Another somewhat simir instrument has a in frame about 4 feet in diameter, and 14 inches high. The player sits within the inner circle, and strikes the gongs with small drum-sticks. This instrument is one of singular sweetness and melody.
The harp of Burma is held across the lap when played, the curved horn being to the left, and the right hand passed round and over the strings, instead of being kept upright like the Welsh harp. Tasselled cords attached to the ends of the strings, and twisted round the curved head, serve for tuning. This is done by pushing them up or down, so that the curvature of the head increases or diminishes the tension. These cords are at the same time ornamental appendages to the harp. This harp is a pleasing instrument by itself, but it is usually only an accompanimentto unmelodious chants of intolerable prolixity.
Other musical instruments are the pattala har mon icon, the ineegyoung harps, the puloay or pynay flutes, the patina drum, the seing-weing drum harmonicon, the Soung harp, the Wah-le kroht castanets, and the ya-gwin and than lwin cymbals.
The bamboo harmonieon or staccato is used throughout Burma and the Eastern Archipelago. In Java they have a number of such instruments, made in wood and metal, and only slightly differ ing from one another, though distinguished by different names. In that of Burma, 18 to 20 slips of bamboo, about an inch and a half broad, and of graduated length, are strung upon a double string, and suspended in a catenary over th mouth of a trough-like sounding box. Th• roundish side of the bamboo is uppermost, an. whilst the extremities of the slips are left of their original thickness, the middle part of each i thinned and hollowed out below. The tuning i accomplished partly by the regulating of thi thinning of the middle part. The scale so formes is played with one or two drum-sticks, and till. instrument is one of very mellow and pleasing tone. Though the materials are of no value, a good old harmonicou is prized by the owner like a good old cremona, and he can rarely be induced to part with it. Other musical instruments of . Java are the bonang, kromo, and gambang.
Chinese musical instruments,— The great bell, with the Chinese the regulator of th.
harmonic scale and giver of the fundamental note, was used in the adjustment of weights and mea cures. In size it did not surpass the keun or standard of measure, in weight the ship o standard of weight ; the concert pitch, th. measuring rod, the standard of capacity, were al derived from this.
Cha - keo or horn consists of a stem and a croo • expanding into a bell. There are two kinds, a larger and smaller ; both utter grave sounds.
Chih-teih, or in the Canton dialect teem-tek, ofte called sew, is the flute or vocal reed in its most primitive form. It is pierced with five holes.
Haou-tung, sometimes ealled heang teik, on th principle of the trombone. It is made of thi. copper, a conical bell with a ball at the top.
Kin-chin, the scholar's lute, was the instrument upon by Confucius and ancient scholars, and ' held sacred by men of letters. It is made from the woo•tung wood, Dryandria cordifolia. Th. strings are of silk.
Koo or drum, the ta-koo or big drum, resembles . kettledrum. The Kin' g-foo or pillar-drum. Th. Yung, a of Pe-koo 0:” low drum, with its yoke-fellow in a chorus canc. the Pang-koo.
Lo, the gong of the Javanese, of two kinds, both round, one large and fiat, used on shipboard at eventide in place of prayer and praise.
Pep, the balloon-shaped guitar, made of woo-tung. It corresponds exactly to the harp of Pythagoras in the outline.
Sang, a collection of tubes of varied length so as to utter sounds at harmonic intervals with each other. There are two kinds, one called anon or bird's nest, the other ho or sweet concord.
San-wen, three-stringed guitar, is made of the swan che wood, covered with the skin of the tan-snake. It is played as an accompaniment to the peps.
Urh-licen, the two.stringed :fiddle, the rebee of the Chinese, a very cheap instrument, on the principle of the violin, but consists of a stick of bamboo Passing through a hollow cylinder of the same material.
Yue-kin, or Full Moon guitar, with four strings, is made of the swan-che wood, and has a perfectly circular body ; it is never varnished.
Japanese musical instruments are the ko-to, ko-yu, and sa-mi-sen.—Sir W. Jones, As. Res.