The ''duxianqin'' is a
Chinese plucked
string instrument
String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner.
Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the s ...
with only one string; it is derived from the Vietnamese ''
đàn bầu''. Chinese sources describe duxianqin as being an instrument of the
Jing (also spelled Gin or Kinh) ethnic group, who are
ethnic Vietnamese living in China. It is still commonly played by this ethnic group. Sometimes the body of the instrument is made from a large tube of
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
rather than wood, which is more common in Vietnam.
Cultural context
The ''duxianqin'' has been recognized by the Chinese government to be "a vehicle of '
intangible cultural heritage
An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. I ...
,' which can be defined as song, music, dance, drama, crafts and similar prized skills that can be recorded but not touched or interacted with."
The cultural significance of ''duxianqin'' as a traditional instrument for ethnic groups is commonly accepted and enjoyed within China. It is common for groups of ''duxianqin'' players to come together to play at large-scale and small-scale
Chinese festivals.
Playing the duxianqin
The ''duxianqin'' is played using
harmonic
A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', t ...
s, with the string's tension varied by the use of a flexible rod. The string is plucked with the right hand, and the pitch is simultaneously controlled with the left hand by moving the rod to adjust the tension on the string.
Depending on the direction that the rod is turned, either toward or away from the player, it will bend the pitch of the string to higher or lower notes.
See also
*
Đàn bầu
The đàn bầu (; "gourd zither"; chữ Nôm: ), also called độc huyền cầm (獨絃琴, "one-string zither") is a Vietnamese stringed instrument, in the form of a monochord (one-string) zither.
History
While the earliest written records o ...
*
Diddley bow
*
Traditional Chinese musical instruments
References
External links
Photograph of a ''duxianqin''
(Chinese)
''Duxianqin'' page
(Chinese)
Video
''Duxianqin'' video''Duxianqin'' video''Duxianqin'' video
Chinese musical instruments
Box zithers
Monochords
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