Liuqin


The liuqin is a three, four or five-stringed Chinese mandolin with a pear-shaped body. The range of its voice is much higher than other Chinese plucked string instrument, and it is used in both orchestral music and solo pieces in Chinese music. This has been the result of a modernization in its usage in recent years, leading to a gradual elevation in status of the from an accompaniment instrument in folk Chinese opera, to an instrument known for its unique tonal and acoustic qualities. The instrument is held diagonally like the Chinese and. Its strings are elevated by a bridge and the soundboard has two prominent soundholes. Finally, the instrument is played with a pick with similar technique to both ruan and yueqin. Therefore, the liuqin is most commonly played and doubled by those with and experience.
Historically, the was commonly made of willow wood, while professional players used versions constructed with a higher-quality red sandalwood or rosewood. In contemporary versions, however, the front board is made of wood and red sandalwood is used for the back.

History

The has gone by various names, firstly the ', meaning willow leaf-shaped instrument. This was the original term for the, which is an abbreviation of the term. The other reference to the is the ', literally meaning unrefined, because of the diminutive size and resemblance of the to the.
Throughout its history, the came in variations ranging from two to four strings. However, the earliest precursor of the modern four-stringed version of the instrument appeared and experienced popularity during the Qing dynasty. This version had two strings, and was only used for accompaniment purposes in traditional operas.
The two-stringed remained in use for much of dynastic China from the Qing dynasty until the late 20th century. With the modernization of traditional Chinese music in the 1970s, the four-stringed was developed as an improvement to its musical range, and the body of the instrument was enlarged to allow players to handle the instrument with greater ease.

Playing technique, tones and range

The playing technique is similar to that of the mandolin, using a plectrum and frequently using the tremolo technique. Its strings are either tuned in fifths, G-D-A-E, or else in a mixture of fourths and fifths, as for example G-D-G-D, which is the more common tuning employed by mainstream players of the. This makes playing of the exactly the same as the, which is tuned an octave lower, hence players of either the or the can often double on both instruments.
Liuqin has a refreshing, jubilant and delicate tonal quality.
The modern has four steel strings. Like the, the number of the 's frets was increased from 7 to 29 over the course of the 20th century. These frets are arranged in half-step intervals. As the frets on all Chinese lutes are high, the fingers do not touch the instruments' bodies—distinctively different from western fretted instruments. This allows for a greater control over timbre and intonation than their western counterparts, but makes chordal playing more difficult.

Notable players of the

  • Wang Huiran, esteemed "Father of the "
  • Wang Hongyi, daughter of Wang Huiran
  • NiNi Music
  • Mei Han, guzheng who doubles on

    ''Liuqin'' repertoire

Composed/ co-composed/ adapted by Wang Huiran ()

  • Canal Works of Happiness
  • Melody on a Moonlit River
  • Sing a Mountain Song of Love
  • Spring Comes to River Yi
  • The Lark Romanian Folk Music
  • Warrior Suite

    By other composers

  • Sword Dance
  • Beyond the Horizons
  • Courtyard After The Rain

    More information

On the instrument
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On players of the liuqin
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  • Audio

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Category:Chinese musical instruments
Category:Necked bowl lutes