China is one of the major countries in the world in both terms of political and military power but also culturally. Music is one of the rich cultural traditions which is present in China. Music in China can vary greatly both due to the many cultures within the country but also the influences of other cultures. In Chinese music culture, there are their own categories for musical instruments which are called the eight sounds. These categories are stone, earth, bamboo, metal, silk, skin, wood, and gourd. These categories describe the materials of the instrument but also the timbre of the instrument. One chordophone is the pipa. Below is an example of the pipa being played and how it is played . Traditionally most stringed instruments in China used silk for their strings, but in modern times you may see nylon or metal strings more often. An instrument similar to the pipa is the liuqin . The liuqin is very much li ke a small er version of the pipa. The Ruan is another s...