CHINESE QIN MUSIC Qin or Guqin What is
- Slides: 7
CHINESE QIN MUSIC
Qin or Guqin – What is it? Plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument
Guqin – What is it? Guqin - http: // www. youtube. com/watch? v=B 8 F 0 G 4 QEQYg Gu zheng - http: // www. youtube. com/watch? v=6 -Vyh. DGv. WBo
Qin – How was its music written down? • • Use of chart to indicate the fingering and various finger techniques (pluck, stop, touch etc. ) Indication of pitch and rhythm is minimal Tablature form (fingering) instead of staff notation form (pitch) Da-pu, a process of transcribing ancient tablatures into playable form is required in performing Guqin music
Qin – Common Playing Technique • “Scattered Sounds” – Open strings • “Floating Sounds” – Harmonics • “Stopped Sounds” – Pressed strings
Qin – Commonly used pitches • Recall – Major and/or Minor scale in Western Music • Like most ancient Chinese tunes, Guqin music is mostly based on the major pentatonic scale • An example, C/D/E/G/A/C or D/E/G/A/B/D
Qin – Musical Essentials • Western Music – Focus is on Harmony • • Recall 12 -bar blues – Bass progression (foundation of Harmony) is the “identity” and “driving force” Chinese Guqin Music – Focus is on Instrumental Timbre (instrumental “colours”) • Recall the different varieties of “sounds” in the music – including scrapping of the string, pitch bending, glissando, harmonics etc.
