I wonder if there's a term for what we in the West call "folk guitar" or "steel-string guitar". Perhaps just using 吉他 implies that it's that one; 电吉他 is used for electric guitar, and 古典吉他 for classical guitar.

Also, I've seen 打 used for playing the piano, as well as 弹 (I guess they're as confused as we are about what kind of instrument the piano really is, as it's closest to being a percussion instrument).

If you don't know the correct verb to use, can you just use zou4 （奏）which can be used to say "play music" or "play a musical instrument" in a more general sense？ 奏音乐，奏乐器。

I love the PK term; I'm going to use that next time I play my Chinese friends in pingpong, just before they slaughter me...

Hmm...the dialog is missing the translation for "轮到". And I want to save that word.

轮到你了 it's your turn. 不过  ‘该你了’ 比较顺口。

轮到 is in the key vocabulary. It's also now properly appearing on the dialogue page.

we use 吹（chui1) for bagpipes that is 吹风笛（chui1 feng1 di2), because we use mouth to blow it.

To play the piano is 弹钢琴 tán gāngqín. I've never seen 打 used for playing the piano.

If you don't know the correct verb to use, you can use 演奏(yǎnzòu)。Like, 演奏音乐 yǎnzòu yīnyuè，演奏乐器 yǎnzòu yuèqì.....

folk guitar, 民谣吉他 min2 yao2 ji2 ta0

steel-string guitar, 钢丝弦吉他 gang1 si1 xian2 ji2 ta0

nylon-string guitar, 尼龙弦吉他 ni2 long2 xian2 ji2 ta0

peak, 匹克 pi3 ke4

fret, 品 pin3

(measure word: 把 ba3, 一把吉他。)

As we can see, most of them are direct translation from English. So, it's kind of easy to guess out ;) But, there is another situation. Most Chinese guitarists (吉他手/吉他演奏家) and guitar lovers sometimes use "琴" often.

Like, “哥妹儿，你这把琴不错，新买的吧！”（Bro, your guitar is so cool, just bought it?). Here "琴" indicates guitar.

And yes, you are right. It's a wise and brilliant idea to use "演奏 + any musical instruments" pattern to mean "to play". Such as, 演奏小号（to play a trumpet)，演奏钢琴(to play a piano), and 演奏爵士鼓(to play drum sets).

Also, if the pattern is reversed. It will be "any musical instruments + 演奏 +家". That's instrumentalists. Such as, 小号演奏家 （trumpeter), 钢琴演奏家 （pianist), and 爵士鼓演奏家 (drumer).

Plus, here the word 演奏家 means high level players, who had already got great achievments. For those low level palyers, we use "手shou3". Such as, 小号手，吉他手，鼓手(we don't say 钢琴手）. And for those fans, lovers, band players or someone's modest, they will use "玩+乐器+的", or "to play + 乐器+的".

e.g. “她交了个新男朋友，是个玩吉他的”。

    "我不是大师，我只不过是个拉小提琴的。"

    "乐队里打鼓的已经有了，就是我。"

Ok, back to the question. How to use different verbs to match different musical instruments to mean "to play" in Chinese?

Well, let me have a break first :)

The action of pressing the keys of the piano, both black and white keys, actual "pluck" strings inside the piano to make the music of the piano. 弹钢琴吧!

"Ebony and Ivory.....live together is perfect harmony....side by side on my piano......."

Cheers

My question: what is "to play the oboe" in Chinese? (I do, so I wonder how to tell people :) )