About: Guban (instrument)

The term guban (Chinese: 鼓板; pinyin: gǔbǎn) refers collectively to a small drum and paiban (clapper), which are played simultaneously, by a single player, in traditional Chinese music. The drum, which may be a bangu or some other type of drum with a high-pitched head of small diameter, is played with a stick that is held in one hand, and the clapper, which is called pāibǎn (拍板), bǎn (板), tánbǎn (檀板, literally "sandalwood clapper"), mùbǎn (木板), or shūbǎn (书板), is played by the other hand. The clapper consists of two flat pieces of hardwood (either zitan, hongmu, or hualimu rosewood) or bamboo that are tied loosely together on one end. It is held vertically by one hand and clapped together, producing a sharp clacking sound. Somewhat confusingly, the clapper is sometimes also referred to, wit