source file: m1605.txt
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 08:58:15 -0500

Subject: TUNING digest 1604

From: Daniel Wolf <DJWOLF_MATERIAL@compuserve.com>

Carl Lumma wrote:

"Say... what's a ch'in?"

This ancient board zither is the 'scholars' instrument' of Chinese
civilization, often badly mistranslated as 'lute' (in an attempt to captu=
re
the milleau of the instrument). It combines the scholarly aspects of the
western monochord with a sensitivity to the aesthetics of the pitch-timbr=
e
continuum that remains largely unsurpassed in music history. The instrume=
nt
itself is an object of great reverence and respect, played with a minimum=

of physical contact by the player (contrasting, for example, with the way=
 a
guitarist or veena player embraces the instrument). The instrument is
extremely quiet, played upon a tabletop for an audience consisting of onl=
y
the player himself (traditionally women were not allowed to play). If you=

have the opportunity to hear a ch'in played in public, please try to have=

the player play without amplification. Although the osund will only bbe o=
n
the threshold of perception, it has an unmistakeable presence.

There are several good web pages about the ch'in (also look for 'chin' an=
d
'qin'). There are many excellent recordings, but stick generally to those=

with silk strings (i.e. don't bother with most recordings from the PRC,
excepting perhaps the CD by Wu Wen Guang -- a former colleague -- who pla=
ys
beautifully despite his steel strings).