Plucked Strings | Practicalities
Practicalities
This pages contains:
Techniques
Liuqin
The liuqin is played with a pick, but it has also incorporated many playing techniques of the pipa. Right hand techniques include various forms of plucking, strumming across strings, and tremolos. Left hand techniques include harmonic playing, different forms of vibratos, and ways of stopping the strings to create different effects.
Pipa
The pipa has numerous techniques for both the left and right hands. The pipa player wears a set of finger plectrums on the right hand and this allows for many different playing techniques that might not be achieved with simply a pick. Right hand techniques include various types of plucking, strumming, and tremolos on the strings, hitting the soundboard, and so on. Left hand techniques include various ways of stopping the strings, and also pushing and pulling the strings to effect changes in pitch, and special timbral effects with crossing strings.
Yangqin
Although the yangqin is grouped together with the plucked string section, sounds are usually produced by a thin bamboo mallet, making the range of playing techniques quite different from those of the other plucked strings. A variety of playing techniques related to the mallets have therefore been developed. In addition, it has also borrowed various techniques of the other plucked strings such as harmonic playing, and various ways of stopping the strings in order to achieve different sonic effects. With the use of tremolos, the yangqin can also play beautiful lyrical melodies.
Ruan
Similar to the liuqin, the ruan has incorporated many playing techniques of the pipa. There are numerous plucking techniques for the right hand, and left hand techniques include various forms of vibratos and glissandi, different ways of stopping the strings, and harmonics playing. With its deeper sound and greater resonance, the ruan is also often used to provide supporting triadic and chordal passages, and so techniques for playing combinations of two or more notes are also commonly found.
Sanxian
The sanxian can be played with a pick although more often, it is played with finger plectrums like that of the pipa. Right hand playing include a variety of plucking and strumming techniques. Because of the absence of frets, smooth glissandi can be obtained, and left hand techniques also involve a variety of vibratos, pitch changes, and so on, which are somewhat different from that of the other fretted plucked strings.
Zheng
The performer wears finger plectrums on the fingers. Both the left and right hands may be used for various plucking techniques. Pitch changes and vibratos are achieved with the left hand. The characteristic glissandi of the zheng is a favourite for passages that imitate flowing water, gushing waterfalls and waves.
Ranges
This section contains score examples showing the instruments’ ranges:
Liuqin
Pipa
Yangqin
There are a few different models with slight variations (mainly with the tunings of the extreme registers). The model 402 is a widely used one in most Chinese orchestras. This model has a movable rightmost bridge allowing the lowest set of notes to be tuned up to 2 to 3 semitones lower.
Ruan
Sanxian
Zheng
Qualities
Liuqin
The sound of this instrument varies from firm and thick in the low registers, sweet and mellow in the mid-registers, to crisp and clear in the highest register. It can be penetrating, and holds the fort for the highest registers in the plucked strings section. Fast running passages and leaps can be achieved easily and so lively and spirited passages are often written for the liuqin. At the same time, it is able to achieve long lyrical melodic lines with different playing techniques and is very versatile in the types of passages it can play.
Music starts ≈ 0:13
Pipa
The lower register of the instrument is sonorous and mellow, the middle register sounds graceful and elegant, and the high register is bright and clear. It has a wide range of expressive capabilities, being able to play passages that are fast and lively, and also slow and sombre. With numerous left and right hand techniques, a wide range of sounds and timbral effects can be produced.
Music starts ≈ 0:15
Yangqin
The sound of this instrument is crisp and clear. Depending on the mallets used, it can also sound mellow and rounded, or bright and metallic. With the instrument almost fully chromatic (other than the notes at the extreme registers), modulation to any keys poses no difficulties. Fast running passages and different rhythmic patterns can also be played very easily and the instrument can be used to evoke a lively atmosphere, or to create tension.
Music starts ≈ 1:32
Ruan
The ruan sounds silky and mellow. The middle range is rounded, mellow, the low register sounds strong and thick, and the high register bright and sweet. With its relatively larger soundbox, the instrument has a good resonance. It can just as easily play passages that are fast and lively, and those that are quiet and lyrical.
Music ≈ 0:32
Sanxian
The sanxian has a very characteristic sound that easily stands out within the orchestra. Because of this, it is often used in passages calling for distinctive sounds that evoke strong regional folk characteristics. As part of the orchestra, the sanxian’s rich and deep sound on the one hand makes it stand out very distinctly, but on the other also makes it very suitable in strengthening rhythmic patterns, and is often used for such purposes.
Zheng
The sound of the zheng is thick and mellow, and it has a wide expressive and dynamic range. It is both able to create an elegant and graceful tone, as well as passages with lively and rousing emotions.
Music starts ≈ 1:34