CMIChinese Musical Instruments

audio license notes

Audio License Notes

Why the site does not embed random clips, what would count as a verified public commercial-safe audio record, and how to listen responsibly now.

Why some pages do not show a player

Instrument sound is central to this site, but a public page should not embed a clip unless the file, performer or uploader credit, source URL, license URL, commercial-use status, and instrument match are all clear.

  • A page may give listening tasks without a player when clip-level reuse evidence is missing.
  • A player may appear only after a matching public commercial-safe or owned recording is verified.
  • External listening links are source routes, not a claim that the site owns or can republish the audio.

Current listening route

Use the sound page as a listening desk: choose one instrument, listen in three passes at a trusted source, then return to compare attack, sustain, volume, and setting.

  • UNESCO guqin heritage entry: Use this as a context-first listening path; the page does not embed audio until clip-level reuse rights are verified.
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art pipa essay: Use this source to connect object history with listening questions before comparing plucked instruments.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this source route to check zither identity and listening context; the site still waits for file-level reuse evidence before embedding audio.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this as a source-aware instrument identity route; embed only if a separate public commercial-safe audio file is verified.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use the gallery route with the three-pass listening task instead of relying on a random clip.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this source route to compare breath edge, quiet volume, and vertical-flute context before choosing a separate clip.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this source route to check the public reed sound and ceremony setting; do not substitute an unverified stock clip.
  • B.C. Chinese Music Association sheng page: Use this source route to watch or listen at source and keep free-reed mouth-organ sound separate from suona, flute, and other wind examples.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this source route to connect hammered-string attack, tuning reality, and ensemble role before opening a clip.
  • Smithsonian Freer Gallery Bianzhong Bells Interactive: Use this museum interactive to hear individual bianzhong bell colors at the source while keeping the audio separate from site-hosted or republished clips.
  • Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection jinghu page: Use this collection page to hear jinghu in a documented opera-fiddle context before comparing it with erhu, suona, luo, and drum pages.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this source route to separate gong punctuation, opera cueing, and festival volume before choosing examples.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this source route to frame drum sound by scene and group rhythm, not as a generic percussion clip.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this source route to check mellow free-reed tone, drone, and regional context before trusting a download.
  • MTSU Chinese instrument gallery: Use this source route to compare round-bodied lute sound with pipa and guitar-like assumptions before choosing a clip.
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art music and art essay: Use this source route for vessel-flute and material-culture context; playable audio requires a separate verified file.

Verified audio records now used on the site

These clips have file-level source pages, media URLs, creator names, license URLs, and commercial-use checks before a player is shown.

  • Guqin: Open-string guqin sample by RafaelCaro, Attribution 4.0, isolated instrument.
  • Guzheng: Solo guzheng sample by neolein, Creative Commons 0, solo instrument.
  • Erhu: Erhu practice sample by irzirgpznj, Creative Commons 0, instrument sample.
  • Pipa: Pipa ensemble-context sample by xserra, Attribution 4.0, ensemble context.
  • Dizi: Short dizi loop by CarlosCarty, Attribution 4.0, instrument loop.
  • Xiao: Xiao practice sample by JamieWilson1112, Creative Commons 0, instrument practice.
  • Suona: Short suona segment by jiemojiemo, Creative Commons 0, instrument segment.
  • Jinghu: Jinghu opera-context sample by xserra, Attribution 4.0, ensemble context.
  • Hulusi: Street hulusi field recording by Zabuhailo, Attribution 4.0, field recording.
  • Ruan: Ruan practice-context sample by __O, Creative Commons 0, practice context.
  • Xun: Xun sample by franeknflute, Attribution 4.0, instrument sample.
  • Yangqin: Yangqin scene sample by neolein, Creative Commons 0, ensemble context.
  • Luo: Chinese gong sample by airtaxi, Creative Commons 0, instrument sample.
  • Chinese Drum: Dagu rim-shot sample by sazanami12, Creative Commons 0, instrument sample.