Music, in a broad sense, I think should be the extension of culture, a crystallized form of the essence bred by culture. In this sense, Chinese traditional music is a rich aesthetic experience accumulated in the long historical activities of the Chinese nation. Due to differences in the breeding soil (intricate culture), it is obviously different from Western classical music (mainly symphony). We can verify this from the following examples:

The melody of the song "Mountains and Flowing Waters" is simple, elegant, graceful and deep; the rhythm is steady and stretched; the tone is lingering, soft and graceful; it embodies feminine beauty.

The song "Symphony of Destiny" has a lively and rapid rhythm, a wide range of sounds, a clear, vigorous melody, passionate emotions and grandeur; it embodies masculine beauty.

So when extended to traditional Chinese music and Western classical music, you will find that the above is not only a difference in the styles of the two pieces of music, but also a reflection of the differences in cultural backgrounds between the East and the West in terms of musical aesthetics and artistic expressions.

When it comes to the differences between Chinese traditional music and Western classical music, we can look at it from the following two aspects:

On a technical level, Western classical music has theories, norms, and a large number of The written and audio documents are easy to spread; while traditional Chinese music does not have a complete set of composition theories and rules, so it is easier to be lost. Traditional Chinese music focuses on lines, while Western classical music pays more attention to harmony. Traditional Chinese music focuses on breath, while Western classical music pays more attention to rhythm. The biggest technical differences between the two lie in their timbre and playing methods.

On the artistic level, traditional Chinese music mainly expresses the thoughts of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, and emphasizes the root of understanding and wisdom, so it is relatively subjective.

Western classical music focuses on aesthetics and functionality, so it is relatively objective. The performance characteristics of traditional Chinese music are different from those of Western classical music. Western classical music is known for its profoundness and seriousness, highlighting the opposition between subject and object. Most of them have a dramatic or tragic color, and reflect the "magnificence" of an artistic spirit; while Chinese traditional music It is known for being broad-minded and profound, highlighting the blending of "emotion" and "scenery", unifying subject and object, and embodying the "beauty" of a "harmony" spirit.

In the final analysis, the biggest difference in art lies in aesthetic orientation and values.

Therefore, it is not surprising - Westerners love to play symphonies, and the more musicians and instruments on the stage, the more impressive they are; Chinese people can achieve the same artistic effect without doing this, and just play a pipa. It can play the tragic siege of Gaixia, a guzheng can play the spring tide of the sea, and an ancient xun can blow out the thoughts of the rise and fall of the ages.

In short, due to different social and cultural backgrounds, there are differences in music creation techniques and aesthetics: learning from each other and promoting each other on the basis of maintaining the original style will be the only way for the two to develop and prosper in the future. road!