the importance of the occasion, while the 'inside' music was used to extol the virtue of the emperors and their ancestors. The music is typically slow and stately, and monophonic with little rhythmic variety. When sung, there may be four to eight beats per phrase depending on the number of words in the text. The music performed in the courtyard are accompanied by dances, and the number of dancers varies strictly according to the rank and social status of the patron. The emperor may have the largest number of musicians and dancers (64 dancers in eight rows of eight), while a noble or chief minister may have a smaller ensemble and 36 dancers (six rows of six), and a lesser officer even fewer (four by four or two by two). In Confucian rituals the six row dance (六佾舞) was originally performed as appropriate for the status of Confucius, later the eight row dance (八佾舞) was also performed as Confucius had been granted various posthumous regal titles, for example the title of King Wenxuan (文宣王) that was granted by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang dynasty. The dances are divided into two types: Civil dance and Military dance. In Civil Dance the dancers hold a yue flute (籥) in their left hand and a feather plume (羽) in their right, while in Military Dance the dancer may hold a shield (干) in the left hand and a battleaxe (戚) in the right hand. Instruments used Yayue music does not use just any kind of traditional Chinese musical instruments, but instead includes only a small selection, taken from the oldest ones, according to the eight categories of materials used in their construction. Silk (絲) Gǔqín (古琴) – Seven-stringed fretless zither Sè (瑟) – 25 stringed zither with moveable bridges (ancient sources say 13, 25 or 50 strings) Bamboo (竹) Dízi (笛子) – Transverse bamboo flute Xiāo (簫) – End-blown flute Páixiāo () – Pan pipes Chí (篪) – Ancient Chinese flute Wood (木) Zhù (柷) – A wooden box that tapers from the bottom, played by hitting a stick on the inside, used to mark beats or sections Yǔ (敔) – A wooden percussion instrument carved in the shape of a tiger with a serrated back, played by running a stick across it and to mark the ends of sections Stone (石) Biānqìng () – A rack of 16 hung stone tablets (usually Nephrite)