the xindi is well-covered by the erhu, so a xindi is probably not the best choice in an ensemble.

A guzheng or zhongruan would be a great addition to a Chinese music ensemble, but if not maybe a guitar wouldn't be so bad. From past experience, Chinese musicians are pragmatic, and make due with what is available. You might even look for someone who can play a hammered dulcimer. The sound is a lot like a yangqin. It is worth looking into anyway.

For some tunes, a hulusi might add some interesting sounds to the texture. The hulusi is fairly limited in scale and range, so you would need to choose the tunes with care.

Good luck.

Best wishes,

David

[joseht]

Thanks David, So a D Qudi and G Bangdi, indeed I was thinking on it

There's no real problem with learning the instrument, both my friends are good on exploring new and will be accustomed(of course they wont master it yet) on 1 month maximum (since they already play traverse flute).

My harpist already told me she will buy the Guzheng! now I'm doing everything to make sure it will come safely(which is a real problem here) I dont know if anyone on USA can bring it here as hand package, I guess it's too big.

then I'm going for the Bang di and Qudi, I'm guessing the Xindi is more for Dizi only ensembles right?

I'm really grateful for all help

Sincerely

Jose

[davidmdahl]

I am sure that the xindi G could work in a mixed ensemble or solo. It is just hard to manage for small or inexperienced hands, and might not poke through the ensemble's sound as easily as a higher pitched di. You could experiment with it later, but I suggest that the smaller G is a better choice to start out with.

Best wishes,

David

[joseht]

I indeed decided on using the D Qudi and G Bangdi, Thank you very much!
I'm now choosing cualities of Dizi, and just got with this question

How much better is this dizi www.easonmusicstore.com/webshaper/store/viewProd.asp?pkProductItem=144 compared with this one? www.easonmusicstore.com/webshaper/store/viewProd.asp?pkProductItem=142

The videos do not seem to really convince me, it looks as if the first one were just too good compared with the second.....but then again I'm not really sharp when it comes to wind instruments

Thanks for all the guidance, This is such a great help !

Jose

[edcat7]

The price of DXH dizis has shot up significantly over the last few years. At one point they didn't cost much more than XB's. Then is was a no-brainer which one to get.

I have an E DXH and a D XB so a direct comparison is difficult. The conclusion for me personally after four years of on/off playing is that I'll never be good enough to notice the difference in my playing. Carrot also sells a range of dizis which are made by XB. I have noticed very little difference between their top of the range and Eason's top XB except for the use of real horn ends. However Carrot's dizis have also shot up in price.

What is more important is the thickness of the dizi (thicker being louder) and the quality and way you put the dimo on. To conclude: if you can afford it get the DXH.

As an aside I've played in a few amateur performances and I've noticed the audience don't really listen to the quality of the instrument, they're too busy chatting to one another.

Ed ( I'll try and dig up my ensemble book)

[edcat7]

What is the climate like where you live in Peru? If the climate in the Andes is dry and cold you may think of getting a rosewood rather than bamboo dizi.

[joseht]

Well I live in Lima, so it's coast, the climate is sometimes really humid, except where I live, it's ok for the bamboo one right?

Usually musical instruments have to be really carefully stored, since humidity and sometimes intense sun makes wood no good

Jose