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Post by dustin on Jul 17, 2008 16:58:24 GMT
Hello,
I had a question about the yang qin that I was hopping someone would answer please.
I was told it was chromatic, can anyone direct me to a chart that shows how it is tuned? We had a yang qin player pass through Oklahoma City a few years back, but he really did not have time to discuss the tuning details of the instrument after the show.
I play music from a lot of different cultures and the American hammered dulcimer is not as versatile as I was hopping, so that is why I am looking for an alternative dulcimer.
If anyone could tell me how the yang qin is tuned, I would be very grateful.
Thank you,
Dustin Cooper
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 17, 2008 17:25:13 GMT
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Post by dustin on Jul 17, 2008 18:58:42 GMT
WOW! And I though it was confusing to learn the tuning set up for a 16/15 dulcimer! Thank you for posting those diagrams.
I imagine that there is a pattern on these instruments that make sense for the pentatonic scales, right?
There are these slider things on the left of the instrument. Do those change the tone a half step?
Thank you again!
Dustin
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 17, 2008 20:29:19 GMT
I don't know what you mean by sliders. The strings go over small cylinders that can be moved to adjust the pitch for particular notes. A friend who plays yangqin has described a techique his teacher uses for note-bending by moving the cylinders on the fly during a performance. I have never seen this done myself.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by dustin on Jul 17, 2008 20:45:01 GMT
Yes, that is what I meant. Thanks. They look like sliding things, so I just called them that.
As you have probably guessed, if I get a yang qin, I plan on playing a lot of different types of music on it (from folk dances of the West to Near East music too), so I am trying to figure out if it is as versatile as the Greek santori (which is not only rare, but really expensive and does not have as good of a sound as a yang qin).
Do not get me wrong, I like the American hammered dulcimer, but I really wish it had a few more flats in convent places on the instrument. But, I play for folk dancers and some times belly dancers too and when it comes to songs that have extra flats, I end up playing the weak part of the dulcimer and it gets awkward at times.
I hope this does not seem offensive to anyone by using it to play multi-culture music on. I have been doing that with the hammered dulcimer for 8 years, but that is considered a folk instrument, so no one really cares what I play on it.
Do you have any recommendations of where to buy a yang qin? I have a few places book marked, but I thought I should also get a couple of recommendations too.
As for Chinese music, I am getting a gu zheng in August (in fact, I discovered that instrument when I was starting my research on the yang chin, and I fell in love with the gu zheng).
Thank you again!
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Post by dustin on Jul 17, 2008 21:08:53 GMT
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 17, 2008 21:12:07 GMT
I imagine that there is a pattern on these instruments that make sense for the pentatonic scales, right? Not being a yangqin player, I can only guess based on recordings, but the yangqin is certainly not limited to pentatonic music. At the very least, the yangqin seems well suited to diatonic music, but it could be that some keys are easier to play in than others. There are some great tunes for erhu with yangqin that require a lot of chromatic flexibility, for example "Listening to the Pines" by Abing. Best wishes, David |
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Post by davidmdahl on Jul 17, 2008 21:31:29 GMT
Music of all sorts gets played on Chinese instruments by the Chinese themselves, so I cannot imagine anyone being offended by the use of a yangqin where it sounds good. I do not know of any sources for a yangqin in the USA that I can recommend with confidence. There is Lark in the Morning: larkinthemorning.com/search.asp?t=ss&sb=0&ss=yangqinI don't know about the quality of their offerings. I have more confidence in Eason Enterprises in Singapore, and have lots of good experience ordering from them. The yangqin is not listed on their website, but they should be able to help you. www.eason.com.sg/You might also check with Carol at Sound of China in the L.A. area (http://www.chinesezither.net/). Carol is primarily a source for guzheng, but she has periodic shipments from China and may be able to include a yangqin. I purchased my guzheng from Carol, and highly recommend her. Best wishes, David |
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Post by dustin on Jul 18, 2008 2:40:27 GMT
You might also check with Carol at Sound of China in the L.A. area (http://www.chinesezither.net/). Carol is primarily a source for guzheng, but she has periodic shipments from China and may be able to include a yangqin. I purchased my guzheng from Carol, and highly recommend her. Best wishes, David Yeah, she is the one I will be buying my guzheng from (either the Tianyi Rosewood Mother-of-Pearl Inlay or the Scarlet Bird Zhuque). She does come highly recommended and that is why I decided to order one from her (and she has been very helpful). Well, I am making myself wait until next Summer before I get a yang chin, but I just wanted to get a head start. Thank you for all of your help so far and I look forward to talking more about Chinese music when I get my guzheng. Cheers, D |
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