Stone Group Pipe: Unearthed in Xichuan County of Nanyang City (my hometown
), Henan Province, CHina
石排箫：春秋 淅川下寺楚墓出土
It was said that “箫韶九成，凤凰来仪”, i.e. displaying group pipes can bring forth phoenixes. History also records that when Sage Confucius (551--479 B.C.) heard its play, he was so intoxicated that until three months later he could not taste what was meat; he appreciated that the group pipe playing was perfect and the best. Ancient Chinese people also had overflowing praises to group pipes. The group pipes form like wings of phoenix, and sound like singing of phoenix. In form of triangle wing, quality of stone, colour of grey, mouth of evenness, and total ten pores, reduce the length of lower part of the pipes one by one, in the middle binded with raised level
dou钭, it was the earliest group pipe. The ancient group pipes unearthed in Henan are of stone, bone or bamboo qualities. The stone groupe pipes unearthed in Xichuan淅川, is made from a whole block of stone, in form of thirteen arranged pipes of different lengths, and the depth of stone wall of the pipes was only 1mm wide. This accuracy of swing arrangement is remarkable till today, which witnesses the higher artial level of ancient Chinese music development and instrumental making.
《北堂书钞》对排箫有这样的描述：“像风翼，如风鸣，其形参差，长声肃箫”，陶注云：“其形象风之翼，十管 长二尺”。故排箫又称参差、风箫。
我馆这件石排箫管孔深度与管外长度不尽相同，管孔内径自最长管至最短管依次递减。除少数管口部残损过甚外， 余管均能吹出高低不同的音调。