Zhangu
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The ''Zhangu'' (战鼓), or war drum, is a Chinese musical instrument. It is similar to the Tanggu (堂鼓) in appearance, but is lower in pitch. Also known as the Biangu (扁鼓). it was an instrument used in ritual music and also popular with traditional wedding bands.


Appearance

Zhangu has many different sizes according to its functions, generally, the diameter of the drumhead are 270mm, 330mm, 400mm, 460mm and 540mm and the height of the drum are usually 170mm, 200mm, 240mm, 300mm and 340mm. The drumhead is usually made of wood and leather; there are 2 to 4 metal rings at the waist of the drum. The player uses one or two sticks to play the drum. The Zhangu needs two men when played in the army march, with one man carrying the drum on his back and the other playing behind the first man.


Mongolian War Drum

The
Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
n war drum was called Guangu (罐鼓) in the ancient times, also known as Dagu (大鼓) or Jungu (军鼓). Nowadays this instrument is still popular among the eastern area of
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
. Mongolian war drum has long history dating back to
Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...
(1162-1227), it had been popularly used for ritual ceremony and warfare. The Italian traveler and merchant
Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
wrote in his The Travels of Marco Polo about the Mongolian military matters: ''"before they go to a battle, all soldiers wait for the sound of the Guangu from their commander. When the commander’s drum played, most of the soldiers will play their own instruments and sing"''. There were cylinder-shaped and cone-shaped Mongolian war drums, the cylinder drum was placed on
war chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000  ...
, while the cone drum was played by soldiers on the horses.


References

Chinese musical instruments Drums Military music {{china-music-stub