Aijieke
The sound box is a sphere — and inside it hides a skin you cannot see
Related
This is the eleventh bowed string in this section. The sound boxes of the first ten — round, hexagonal, octagonal, trapezoidal — are none of them a sphere.
The aijieke is a sphere. And inside the sphere hides a skin you cannot see.
「艾捷克的外型别致独特，琴筒球形，木制。内侧蒙蟒皮……⭐ 音色具有板面振动与皮面振动相结合的效果。」
⭐⭐ Main line 58: the spherical sound box — none of the first ten is a sphere.
| Class | Assignment |
|---|---|
| HS class | Chordophone · bowed (friction with a bow) · with definite pitch |
| Sub-type | mid-register bowed (⭐ spherical box made of two walnut half-shells · python membrane stretched between them, settable perpendicular or parallel to the panel · mulberry panel · ⭐ the bridge's two feet differ in length — the short one rests on the panel, the long one passes through it to the membrane, so panel and skin vibrate together · 1–4 melody strings (traditionally 1–3 of horsehair, the modern type four violin strings) · bow outside the strings · traditionally 5–10 resonance strings that are never stopped) · tuned in fifths (high g·d¹·a¹·e²) · about three octaves |
| Family | China · bowed strings (Uyghur · also called 「哈尔扎克」 · listed in the《律吕正义后编》as 回部乐 · types include dolan, Kucha-style, Tajik, Kuqa · close to the Tibetan gangan and the Central Asian ghijak / kamancheh) |
| Bayin | silk |
⭐⭐ One sphere, two materials sounding at once
| Part | How it is made |
|---|---|
| Box | ⭐ spherical, from two walnut half-shells |
| Inner membrane | ⭐ python skin stretched between them — ⭐ it may be set either perpendicular or parallel to the panel |
| Panel | mulberry wood |
| ⭐ Bridge | ⭐⭐ its two feet are of unequal length |
| Neck · string plate | pear · walnut |
| Stand | a rotating V-shaped rest so the angle can be adjusted |
⭐⭐ The bridge is the sentence to remember:
「弦马的两脚长短不一，短脚支在面板上，长脚则透过面板而顶在内皮膜上。」
⭐⭐ One bridge, two feet, one short and one long: the short foot rests on the wooden panel, the long foot passes through the panel and presses the python membrane from inside.
So when a string vibrates, two materials answer at once — wood panel and python skin. That is the mechanical reason behind "the tone combines panel vibration with skin vibration"; it is not mystery. And the membrane can be turned relative to the panel — ⭐ an adjustable resonator, which nothing else in this section has.
⭐⭐ A bridge on two materials, and more strings than you think
The sphere is the box; this section is about the strings — and here too there is something unique.
Resonance strings first. The traditional instrument splits its strings into two groups:
「艾捷克一般有主奏弦两条，在主奏弦的弦柱下另设有若干共鸣弦……演奏时用弓擦奏主奏弦，其它弦起共鸣作用。」
「两侧用金属弦各 5 根为共鸣弦。」（5 on each side; other variants give 6–8, 10, or 7）
⭐⭐ This is the only row of silent strings in the entire section. Compare:
| The "extra" strings elsewhere | ⭐ The aijieke's resonance strings | |
|---|---|---|
| How many | at most two (matouqin); four in two pairs (sihu) | ⭐ 5 to 10 |
| ⭐ Do you stop them | yes (the sihu's 2 and 4 are unison with 1 and 3) | ⭐ no — they are carried by the melody strings through the bridge |
| What they do | form the melody | ⭐ not melody at all — they add resonance and volume（原文：设共鸣弦「以增大音量」） |
⭐ Having one unstopped string on a plucked instrument is normal; having a row of unstopped strings on a bowed one is peculiar to this instrument.
Melody strings. Traditionally there were one to three, often horsehair (sometimes gut or metal). The modern instrument has four violin strings:
「近代理逐步改良，⭐ 摒弃了共鸣弦，主奏弦由一根增加到四根」; the 1950s new-type aijieke kept the dolan shape but enlarged the box, removed the skin for a panel, cancelled the resonance strings and fitted four violin strings, plus a V-shaped rotating stand.
⭐⭐ A reform by subtraction: the whole row of resonance strings is withdrawn and replaced by four proper melody strings. Subtraction is sometimes the harder direction — losing them means the volume and the thickness of the tone must be found again elsewhere.
⭐⭐ Three registers, three colours
⭐ The aijieke is the only instrument here divided into registers（the gaohu/zhonghu family does the same, but this one goes further）:
| Register | Tuning (fifths) | Range | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ high | g · d¹ · a¹ · e² | g–g³（three octaves） | fresh · bright |
| middle | c · g · d¹ · a¹（a fifth lower） | c–c³ | — |
| ⭐ low | G · d · a · e¹（an octave lower） | G–g²（three octaves） | full-bodied |
⭐ And the low register's reform is startlingly simple:
「采用大提琴弦，使用大提琴弓……⭐ 其演奏姿势和方法均与大提琴相同。」
⭐ A big body, a long base, developed in the 1960s by the Xinjiang song-and-dance troupe together with a Urumqi instrument factory — ⭐ for the bass register a national instrument simply took the cello's strings, bow, posture and method wholesale. The same judgement as the gehu ("lay it horizontal to supply the bass"): rather than invent a flawed new bass, import a working one.
艾捷克属拉弦弦鸣乐器（弓擦 · 维吾尔族）。按主奏弦分有一弦 · 二弦 · 三弦等传统形制，新型艾捷克为四根小提琴弦。定弦按五度关系：高音 g · d¹ · a¹ · e²（音域 g～g³ · 三个八度）· 中音比高音低五度 c · g · d¹ · a¹ · 低音比高音低八度 G · d · a · e¹。本图按高音四弦取 G3–G6 示意。记谱即实音。
⭐⭐ Three ways to play — and one of them is "play while you sing"
| Form | What actually happens |
|---|---|
| ⭐ self-accompanied singing | 「利用艾捷克，新疆人们在劳动之余，随时随地地自拉自唱……供他人来舞蹈和演唱」; folk players often sing narratives and anecdotes at the market while playing |
| ⭐⭐ with the frame drum | 「多与手鼓的合奏……在自娱性质的小型聚会上被普遍应用，一个人来演奏艾捷克，另一个人来演奏手鼓，为他人的唱歌舞蹈伴奏」 |
| in an ensemble | 「主要负责旋律的演奏，使得整体演奏具有强烈的异域风情」 |
⭐⭐ One detail in the drum pairing is worth singling out:
「⭐ 艾捷克的演奏者一般也是主唱者，而手鼓演奏者是帮唱者。」
⭐ One sings, one supports — a hierarchical pairing, not two equal parts. ⭐ In a small ensemble, who sings and who keeps time is fixed.
⭐ Names, origins, and a history that stops mid-sentence
The name comes from「哈尔扎克」in Qing court documents, an instrument of the 回部乐 ensemble; the《律吕正义后编》lists it there.⚠️ Academic sources also write「艾介克」「哀介克」.
Origins — ⚠️ no consensus; at least three accounts: ① ancient Persia, entering Central Asia around the 14th century, reaching Kashgar, ⭐ where resonance strings were added, producing the form we know; ② the prototype is the Persian kamancheh; ③ it may have grown out of China's early friction-string instruments. One researcher suggests the name may mean "the thing played by rubbing". ⚠️ Dates and place names are recorded exactly as the sources give them.
⭐ A vanished shape: the oldest dolan aijieke had ⭐ two wooden horns on its head, like a rawap; 「现已罕见」. And the Kucha aijieke (peach and apricot wood, flat head, seven pegs, seventeen frets, horsehide) 「二十世纪五十年代之后消亡」.
Neighbours: ⭐「它与藏族的根卡、中亚乌兹别克 · 土克曼 · 塔吉克等民族的吉查克十分相似， 尤其与流行在伊朗 · 土耳其和克什米尔地区的卡曼贾近似」.
Heritage: the Kucha-style 「哈密艾捷克」 entered the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous-region intangible heritage list in 2007; Abudulkrem·Usman wrote a《艾捷克教材》; Adil·阿不力孜 brought the instrument to international audiences; ⭐ and in 2024 the Central University for Nationalities began admitting students to an aijieke major.
Recap in one table
| Q | A |
|---|---|
| ⭐ The key point | ⭐⭐ the box is a sphere (two walnut half-shells) · ⭐⭐ the bridge's two feet differ in length — the short one rests on the panel, the long one passes through it to the inner membrane → panel and skin vibrate together |
| ⭐ The second rarity | ⭐⭐ a row of resonance strings（5–10 steel, never stopped, only added "to increase the volume"） |
| ⭐ A reform by subtraction | the 1950s new-type instrument dropped the resonance strings, replaced the skin with a panel and raised the melody strings from one to four（violin strings） |
| Tuning | ⭐ three registers: high g·d¹·a¹·e²（g–g³）· middle a fifth lower · low an octave lower |
| ⭐ How the low register was made | ⭐⭐ the cello was simply adopted — cello strings, cello bow, 「姿势和方法均与大提琴相同」 |
| Playing | bow outside the strings · normally with a frame drum; ⭐「the aijieke player is usually the singer, the drum player the support」 |
| Name | from the Qing court term 「哈尔扎克」, listed in the《律吕正义后编》as 回部乐 |
| Kinds | Dolan · Kucha-style（"Kucha huqin"）· Tajik（the only bowed string of that people）· Kucha（extinct after the 1950s） |
| Heritage | 2007 Xinjiang regional intangible heritage · aijieke major admitted in 2024 |
| Bayin | silk |
The previous page showed the matouqin moving the bow outside the strings to become an exception; this page shows the other direction taken by the erhu family — ⭐ not upward (more strings), but inward (a skin inside the box). ⭐⭐ Both are "doing what other instruments cannot": one changed how the bow works, the other changed how the box is built.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- ⭐⭐ 本批第 58 条主线：球形琴箱 —— 前十件都不是球，只有它是 —— 「艾捷克的外型别致独特，琴筒球形，木制。内侧蒙蟒皮，通过音柱与桐木板连接，使共鸣体形成两个半球形，周围有发音孔，琴托或转动，用以调整弓与弦的角度，⭐ 音色具有板面振动与皮面振动相结合的效果」；「琴箱呈圆球形，是用核桃木旋成的两个半壳合成，在两半壳间蒙以蟒皮作为内皮膜，⭐ 内皮膜的装置既可与面板垂直，也可以与面板平行」—— ⭐⭐ 前面这一整段拉弦乐器（二胡 · 板胡 · 革胡 · 中胡 · 马头琴 · 四胡 · 椰胡 …）的音箱都是"筒"—— 圆的、六方的、八方的、梯形的，只有艾捷克是个球
- ⭐⭐ 弦马的两只脚（本页最该记住的一条）：「面板用桑木制作，采用梨木琴杆 · 核桃木系弦板；⭐ 弦马的两脚长短不一，短脚支在面板上，长脚则透过面板而顶在内皮膜上」—— ⭐⭐ 一个弦马同时驱动两种材料：面板与皮膜。这就是"板面振动与皮面振动相结合"的机械原因
- ⭐⭐ 共鸣弦（本条目与胡琴族最不一样的地方）：传统艾捷克「一般有主奏弦两条，在主奏弦的弦柱下另设有若干共鸣弦，弓用竹片张马尾而成，演奏时用弓擦奏主奏弦，其它弦起共鸣作用」；「两侧用金属弦各 5 根为共鸣弦」；多朗一弦艾捷克「在琴杆中部两侧，设有 6~8 条钢丝共鸣弦，以增大音量」；三弦艾捷克「10 条钢丝共鸣弦」；哈密艾捷克「在琴柱一侧有七根（一说 4·5·7 或 8 条）钢丝共鸣弦」—— ⭐⭐ 这是全站唯一"一排不发声的弦"的乐器：它们不被按，只靠主奏弦经弦马带动一起响（对照：四胡的 2·4 弦是与 1·3 同度、要按；马头琴两弦都要按）
- ⭐⭐ 两种形态（当代并存）：「艾捷克乐器现有两种：一种仍保留共鸣弦，一种是没有共鸣弦的，常用的是后一种」；「近代理逐步改良，⭐ 摒弃了共鸣弦，主奏弦由一根增加到四根」，20 世纪 50 年代在多朗三弦艾捷克基础上制成新型艾捷克（又名哈尔扎克）：加大共鸣箱 · 去掉皮膜改蒙面板 · 取消共鸣弦 · 采用四根小提琴弦 · 底部设人字形转动支架—— ⭐⭐ 这是一次"减法改革"：把一排共鸣弦去掉，换成四根正经的主奏弦
- ⭐ 定弦（三档 + 低音）：高音艾捷克按五度关系 g · d¹ · a¹ · e²，音域 g～g³（三个八度）；中音艾捷克比高音低五度，常定 c · g · d¹ · a¹，音域 c～c³；低音艾捷克比高音低八度，定 G · d · a · e¹，音域 G～g²；⭐ 三个档位各有一种音色：「分别具有清新 · 明亮和浑厚的音色，优美而动听」；传统多朗三弦按四度定 d¹ · g¹ · c²
- ⭐⭐ 低音艾捷克（一次"直接照搬"的改革）：20 世纪 60 年代新疆维吾尔自治区歌舞团音乐工作者与乌鲁木齐市依堤伯克乐器厂的维吾尔族乐器制作师合作设计研制；⭐ 共鸣箱显著增大，球形体用 32 块核桃木板条拼粘胶合，面径 17 厘米，琴箱中部装有衬梁，纵断面蒙蟒皮内皮膜；琴头 · 琴杆用一块色木制成长 68 厘米；采用大提琴弦、使用大提琴弓；⭐ 「其演奏姿势和方法均与大提琴相同」，在新疆民族乐队中作为低音拉弦乐器使用依百科类资料
- ⭐⭐ 名字的来历：艾捷克这一名称源自清代宫廷文献中的「哈尔扎克」，「为当时回部乐中的乐器，后汉译为『艾捷克』」；清《律吕正义后编》将它列入「回部乐」；⚠️ 学术文献中还有「艾介克」「哀介克」等异写依百科类资料
- ⭐⭐ 起源（各说并列，均未成定论）：① 「起源于古代波斯，14 世纪左右传入中亚，流传在撒马尔罕 · 布哈拉等地，以后传入喀什一带，增加了一些共鸣弦，形成了有主奏弦和共鸣弦的原先艾捷克」；② 「有研究者认为，艾捷克的原型是古代波斯的弦乐器卡曼恰，在传播和发展中逐渐形成现今的形制」；③ 「有研究者认为艾捷克作为一种弓弦乐器，与我国早期的擦弦乐器有相似度，因此应当由此发展而来」；⚠️ 「学界对艾捷克的起源问题尚未形成共识」；另记「名称可能释译为『摩擦演奏的东西』」；⚠️ 年代与地名按来源原样记录，不作断代断言
- ⭐⭐ 种类划分（这一层最值得记）：按主奏弦分一弦 · 二弦 · 三弦艾捷克；按地区分多朗（刀郎）艾捷克（流行于和田 · 莎车 · 麦盖提 · 喀什 · 巴楚 · 阿瓦提 · 库车，全长约 100 厘米，琴杆圆柱形用椰木，共鸣箱半球形多用枣木，正面蒙羊皮或驴皮）· 哈密艾捷克（"因外形与胡琴相似又称哈密胡琴"，琴筒有木制和薄铁板卷制两种，前口蒙山羊皮 · 牛皮或蟒皮，「音色与中胡相似，优美动听，柔和而有厚度」）· 塔吉克艾捷克（琴杆长 56 厘米，琴头稍尖，共鸣箱为扁长方形铝铁板、右侧有椭圆形音孔，⭐ 是塔吉克族唯一的拉弦乐器）；另有龟兹艾捷克（曾流传于库车，二十世纪五十年代之后消亡）
- ⭐⭐ 三种演奏形式：① 自拉自唱 —— 「利用艾捷克，新疆人们在劳动之余，随时随地地自拉自唱一些曲调优美的民歌……供他人来舞蹈和演唱」；民间乐手常在集市上一边拉琴一边说唱民间传说与趣闻；② 与手鼓合奏 —— 「多与手鼓的合奏……在自娱性质的小型聚会上被普遍应用，一个人来演奏艾捷克，另一个人来演奏手鼓，为他人的唱歌舞蹈伴奏」，⭐ 民间专职乐手中「艾捷克的演奏者一般也是主唱者，而手鼓演奏者是帮唱者」；③ 乐队中演奏 —— 「主要负责旋律的演奏，使得整体演奏具有强烈的异域风情」依百科类资料
- ⭐⭐ 与胡琴族的渊源关系：「它与藏族的根卡、中亚乌兹别克 · 土克曼 · 塔吉克等民族的吉查克十分相似，⭐ 尤其与流行在伊朗 · 土耳其和克什米尔地区的卡曼贾近似」；⭐ 「这些新型四弦艾捷克，吸收了二胡和提琴的弓、指法」（连弓 · 短弓 · 顿弓 · 跳弓 · 碎弓；左手各种滑音 · 泛音 · 和弦及装饰音）依百科类资料
- ⭐⭐ 曲目与传承：独奏曲《古丽阿勒汗》（据库车同名民歌改编）·《恰尔尕木卡姆间奏曲》·《乌夏克木卡姆第一达斯坦间奏曲》·《疆》（艾捷克与西洋双管乐队融合，民族音乐交响化的尝试）；阿布都克力木·吾斯曼著有《艾捷克教材》并创作独奏改编曲《博木帕德》；阿地力·阿不力孜是艾捷克走向世界的代表人物；中央民族大学音乐学院 2024 年招生中包括艾捷克专业；「哈密艾捷克」2007 年列入新疆维吾尔自治区非物质文化遗产名录依百科类资料
- ⚠️ 五度体系与"无调"：预登记曾写「归属无调五声」，⚠️ 来源未如此表述 —— 已删除该说法；木卡姆另属另一套体系，不在本页处理范围
- 「艾捷克属八音中的丝」依通行资料
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.