The rattle is one of the most traditional and oldest toys in China. Until now, when you visit temple fairs in China every year, you can still see many stalls selling rattles. Not only the sellers who carry burdens are hard to see, but also the newborn children especially like it, but "bang-bang-bang-bang-bang." "...The familiar drum sound can often be heard in our ears.
Dad went to Tianmu Lake to play last week and bought a wave drum for Hanhan. It has a traditional New Year picture pattern on it, with a red handle and a dragon pattern carved on it. It has a Chinese flavor. You also like it very much. Take it and shake it in your hand. Shaken off. My mother also likes it very much. There are too many electronic toys now, it is difficult to have such a very traditional toy. In the future, I will give you more toys of our own nation.
I found some information today, let's take a look at the history of the rattle.
Speaking of the birth of the rattle, it has a long history. The rattle must be produced after the drum. As early as the Neolithic painted pottery, objects suspected of being drums have been discovered. A bronze seat of the Warring States Period was unearthed in Leigudun, Suixian County, Hubei, China in 1978. A column is inserted into the base. The center of the column is a drum. The drum is long and wooden, similar to today's waist drum. The shape of this built drum definitely resembles a huge rattle, but without ears. During the Warring States Period, there was also a kind of "frame drum". The drum body was extremely flat and covered on both sides. The drum skin was fixed with two rows of staggered drum nails, similar to the drums used by modern rap artists. The drum body is hung on the drum stand by three metal rings. The drum stand is finished with lacquered wood carving. The two phoenixes face the drum body together, and the base is the two tigers facing away. The appearance of these drums provided the basis for the production of rattles.
Rattle drums produced during the Warring States Period in China are used as percussion music. They rely on the sound of both ears when shaking. The rhythm of the sound, the height of the sound, and the size of the sound are not easy to control. It can accurately complete complex drum beats.
The rattle that developed to the Song Dynasty has appeared in three fields, one is for ritual and music; the other is for commercial use; and the third is for children's toys. There are drums in the ritual music of the past dynasties, and of course the Song Dynasty is no exception. For commercial use, it refers to the "salesman drum", and the folk salesman generally uses rattles to attract customers.
At the same time, the rattle has become a favorite toy of children. In the Southern Song Dynasty Li Song’s "Picture of a Goodman", we can see the rattle in the painting. The shape of the rattle is quite elegant. The drum handle is made of a gourd handle. The thong beat the drumhead to make a sound. There is also a "four-layer rattle" consisting of four snare drums that grow from small to large, stacked one by one, turning 90 degrees alternately. Each drum has two ears made of projectiles, and a smooth and delicate handle is placed under the drum. Generally speaking, the larger the drumhead, the lower the pronunciation, and vice versa, the higher the pronunciation. The four snare drums here are of different sizes, and they sound together when they shake. According to this picture, people nowadays copy this kind of shopkeeper's drum, shaking it to make a sound, staggeringly high and low, and Dingdong is pleasant to the ear.
The old title Southern Song Dynasty Su Hanchen's "Five Ruitu" has more wonderful rattles. The five boys, either wearing masks or painting their faces, gathered to perform the grand Nuo dance. One of them held a rattle in each hand. Raise the drum in the right hand to the forehead and point to the left; The two rattles are the same, both are two-layer drums. The upper snare drum is flat and round, and the lower drum is long and similar to a waist drum. The painted pattern on the drum surface; the copper inlaid with small flowers on the drum body of the long drum has an unprecedented level of exquisite beauty.
The reason why the rattle is widely spread is that its sound effects and entertainment effects work together. Just like the shouting of a seller must have an accent and a tone, the rattle can play a variety of sounds, which can attract attention; the styling feature enhances the appreciation, even the practical rattle in the hands of the trader inevitably has The entertainment color always reflects the cheerful, relaxed and beautiful temperament when attracting customers.
In terms of form, rattles can be roughly divided into two types. One type is decorated with painted on the surface of the drum. For example, the rattles in Huaiyang, Jiangsu, Yancheng, Beijing and other places have various patterns on the skin; the second is on the drum. Paint the body and draw a pattern along the drum. These decorations increase the aesthetic characteristics of the rattle and strengthen the entertainment characteristics of this toy from the visual effect. The most common drumhead materials are cowhide and sheepskin, followed by snakeskin, leather paper, and oiled paper. The drum body is mostly wooden, but plastic drums have been seen in recent years. For the ears, glass beads are the most common, followed by the use of rice, jujube nucleus, wooden beads, porcelain beads and other materials to make binaural ears.
Regarding the name of the rattle, the name of the rattle is different from generation to generation and from place to place. Generally speaking, there are drums, drums, rattles, wave drums, balang drums, bolang drums, rattle drums, snare drums, and so on. In fact, many of the above names come from different writing styles, with similar pronunciations and different words. But now it seems that the name "rattle" is the most popular.
Throughout the past and present of the rattle, since the birth of the drum and drum in the pre-Qin period until today, the form of the rattle, an instrument and toy, has not changed. The rattles in the paintings and patterns of the past dynasties are mostly the same as today's rattles. A toy has been circulated in China for more than two thousand years. It is unbelievable that it has not changed its start-up type.