Qinqin

[asiab]

I was wondering if anyone could help me find information about this instrument and possibly where i can get one.

thanks

[kyokuhon]

Hi, all,
I've seen them at two US sources: Lark in the Morning (larkinam.com, direct link: larkinam.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_CHI055_A_Chin+Chin_E_) and Clarion Music (clarionmusic.com: direct link: www.clarionmusic.com/index.php?action=item&id=18&prevaction=category&previd=1&prevstart=0). Their are probably more sources in or near China.

I don't know anything about how or when they're used, but I suspect they are mostly used for song accompaniment, like the mei hua qin. Perhaps, though, like the san xian, they're gaining some popularity for solos. Anyone closer to China have any comments?

Good luck!

Best, and keep playing!
K.

[johnwithajinghu]

you can see them used in probably every cantonese opera group in the US. there are a lot of different kinds too. like ones with snakeskin, fake skin, misc. animal skin, wooden face (no skin) even the meihuaqin (also called chiuzaukam/chaozhouqin) is sometimes concidered a qinqin. some people call it a banjiu (chinglish for banjo lol) too

john

[charliecharlieecho]

Strictly speaking, according to the Zhongguo Yinyue Cidian, a jinghu is used in Beijing opera and Han opera and the instrument used in Cantonese opera is a gaohu. The organological difference is that the gaohu's sound box is octagonal and the jinghu's is cylindrical and slightly smaller in diameter. the Gaihu is tuned g1 - d2 or a1 - e2 and its range is g1 - d4. the jinghu is tuned g1 - d2 and its range is g1 - f3.

[sanmenxia]

errr...the qinqin's a plucked lute with frets:
www.yuemi.net/pages1/buolan(mz.boxian1).htm
www.chinamedley.com/langyuan/qinqin
www.cyueqi.com/collect_info.php?news_id=61

The typical gaohu used in Cantonese opera is usually the trad Guangdong round bodied type (no base and held between the knees), whereas the non-round ones are usually played placed on the leg.

[davidmdahl]

sanmenxia said:

The typical gaohu used in Cantonese opera is usually the trad Guangdong round bodied type (no base and held between the knees), whereas the non-round ones are usually played placed on the leg.

I just got a gaohu from Eason with a round resonator and a base.

www.eason.com.sg/products/products_gaohu.jsp

It is hard to tell what is usual anymore, but I understand the between the knees type is getting rarer. I sold mine to my teacher to get a gaohu I could play in erhu position. It is a lot more comfortable to play.

Best wishes,

David

[charliecharlieecho]

sanmenxia said:

errr...the qinqin's a plucked lute with frets:
www.yuemi.net/pages1/buolan(mz.boxian1).htm
www.chinamedley.com/langyuan/qinqin
www.cyueqi.com/collect_info.php?news_id=61

Oops! I was thrown off course by the references to the different types of sounding membrane/board.

[davidmdahl]

The photo in the first link showing a qinqin with scalloped edges appears to have only three strings, while the general description indicates that the qinqin has two or four strings. Is that an aberration? The spacing on the frets seems to indicate diatonic tuning, rather than pentatonic. Is that true? There are still some Vietnamese instruments fretted pentatonically, such as the dan kim, but the Chinese seem to have Westernized their traditional instruments.

Best wishes,

David

[sanmenxia]

I've got a book on Shanghai silk and bammboo music (Jiangnan sizhu), and it mentions that the qinqin used in that music has three strings, but one of the strings is optional.

[kyokuhon]

Hi, all.
Once again, I'm no expert, and being here in semi-rural New England I have few opportunities to gain info, but all the instruments I've seen identified as "qin qin" appear to have three strings. In fact, I got interested in them because of my obsession with all things "san xian". They also seem to have diatonic fretting as David notes, and an equal-spaced one at that, which makes some notes "off" even in pentatonic scales. I had asked about that awhile back, and got a reply (I think from "johnwithajinghu") that, essentially, since they're almost always play in ensemble, you can basically "fake it" on the "bad" notes. However, I did see one photo listed (as a meihuaqin) from Clarion Music in San Francisco that seems to have chromatic fretting, though anyone who's taken a look at what we can gather about Tang dyn. music might hesitate to call that "westernized". Interestingly, they've removed that listing and their qin qin is 3-string with guitar shaped body, snake-skin resonator, and (apparently) equal 7-note octave.
Best, and keep playing!
C.

[johnwithajinghu]

every qinqin ive seen used in cantonese opera uses pentatonic fretting uless it was "converted" from a regular western banjo. all of these were purchased in southern china as long ago as maby like 50 years ago to as recent as aout 2 months ago, so they are still making istrumets with "chinese fretting. " most of them have 4 strings too. their tuned f-c-g-d when they have 4 strings ad c-d-g when they have 3.

[kyokuhon]

Hey, John and all,
John, by "pentatonic fretting" do you mean 5 frets to the octave (well, 6 including the octave or "8" fret), with very unequal spacing, like the Vietnamese dan nguyet, or the 7 frets we talked about so long ago?
Best, and keep playing,
K.