temple blocks

The temple blocks is a set of struck open-vessel idiophones inspired by East Asian 'slit drums' (called 'muyu' in Mandarin) but that have subsequently become an auxiliary band, orchestra and percussion ensemble instrument.

Temple blocks are a type of percussion instrument consisting of a set of woodblocks. It is descended from the muyu, an instrument originating from eastern Asia, where it is commonly used in religious ceremonies. Temple blocks.

Description. Rubberwood blocks with five different pitches for fun rhythmic play. When struck with a mallet the blocks sound higher or lower depending on their size – the smaller the block the higher the pitch.

China A Temple Block is a slit-drum - a woodblock hollowed out for extra resonance. These temple blocks come from China, where they are known as "muyu," which means "wooden fish." They are used to keep the beat in the traditional chants of the Buddhist religion. Temple blocks are also used by jazz bands.

These are hollow wooden blocks, often called "dragon mouths" these are found in Buddhist temples but are often used in sets of blocks - tuned to the pentatonic, whole tone, diatonic, and even chromatic scales.

Temple blocks made from a single ply of Ash bent into a curved, organic shape, harkening back to the days of the carved Chinese temple blocks. The warm, open tone is what refined artists expect from a temple block.

Although temple blocks are not considered pitched instruments, they can produce discernible pitches, and some temple blocks are actually tuned to the pentatonic scale. Most often, however, a composer will not indicate which temple block to strike, only which note should be higher in pitch.