What is the ancient Chinese musical system based on?
Q: What is the ancient Chinese musical system based on?
A: The ancient Chinese musical system is based on very ancient mathematics used to determine sound frequencies.
Q: How do you make a musical instrument that can play any song in the ancient Chinese system?
A: To make a musical instrument that can play any song in the ancient Chinese system, one must construct a wooden box 105 cm long and 60 cm wide with guides for strings near each end of the box, fixed so that these two guides are 99 cm apart. Then, one must place frets along certain lines determined by multiplying various measurements by 2/3 or 4/3 until eleven frets have been placed. After tuning all twelve strings, 144 frequencies will be produced which can be used to create pentatonic or heptatonic scales.
Q: What is an example of a heptatonic scale?
A: An example of a heptatonic scale is the "do, re, mi, fa, sol, la and ti" scale which produces a major scale in Western music.
Q: How many different scales does traditional Chinese music use?
A: Traditional Chinese music uses five different scales of five notes each.
Q: Are pentatonic scales discussed in this article?
A: No, pentatonic scales are not discussed in this article.
Q: What frequency was chosen as an example?
A: 440 hertz was chosen as an example frequency.
Q: How many frequencies will be produced when all twelve strings are plucked at both fretted and unfretted positions?
A: When all twelve strings are plucked at both fretted and unfretted positions 144 frequencies will be produced.
