Bow technique and character in the bowed strings
Thirteen bowed strings: where the bow bears, how many strings, where the sound comes from
Related
Thirteen bowed strings are done in this section. What separates them comes down to three questions:
Where does the bow bear? How many strings? Where does the colour come from?
| Class | Assignment |
|---|---|
| HS class | Chordophone · bowed (friction with a bow) · with definite pitch |
| Scope | ⭐⭐ an overview of thirteen bowed Chinese strings（erhu · banhu · jinghu · gaohu · zhonghu · gehu · zhuihu · yehu · sihu · matouqin · aijieke · saer · niutuiqin）—— ⭐⭐ it introduces no new facts, only sets side by side what those entries already state; ⭐⭐ only after laying them out do the three dividing lines appear: ① bow inside the strings (nine) vs outside (four) ② how many strings — from one, to four, to one plus a row never stopped ③ where the colour comes from — five different methods |
| Three side lines | ① a row of un-stopped strings, three divisions of labour（sihu splits its bow hair / aijieke's each have their own pitch = a player / saer's are the harmonic series = a sound engineer）· ② two routes to modulation（change the strings, or change the fingering — the saer's 18 frets + 5 high frets）· ③ borrowing a finished solution（matouqin's bow outside / the low aijieke's cello strings / the gehu laid horizontal） |
| Bayin | silk |
⭐⭐ This page adds no new instrument — it simply lays the thirteen side by side, and only then do three dividing lines appear.
⭐⭐ Dividing line 1: bow inside the strings, or outside
The hardest gate in this family. Of the thirteen, nine have the hair between the strings, four graze outside them:
| Bow between (nine) | ⭐ Bow outside (four) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | erhu · banhu · jinghu · gaohu · zhonghu · gehu · zhuihu · yehu · sihu | ⭐ matouqin · aijieke · saer · niutuiqin |
| The bow's situation | ⭐ held by the strings, bears on both sides | ⭐ set against them from outside, bears one way only |
| ⭐⭐ How many pitches at once | one at a time within a position | ⭐⭐ two at once (an interval) |
| The hand's angle | the bow is supported, the angle is forgiving | ⭐⭐ you manage it yourself — 「keep the hair and the string at right angles」 |
| Which way the tone faces | soft · clear · inward | ⭐ broad · low · free |
⭐⭐ Look at the third row: moving the bow outside buys a capability nothing else has.
The matouqin did it first — and to get double stops the others must work: ⭐ the sihu splits its bow hair in two; ⭐ the erhu presses the hair against both strings. ⭐⭐ The matouqin does nothing special — it can do it by nature.
⭐⭐ "Keep the right angle" is the common requirement of the outside-bow group, because the hair is not held by the strings but set against them from outside — so the player owns the angle.
⭐⭐ Dividing line 2: how many strings
The answers run from one to one plus a row, and each answer buys something different:
| Strings | Who | ⭐⭐ What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| one (about an octave) | ⭐ niutuiqin | ⭐ narrow is a strength: no need to rewrite tunes for a singer |
| two | erhu · banhu · jinghu · gaohu · zhonghu · gehu · zhuihu · yehu · aijieke (dolan) · saer · matouqin | the standard |
| ⭐ two, but only one is bowed | ⭐⭐ saer（1 melody + 9–13 resonance） | ⭐ the resonance strings only add colour |
| four | ⭐ sihu（1·3 and 2·4 in unison）· the modern aijieke | ⭐ new tuning without moving the bridge |
| ⭐ a row that is never stopped | ⭐⭐ aijieke（5–10）· saer（9–13） | see below |
| several tunings / registers | ⭐ matouqin（three tunings）· aijieke（high / middle a fifth lower / low an octave lower） | ⭐ pitch relationships set by restringing |
⭐⭐ Dividing line 3: where the colour comes from
There are five completely different methods, and each family's own "signature" sits in one of the cells:
① Where the skin is ⭐⭐ Skin on both faces（matouqin）→ the sound is sealed in a smaller space → thick and dark ② A row of un-stopped resonance strings ⭐⭐ the only family anywhere that plays this game (see below) ③ One adjustable part ⭐⭐ the sound post（niutuiqin）→ ⭐⭐ the only instrument here adjustable while playing ④ Where the bow is ⭐⭐ outside the strings → two pitches at once（matouqin） ⑤ Just borrow someone else's strings ⭐ the low aijieke's strings are cello strings
⭐⭐ None of the five is better — they just answer different questions. Want double stops? move the bow. Want double stops from an in-between bow? handcraft the hair. Want to sit against a voice? add something you can turn with one hand.
⭐⭐ Side line 1 · a row of un-stopped strings: three divisions of labour
Only this family carries a row of strings that the left hand never stops — they sound only because the melody strings set them going. ⭐⭐ But three methods exist, and they produce entirely different results:
| ⭐ Method | Who | ⭐⭐ What it produces |
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ split the bow hair in two | sihu | ⭐⭐ one strand per string → two unison strings speak → two pitches |
| ⭐ each resonance string tuned to its own pitch | ⭐⭐ aijieke | ⭐⭐ g · c¹ · d¹ · e¹ · g¹ · a¹ · b¹ · d² → ⭐⭐ it carries the melody — it is a player |
| ⭐ resonance strings tuned to the harmonic series | ⭐⭐ saer | ⭐⭐ only resonance and colour → ⭐⭐ it is a sound engineer |
⭐⭐ Within one family: one makes the bow do handwork, one makes the strings sing, one makes the strings colour the tone.
⭐⭐ And none of the four is the first inventor — the sihu, aijieke, saer, rawap and seyit fall into different traditions (northeastern Chinese, Central Asian, 回部乐). ⭐⭐ They share the idea, each with its own solution.
⭐⭐ Side line 2 · two ways to modulate
There are only two routes to "can play in any key":
Route A · more strings, so you can change them ⭐ sihu（four strings）· matouqin（three tunings: g·c¹ / d¹·a / d¹·g） · ⭐ aijieke（three registers）
Route B · few strings, but a complete fingerboard ⭐⭐ saer: 18 frets on the neck plus 5 high frets on the soundboard, ⭐ laid out in twelve-tone temperament → ⭐⭐ with one fixed melody string it can play in any key without restringing or moving the bridge
⭐⭐ These are the two ideas worth learning from this whole family: change the strings, or change the fingering. Most of the first nine went the "change the strings" way; ⭐ the saer proves "few strings" can work too — at the price of one octave of range.
⭐⭐ Side line 3 · borrowing someone else's finished solution
Three places in this family, meeting a problem they could not solve, chose to borrow one that was already solved:
⭐ matouqin · moved the bow outside the strings → ⭐⭐ double stops for free, while the others must work for them
⭐ the low aijieke · borrowed the cello outright 1960s, Urumqi instrument factory: ⭐⭐「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」
⭐ gehu · lay horizontal to supply the bass
⭐⭐ One judgement shared by all three: rather than invent a flawed new solution, import a finished one.
⭐ The bow techniques: bowing is not just "pulling"
⭐ Right hand: 长弓 · 短弓 · 连弓 · 分弓 · 顿弓 · 击弓 · 碎弓 · 抖弓 · 跳弓 · 连跳弓 · 砍弓 · 连砍弓
⭐⭐ The last few were only added to the matouqin in Qi Baoligao's third reform, together with techniques from the violin, erhu, sihu and cello (see Matouqin).
⭐⭐ The names themselves carry the action: ⭐ 跳弓 breaks the string into points · ⭐ 碎弓 rapid alternation · ⭐ 砍弓 chops. ⭐ Change the bow technique and you change the action; change the action and you change the tone.
⭐ Left hand: 揉 · 滑 · 颤 · 带 · 打音 · 擞音 · 泛音 · 拨弦 · 弹弦 ⭐⭐ Every instrument here has 揉, and ⭐⭐ 揉 is the one gesture most like the human voice — which is why the saer and the niutuiqin both lean on it to sit close to a sung line.
⭐⭐ Recap: three sentences to remember this family
| Q | A |
|---|---|
| ⭐ where the bow bears | ⭐⭐ inside for nine（erhu·banhu·jinghu·gaohu·zhonghu·gehu·zhuihu·yehu·sihu）· ⭐ outside for four（matouqin·aijieke·saer·niutuiqin）→ ⭐⭐ outside gives double stops, but the hand must own the angle |
| ⭐ how many strings | ⭐ one（niutuiqin — narrow is the strength）· two（most）· four（sihu / modern aijieke）· ⭐ one melody plus a row never stopped（saer）· several tunings（matouqin / aijieke） |
| ⭐ where the colour comes from | ⭐⭐ five methods: where the skin is（matouqin, both faces）· a row of un-stopped strings（aijieke = player / saer = engineer）· one adjustable part（niutuiqin post）· where the bow is（matouqin → double stops）· someone else's strings（the low aijieke） |
| ⭐⭐ Three side lines | ① a row never stopped（split hair / own pitches / harmonic series）· ② two routes to modulation（change strings / change fingering）· ③ borrow a finished solution（bow outside / the cello / laid horizontal） |
| ⭐ Bow techniques | right: 长弓 · 短弓 · 连弓 · 分弓 · 顿弓 · 击弓 · 碎弓 · 抖弓 · 跳弓 · 连跳弓 · 砍弓 · 连砍弓 ⭐ left: 揉 · 滑 · 颤 · 带 · 打音 · 擞音 · 泛音 |
Nothing in this family is the standard answer. ⭐ Want double stops? move the bow（matouqin）. Want double stops without moving it? handcraft the hair（sihu）. Want to sit against a voice? add a part you can turn（niutuiqin）. Need a bass? don't build one — borrow a set（the low aijieke）.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- ⭐⭐ 本页是13 件拉弦乐器（erhu · banhu · jinghu · gaohu · zhonghu · gehu · zhuihu · yehu · sihu · matouqin · aijieke · saer · niutuiqin）的总览，把散在各条里的技术线索收成三条副线 + 一张对照表；它不引入新事实，只把已有条目里已经写过的内容并排放在一起 ⭐⭐ 并排之后才看得出三个"分水岭"
- ⭐⭐ 副线一 · 一排不被按的弦（全站唯一的三种分工）：这一族里有些乐器带一排不被左手按、只靠主奏弦带动一起响的弦 —— ⭐⭐ 三种做法完全不同：四胡用弓毛劈成两股（一股一根，两股各拉一根）→ 两声齐鸣；⭐ 艾捷克的共鸣弦各自定不同音（g·c¹·d¹·e¹·g¹·a¹·b¹·d²）→ ⭐⭐ 本身有旋律性，是"乐手"；⭐ 萨它尔的共鸣弦定主奏弦本调的泛音列 → ⭐⭐ 只调颜色，是"音响师"；⭐ 弹布尔 / 塞依吐尔（拨弦，同源）把五根弦组合成三组；⭐⭐ 四件都出自"回部乐"或同一个中亚弓弦脉络 —— 都不是"一排不发声的弦"这个创意的首发明者
- ⭐⭐ 副线二 · 为"转调"设计的两种办法：办法 A —— 弦多所以能换：四胡四根弦（1·3 与 2·4 同度）· 马头琴三种定弦（反四度 g·c¹ / 正四度 d¹·a / 正五度 d¹·g）· ⭐ 艾捷克三档（高音 / 中音低五度 / 低音低八度）；办法 B —— 弦少但指板全：⭐⭐ 萨它尔指板 18 品 + 面板 5 个高音品，按十二平均律排列，主奏弦只有一根且定弦固定（常在 B~d，常定 c）→ ⭐ 不换弦、不动琴马也能演奏各调。⭐ 这是整段拉弦里最值得学的两个思路：换弦，还是换指法
- ⭐⭐ 副线三 · 直接搬别人的低音方案：⭐ 马头琴把弓挪到弦外（弓毛不夹在两弦之间）→ 因而生来能奏双音，其余九件都要费劲（sihu 劈弓毛 / 二胡压弦）· ⭐ 艾捷克的低音档直接用大提琴弦 + 大提琴弓，「其演奏姿势和方法均与大提琴相同」（20 世纪 60 年代，乌鲁木齐乐器厂）· ⭐ 革胡为补低音而横置 —— ⭐⭐ 三个共同判断：与其造一件有缺陷的新低音/新方案，不如把成熟的现成做法引进来
- ⭐⭐ 分水岭一 · 弓在弦内还是弦外（本族最硬的一道）：弓毛夹在两弦之间 —— 二胡 · 板胡 · 京胡 · 高胡 · 中胡 · 革胡 · 坠胡 · 椰胡 · 四胡（九件，弓被弦"夹住"，两侧都能受力）；⭐ 弓在两弦之外擦奏 —— ⭐ 马头琴 · 艾捷克 · 萨它尔 · 牛腿琴（四件，弓只能单向吃力，⭐⭐ 但换来一个别人没有的本事：能奏双音）。⭐⭐ 这是"一拉就响"与"一拉两个音"的分野 —— 而 ⭐ 马头琴的"保持直角"就是弓在弦外那一派的共同要领（弓毛只有靠"弓杆与弦垂直"这个角度才擦得稳，因为它是自己架在弦旁边、不是被弦夹住的）
- ⭐⭐ 分水岭二 · 弓毛与弦是什么材料：马尾（多数）· ⭐ 棕丝（牛腿琴的弓与弦都是棕的 → 「发音纤柔而略带嘶声」）· ⭐ 钢丝 / 金属（新改的四弦乐器）· 尼龙（马头琴改革时用以代马尾）；⭐ 牛腿琴是全族唯一"弓与弦都不是常规材料"的 → ⭐⭐ 贴人声不是把弦做亮，是把弦做粗
- ⭐⭐ 分水岭三 · 音色靠什么获得（本族有五种完全不同的办法）：① 蒙皮的位置：⭐ 双面蒙皮（马头琴 →声音被封在小空间 → 浑厚深沉）·单面蒙皮（其余）· ⭐ 蟒皮内皮膜 + 桑木面板同时振动（艾捷克）；② 弦的排列：⭐ 一排不被按的共鸣弦（见副线一）；③ 一个可调件：⭐⭐ 音柱（牛腿琴 → 全族唯一"能边奏边调音量"）；④ 弓的用法：⭐⭐ 弓在弦外 → 能奏双音（马头琴）；⑤ 直接换一套弦：⭐ 低音艾捷克的弦就是大提琴的弦
- ⭐ 弓法清单（各家大同小异）：右手长弓 · 短弓 · 连弓 · 分弓 · 顿弓 · 击弓 · 碎弓 · 抖弓 · 跳弓 · 连跳弓 · 砍弓 · 连砍弓；⭐⭐ 砍弓与连砍弓是齐·宝力高第三次改革才加进马头琴的（连同小提琴 · 二胡 · 四胡 · 大提琴的技巧一起引入）；左手揉 · 滑 · 颤 · 带 · 打音 · 擞音 · 泛音 · 拨弦 · 弹弦。⭐ 弓法不只"拉"：⭐ 跳弓断弦连点、⭐ 碎弓 rapid 交替、⭐ 砍弓像剁—— ⭐⭐ 这些名字本身就带着动作，换弓法就换动作，换动作就换语气
- ⭐⭐ "弓在弦外"那一派还共有一个"弦外右手"要领：⭐ 牛腿琴弓在弦上、萨它尔弓在弦外，⭐⭐ 但两者都强调右手持弓的位置：⭐ 牛腿琴的弓是细竹杆 + 棕丝或马尾；⭐ 萨它尔「右手持弓方法与艾捷克相同」；⭐⭐ 弓在弦外的那四件都不靠弓的两侧受力，所以手的角度就是音色的第一道关口 —— ⭐⭐ 这也解释了为什么牛腿琴要把音量做成一个手边的音柱：别的乐器靠弓法换音色，它直接给了一个可拧的件
- ⭐⭐ 一条贯穿全族的实用判据 · 弓压在哪一侧：在正文里对照各家时，最容易忽略也最要紧的一句是 ⭐ "弓在弦外" —— ⭐⭐ 它同时决定三件事：① 能奏几个音（弦外 → 双音）· ② 手要不要管角度（弦外 → 必須保持直角）· ③ 音色朝哪一边（弦外 → 洪阔 · 低沉 · 豪放；弦内 → 柔和 · 清亮 · 内敛）
- ⭐⭐ 收口 · 三句记住这一族：⭐ 弓压在哪儿（弦内九件 / 弦外四件）·⭐ 弦有几根（一根到四根，或一根主奏 + 一排不被按的）· ⭐ 音色从哪儿来（蒙皮的位置 · 共鸣弦 · 一个可调件 · 弓的位置 · 或者直接换一套别人的弦）
- 「拉弦乐器属八音中的丝」依通行资料
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.