Xiao

The xiao, a Chinese vertical flute, is also called dongxiao, which indicates that there are many holes in the pipe. It has been popular since thousands of years ago.

It is proper to start with the history of the paixiao when talking about that of the xiao. Here, paixiao means several pipes are combined together. During the early period of the paixiao's development, people began to call it xiao. While performing, people found that it would give out high and low tones if there were holes of different distances between each other. In this regard, the dongxiao gradually took the place of the paixiao, hence the many holes and single pipe.

The earliest xiao appeared in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), and it was then called qiangdi, which was popular among the Qiang people in Sichuan and Gansu provinces. In the 1st century BC, it became popular in the Yellow River region. Later, it was developed into an instrument with six holes, which was extremely similar to today's xiao.

Its structure is quite simple, very much like the flute, but only longer. It is usually made of bamboo. The top is sealed by bamboo. There is a mouth on the top and five sound holes on the frontal side and one hole at the back. Beside, there are other holes that are designed to adjust the tunes, smooth the tones, and raise the volume.

A xiao sounds soft and graceful. The performance levels are basically the same as that of the flute, but less flexible. For that reason, it is only suitable to play slow and peaceful lyrics, which conveys in this situation people's feelings and draws a beautiful picture of nature. People may play the xiao solo, in ensemble, and in concert, as well as folk music and accompaniment in local dramas.

The music below played on the zizhu dongxiao, of which zizhu means a kind of bamboo, describes a picture in which flocks of wild geese are circling in the sky before landing down on earth.

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