The most characteristic Chinese instrument of percussion is the _king_, a set of graduated plates, stones, or bells, hung in a frame and played with a mallet. The tone produced is smooth and sonorous. In addition, the Chinese, Japanese, and Indo-Chinese have a quantity of metal gongs and cymbals, bells, tambourines, castanets, and drums of all kinds. In Siam and Burmah there is the _ranat_, a set of wooden or metal bars played with a mallet, in reality a xylophone; and in Java the _anklong_, of the same family, the bars of which are of bamboo. The Hindoos and Mohammedan Orientals also have a great number of drums, tam-tams, gongs, etc., which is not surprising in view of the predominant part rhythm was given in their music.
The stringed instruments are not less numerous. They appear to have been unknown to the Aztecs, and the Peruvians used only the _tinya_, a guitar with six strings. But the Chinese had a great number of them, among which the _kin_, a small lute with seven strings, held a peculiar place. It was long an object of veneration. Sages alone might venture to touch its strings; ordinary mortals should be content merely to regard it in silence with the most profound respect. An elaborate psaltery or zither called _che_, with twenty-five strings, was much in use, and there were several bowed instruments in the viol family, of uncertain ancient descent. The Cambodians, too, have instruments of the viol family, notably the _tro-khmer_, a three-stringed viol held like the 'cello when played. The Siamese, Coreans, and Annamites all use instruments of the guitar and mandolin family with a varying number of strings. In Burmah the favorite instrument is a queer harp with thirteen strings called the _soung_. In Japan there are the _koto_, which is a pleasing-toned zither with thirteen strings; the _samisen_, a small guitar associated with the Geisha girls, the _buva_, a type of lute, and the _kokin_, a primitive violin. One finds in India the _sarindas_ or _sarungis_, viols with sympathetic wire strings; the _vina_, most generally popular of Hindoo stringed instruments, a sort of lute with two gourd resonators; and the _tambura_, a long slender guitar with three or more strings. But of all the stringed instruments of the Orient _el’ud_ of Arabia is most famous. It is no other in name or fact than the lute, with broad, pear-shaped body, short neck bent back at the head, and four or more strings. Introduced by the Moors into Spain about 800 A. D., it became the favorite instrument of all Europe, was developed and improved with every care, was beautified with finest art and workmanship. From Arabia, too, may have come to Europe the first primitive violins. The Arabian _rebab_ and the Persian _kemangeh_ are almost identical in principle with our violin. The Arabian _santirs_ and _kanoons_, zithers with many strings, played with plectra adjusted like thimbles on the finger-tips, have remained Oriental.