bangu
The bangu, often simply gu, is a Chinese frame drum that, when struck by one or two small bamboo sticks, creates a sharp dry sound essential to the aesthetics of Chinese opera. Striking the drum in different places produces different sounds. It is also used in many Chinese chamber music ensembles.
Also recorded as banggu · xiaogu · pan-ku · gu
bangu
Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China · Bangu (Drum), Tengwangge (Prince of Teng Pavilion) · CC0
- Field
- Membranophone · individual single-skin conical drum
- Region
- People's Republic of China
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wikidata · Q4077510
In this article
Construction
Construction
The percussion section is very important in Chinese Opera, with battle or 'martial' scenes, which are called wu-chang. The bangu player is the director or conductor of the orchestra, working with the other members of the percussion section to create the right mood for the audience and actors on stage. • Illustration — An example of a bangu drum
The drum, which is about 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter and 10 cm (4 inches) deep. The frame of the Bangu drum is made of wedges of hard wood glued together to form a circle. Animal skin is then stretched over the frame of wedges, which is then secured by a metal band. The wedges do not reach the small area in the centre (the drum’s heart or "guxin") where the drum is struck. The bangu is held in its own stand with four iron rings. Some versions have only three rings and three supporting legs. These versions are usually portable, with a collapsible stand section.
Guban
Guban
When used together with paiban clappers (both played together by a single player, the paiban held in one hand and the bangu played with a stick held in the other) the two instruments are referred to collectively as guban (鼓板). Somewhat confusingly, the clapper is sometimes also referred to, without the drum, as guban. When used as part of a guban, the bangu is used in several genres of shuochang (Chinese story-singing), as well as in Beijing opera, kunqu, and Yue opera.
Video
Video
Short video clips of it being played can be found at Chinese Cinderella: • Movie Zone 6
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People's Republic of China
Country
bangu is associated with People's Republic of China.
Country
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Bangu (drum), revision 1311845057 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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Broader subject
1- MembranophoneTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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