Plucked Strings | Orchestration
Orchestration techniques and examples
Excerpt from Beautiful Flowers and the Full Moon (花好月圆) tune by Huang Yijun, arr. Peng Xiuwen
This is a very common accompaniment pattern often seen in more traditional tunes arranged for the Chinese orchestra in the 1950s and 60s. The lower plucked strings, often also including the cello and double bass (not shown in the score) play the main beats while the other plucked strings play the off beats to accompany melodic lines on the dizis, erhus or gaohus.
Beautiful Flowers and the Full Moon (花好月圆) tune by Huang Yijun, arr. Peng Xiuwen
Example starts ≈ 0:07
Excerpt from The Flying Apsaras (飞天) by Xu Jingxin and Chen Dawei
Here, the plucked strings have the same dense motoric rhythm. The main beats are accented and at the same time, the instruments strum out chords at these positions to intensify the accent.
The Flying Apsaras (飞天) by Xu Jingxin and Chen Dawei
Example starts ≈ 6:17
Excerpt from Luanyunfei (乱云飞) opera tune, arr. Peng Xiuwen
The plucked string section is often used to emphasize the accents. In this particular piece arranged from an operatic tune, the percussion plays the rhythmic pattern according to the traditional syllabic notation, derived from oral traditions (See percussion section for further details). The plucked string section support this pattern of accents by playing the same rhythmic patterns. In the more traditional orchestration practices, the low plucked strings and the low bowed strings often play similar things as a support for the entire orchestra.
Luanyunfei (乱云飞) opera tune, arr. Peng Xiuwen
Example starts ≈ 1:41
Excerpt from First Erhu Rhapsody (第一二胡狂想曲) by Wang Jianmin (eg. taken from Pu, 2011, A practical guide to orchestration for traditional Chinese instruments)
The plucked strings here are densely stacked and provide short, sharp accents at specific accented positions to support the solo erhu’s rhythmic flourishes
First Erhu Rhapsody (第一二胡狂想曲) by Wang Jianmin
Example starts ≈ 13:17
Excerpt from The Legend of Shadier (沙迪尔的传奇) by Liu Yuan
Tremolos can be used to sustain the melodic line as seen here. The sharp attacks and decays of the plucked strings are transformed into a long lyrical line with tremolos as the low plucked strings carry the melody.
The Legend of Shadier (沙迪尔的传奇) by Liu Yuan
Example ≈ 1:32
Example ≈ 9:43 of above clip
In this example, the liuqin, pipa, and yangqin play the melodic line, while the ruans and guzheng provide the chordal accompaniment in a section with strong pulsating rhythms. The clear bright sounds of the high plucked strings make the melody stand out very clearly, contrasting with the mellower lines by the bowed strings right before this entry.
The Legend of Shadier (沙迪尔的传奇) by Liu Yuan
Excerpt from Spring Festival Overture (春节序曲) composed by Li Huanzhi, arranged for the Chinese orchestra by Zhang Zirui and Xie Zhixin
Plucked strings can play broken chords and arpeggiated patterns easily and these patterns can often be found in the plucked string section. Oftentimes, they don’t play these broken chords or arpeggios simultaneously, but pass them around between the different instruments.
pring Festival Overture (春节序曲) composed by Li Huanzhi
Example ≈ 2:34