Qin.

Seven-string plucked zither of China. Though indigenous to China, the qin (pron. ‘chin’, also known as guqin, ‘ancient qin’) belongs to the family of long zithers in East Asia. Discussed here are construction, tunings and notation; for history and performance traditions, see China, §IV, 4 (ii)(a).

The qin is essentially a shallow and oblong resonator that is constructed by gluing two wooden boards together, and averages approximately 130 cm long, 20 cm wide and 5 cm deep around the edges. The top and convex board, which also serves as a fretless fingerboard, is usually made of wutong wood (Firmiana platanifolia). Longitudinally inlaid on the side of this board further from the performer’s body are 13 studs (hui) made of mother-of-pearl, jade or other hard material, to mark the points at which harmonics and stopped notes can be produced. The bottom and flat board, which is usually made of zi wood (Catalpa kaempferi), has two largish and rectangular sound openings. The whole body of the qin is covered with layers of lacquer that contains keratin and ground particles of metal and other substances.

The qin uses a set of pegs, two anchors and a ridge (yueshan) to secure the strings. On the right-hand side are seven free-standing pegs through each of which string-carrier loops are threaded. The loops are, in return, threaded through seven openings by the right-hand end of the instrument, and are used to hook the knotted right-hand ends of the strings. Thus hooked, the strings sit on the ridge and are suspended above the fingerboard. On the left and bottom side of the qin are two small fixed anchors or feet, around which the strings are wound and approximately tuned. In recent years a device similar to a Western peg-box has sometimes been mounted on the bottom of the instrument, avoiding the strenuous attachment of the strings to the two anchors. Fine-tuning of the individual strings is done by turning the free-standing pegs, which operate like screws. The strings are traditionally made of silk, but silk-wrapped metal strings have gained acceptance since the 1950s.

All qin are structurally similar, but their sizes may vary within a narrow range, and their shapes differ decoratively. This structural standardization results not only from musical and organological needs but also from cosmological and metaphysical ideals. Despite actual variations, a qin is traditionally said to measure a little over 3 chi (feet) and 6 cun (inches), a number that corresponds to the 365 days of the year. The two sound openings in the bottom board are called respectively longchi (‘dragon pond’) and fengzhao (‘phoenix pond’), the two auspicious mythological animals representing yang and yin elements. The roundness and flatness of the two boards of the instrument symbolize Heaven and Earth. They are joined by man, the player, constituting a unity of the three most important beings in Chinese cosmology.

Traditionally, the qin is not only a musical instrument but also an objet d’art. Connoisseurs have long studied inscriptions and lacquer cracks on a qin to decide its age, origin, historical ownership and other distinctive features. It is said that with age the lacquer layers of a qin crack into patterns that render the instrument visually venerable and reveal its age. Inscriptions on the exterior surface of the bottom board of a qin record its poetic name, comments on its tone and identities of successive owners. Inscriptions on the interior surface of the bottom board, which can only be carved during building or rebuilding, reveal the identity of makers and rebuilders.

The fundamental tuning of the seven strings of the qin is: C–D–F–G–A–c–d, derived from a succession of 4ths, 5ths and their octaves generated according to cycles of fifths. When stopped at the points indicated by the 13 studs, the C string gives the following pitches: D, E, E, F, G, A, c, e, g, c', g', c''. When touched lightly at the studs, the string gives the following harmonics: c'', g', e', c', g, e', c, e', g, c', e', g', c'', which divide into two identical groups at the central seventh note. By tightening or loosening one or more strings of the fundamental tuning, four other tunings can be attained: C–E–F–G–B–c–e–C–D–F–G–B–c–d; C–E–F–G–B–c–d; C–D–E–G–A–B–d. There are about 30 other irregular tunings which are used in some unique, often ancient, pieces. Tuning and intonation are major concerns in qin theory because they are inseparable from modal usage and aesthetics.

The traditional notation for the qin, called jianzipu (simplified character notation), uses parts of Chinese characters to construct symbols that specify finger movements to produce individual musical tones (fig.2). The top portion indicates left-hand techniques and where they stop the strings; the bottom portion indicates right-hand techniques and the strings they pluck. For example, the sign in column 5 of fig.2 means stopping the second string at stud no.7 with the left-hand middle finger, while plucking the string with an inward (towards the body) movement of the right-hand middle finger. Jianzipu functions less as an authoritative notation than as an aid to memory. Some of its symbols, such as those for left-hand vibrato or portamento, can be interpreted differently. Though it does not specify rhythm precisely, interpretation may be aided by phrasing and durational markers, the rhythmic implications of some finger techniques and the programmatic nature of the piece. But the interpretation of jianzipu depends mainly on master-pupil transmission and on long experience of playing.

For Bibliography, see China, §IV, 4(ii)(a).

LIANG MING-YUEH/JOSEPH S.C. LAM