Niutuiqin
A sound post you can push and pull — and you play it while walking
Related
Across the twelve bowed strings written so far, each one gets its volume a different way: the erhu leans on the bow, the yehu moves the bow outside the strings, the aijieke relies on a python membrane, the saer on a row of resonance strings.
Only this one makes volume a little wooden peg you push, pull and turn.
「演奏时常在音孔中插入一根直径稍细的圆木钉作为音柱，⭐ 通过推进、拉出或旋转木钉，可以调节琴的音量和音色。」
⭐⭐ Main line 60: a sound post you can push and pull — the only bowed string here whose volume you can adjust while playing.
| Class | Assignment |
|---|---|
| HS class | Chordophone · bowed (friction with a bow) · with definite pitch |
| Sub-type | mid-register bowed (⭐ adjustable sound post: a round sound hole at the lower right of the soundboard · a round wooden post sits in it · ⭐ pushed, pulled or rotated to change volume and tone · bow hair outside the two strings) · long gourd-shaped cavity carved from one block of wood (fir preferred, boat-bottomed back, paulownia face) · one hardwood peg on each side of the square head · ⭐ neither fingerboard nor frets · bamboo or wooden bridge + rawhide lashing · two strings (palm rope → silk → now mostly steel) · ⭐ bow of thin bamboo with palm fibre or horsehair (55–65 cm) · one position, about one octave |
| Family | China · bowed strings (Dong · among the Dong communities of Guizhou, Guangxi and Hunan · in Dong 「郭各」 · named for its cow-shank shape, and for its goat-like head horns also 「牛巴腿」/「羊角弦」 · the Biyue niutuiqin of the Hani is a different people's instrument of the same name, mentioned here only for comparison) |
| Bayin | silk |
⭐⭐ One hole, one peg, one hand
A round sound hole in the middle of the soundboard (right side or left) — ⭐ the sound post goes into that hole, and it has three motions: push in, pull out, and ⭐ rotate.
All three change volume and tone. None of the other twelve can be adjusted *while* playing. The erhu's volume depends on how hard the bow leans; the saer's thickness comes from its resonance strings; the aijieke's membrane was fixed at the factory. ⭐ The niutuiqin makes it a part the player holds.
⭐ That is also the technical precondition for its famous quality — being able to stay close to the singing voice: when the singer wants something softer, you turn the peg back; when a passage needs to carry, you push it in. You never have to change your bow technique to change volume.
⭐⭐ Neither its strings nor its bow are conventional materials
This is where its colour really comes from:
「⭐⭐ 与其它中国拉弦乐器相比，牛腿琴有着与众不同的特点——它的乐音是通过棕丝弓毛摩擦棕绳弦发出的，因此牛腿琴发音纤柔，并且略带嘶哑的效果，音色别具一格，能够与人声密切地配合。」
⭐⭐ Across the other twelve: strings are silk, steel, metal or nylon; bow hair is horsehair or palm fibre. ⭐ Only this one has neither a conventional string nor a conventional bow — ⭐ palm-fibre hair against a palm-rope string.
⭐ That "slightly hoarse" quality comes from right here: palm fibre drawn across a string is not the silken, oiled tone of a silk string, so the sound is thin and soft with a slight edge.
⭐⭐ And that is exactly why it sits so well with the voice: the Dong grand song and the narrative songs need a timbre that clings to the human voice. The answer was not a brighter string but a rougher one that matches the grain of singing.
The materials moved along too: strings began as fine palm rope, then silk, now mostly steel; the bow is a thin bamboo stick with palm fibre or horsehair, 55–65 cm long.
⭐⭐ One octave of range — and that is a strength
「只用一个把位演奏，音域只有一个八度。」
⭐⭐ That sentence reads like a defect anywhere else; here it is exactly the point. Tunings vary by region and use — mostly in fifths, sometimes a fourth or a minor third: g·d¹ · c¹·g¹, d¹·a¹, d¹·g¹ or e¹·g¹.
⭐⭐ Why does narrow help? Because it has to match the voice. Dong grand songs live in this register, so ⭐ a narrow range means no need to rewrite a tune to accommodate it. And it frequently sounds two strings at once in fifths, which gives width inside that narrow span.
⭐ The range has been widened too: ⭐ 「经改良可拉到两个八度以上，甚至将近三个八度， 有希望填补中国高音弦乐空白」.
⭐⭐ The second posture: the tail against the left shoulder
The other twelve are played sitting or clamped between the knees. This one has a rare standing posture:
Seated (larger instrument): the lower box clamped between the knees, face forward, bow outside the strings.
⭐⭐ Standing (smaller instrument):
「将琴的尾端顶在左肩与左胸之间，琴面朝上，左手托持琴颈，用食指 · 中指和无名指 按弦，右手执弓在弦上拉奏—— ⭐⭐ 这种奏法在我国各族民间拉弦乐器中极为少见，它和演奏小提琴的姿势有些相似。」
⭐ The tail rests on the shoulder and the face turns upward — the posture is violin-like, but the soundboard faces the sky, so the post hole faces the player: ⭐ easy to reach and turn.
⭐⭐ Another account is more specific: the body is slung diagonally across the chest and the posture is 「略似小提琴」 — and ⭐⭐ 「牛腿琴还可边走边奏」.
⭐⭐ "Played while walking" is the sentence worth keeping here — none of the other eleven can be played on the move.
⭐⭐ Nearly every Dong young man has one
「在侗族人民的文化生活中，牛腿琴占有重要地位……⭐⭐ 几乎每个侗族的男青年都有一把牛腿琴，每逢节日或农闲之时，他们便拉起牛腿琴，边走边唱，到亲戚朋友家去作客。 据说，只要牛腿琴在侗乡一奏响，人们就会寻声而来，聚集一堂，拉琴歌唱。」
⭐⭐ "As soon as it sounds, people come" — this is an instrument with summoning power.
Its occasions: accompaniment for niutuiqin songs, Dong grand songs and narrative songs; solo; ensemble; ⭐ self-accompanied singing, or ⭐ a man playing while a woman sings; and at weddings it plays with the pipa.
Names: named for its long slender body like a cow's shank; in Dong 「郭各」; and because its head has two horns like a goat's, also 「牛巴腿」 and 「羊角弦」.
History: a Ming record (沈庠等纂《贵州图经新志》) says it already had six hundred years of history; research suggests it was already formed in the Tang (⚠️ dates as given).
⭐⭐ A very practical set of reforms — and a real reason behind them
| What changed | Why |
|---|---|
| ⭐ the box was enlarged | volume too small |
| ⭐ a hole was cut in the soundboard beside the bridge | ⭐ to give the post somewhere to live |
| ⭐ a round wooden post was fitted between soundboard and back | ⭐ no longer turned by hand — now held against the box |
| ⭐ a fingerboard was added | it originally had neither fingerboard nor frets |
| ⭐ silk / steel strings and a horsehair bow replaced palm rope and palm fibre | volume and stability |
| ⭐⭐ a bent metal bracket at the tail lets the body be held under the arm | ⭐⭐「既减轻了演奏者左手的负担」 |
⭐⭐ That last one is the most player-minded single change in the whole section — nothing among the other twelve ever considered freeing the left hand.
⭐ And the context behind the reform is a real change in life: 「面临传承困境，因年轻人外出打工，侗族优秀传统文化脱离了传统的地域生境」. In January 2015 the Dong grand-song music drama 《行歌坐月》 premiered at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and the niutuiqin has since appeared in Germany, France, Spain and the Czech Republic.
Recap in one table
| Q | A |
|---|---|
| ⭐ The key point | ⭐⭐ a post sits in a hole in the soundboard and can be pushed, pulled or rotated to change volume and tone — ⭐⭐ the only bowed string here adjustable while playing, and the technical reason it can sit so close to the voice |
| ⭐⭐ Where its colour comes from | ⭐⭐ palm-fibre hair against palm-rope strings → 「纤柔而略带嘶声，音量较小，能与人声密切结合」; ⭐ neither string nor bow is a conventional material |
| ⭐⭐ Range | ⭐⭐ one position, one octave — ⭐ narrow is the strength: it does not have to rewrite tunes to suit a singer; often sounds two strings in fifths |
| Tuning | varies by region: mostly fifths (g·d¹·c¹·g¹ / d¹·a¹ / d¹·g¹ / e¹·g¹), also fourths or minor thirds |
| ⭐⭐ Second posture | ⭐⭐ standing: the tail against the left shoulder and chest, soundboard facing up — 「极为少见」among Chinese bowed strings; ⭐ 「还可边走边奏」 |
| Form | carved from one block of wood (fir preferred) into a long gourd-shaped cavity with a paulownia face, boat-bottomed back · 50–85 cm long · ⭐ no fingerboard and no frets · a round sound hole for the post |
| ⭐⭐ Social role | ⭐⭐ 「几乎每个侗族的男青年都有一把牛腿琴」· 「只要牛腿琴在侗乡一奏响，人们就会寻声而来」· played while walking · a man playing while a woman sings |
| Reforms | bigger box · hole beside the bridge + a wooden post between soundboard and back · fingerboard · silk/steel strings · ⭐⭐ a metal bracket to clamp the body under the arm ("frees the left hand") |
| Names | for its cow-shank shape · Dong 「郭各」· 「牛巴腿」/「羊角弦」from its goat-like horns |
| Bayin | silk |
The previous page showed the saer's resonance strings only colouring the tone; this page shows the niutuiqin making volume itself a part you turn with one hand — ⭐⭐ both are "to get the string near the voice": one adds strings, one adjusts a peg.
牛腿琴属拉弦弦鸣乐器（弓擦 · 弓毛在两弦外侧擦奏）。定弦因地域和用途不同而有异，多以五度关系，也按四度或小三度；常见 g·d¹ · c¹·g¹、d¹·a¹、d¹·g¹ 或 e¹·g¹。本图按五度关系 d¹–g¹ 取 G4–G5 示意。牛腿琴只用一个把位演奏，音域约一个八度，但常同时用双弦奏出五度和音。记谱即实音。
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 60 条主线：一根可以推拉旋转的音柱 —— 全站唯一"能调音量"的拉弦乐器 —— 「演奏时常在音孔中插入一根直径稍细的圆木钉作为音柱，⭐ 通过推进、拉出或旋转木钉，可以调节琴的音量和音色」；⭐ 面板中部右侧（或左侧）开有一个圆形出音孔，可插入音柱 —— ⭐⭐ 全站前十二件拉弦乐器里，没有一件能这样"边奏边调"：二胡的音量靠弓压，萨它尔靠共鸣弦， AI 捷克的蟒皮膜是固定的，而牛腿琴把音量做成了手边的一个可调件。⭐ 这也是它"能与人声密切结合"的技术前提
- ⭐⭐ 形制（一整段木料掏出来的）：琴体用一整段木料制成（传统多用杉木），下半部分挖空，上面蒙杉木或桐木面板；⭐ 共鸣箱系在半边原木一端挖凿出长瓢形腹腔，琴背呈船底形 · 琴箱长 22~36 厘米 · 宽 8~12 厘米 · 厚 5~6 厘米；全长 50~85 厘米（材料还有桐木 · 松木 · 椿木 · 杨木或杂木，「以选用纹理顺直、无疤节的杉木为佳」）；面板中部右侧（或左侧）开有一个圆形出音孔，可插入音柱 · 琴头方柱形，平顶无饰，长 7~12 厘米，弦槽后开，两侧各设一个硬木弦轴（左上右下）或两轴同设右侧，琴头正面下方开有两个弦孔以穿弦；⭐ 琴颈前平后圆、上窄下宽，正面用于按弦，不设指板和品位；在面板下方 2/3 处置竹或木制桥形琴马，下端设有牛皮缚弦用以系弦依百科类资料
- ⭐⭐ 两弦的材料（这是它音色特别的原因）：⭐⭐ 「与其它中国拉弦乐器相比，牛腿琴有着与众不同的特点——它的乐音是通过棕丝弓毛摩擦棕绳弦发出的，因此牛腿琴发音纤柔，并且略带嘶哑的效果，音色别具一格，能够与人声密切地配合」；依百科类资料 —— ⭐ 前十二件拉弦乐器里，弦有丝、有钢丝、有金属、有尼龙，弓毛有马尾、有棕丝；只有它弓与弦都不是常规材料 → 这就是那个"略带嘶声"的来源
- ⭐⭐ 弦的演进：张两条琴弦，最初用细棕绳，后改为丝弦，现多用钢丝弦；琴弓用细竹为弓杆，两端系以棕丝或马尾而成，弓长 55~65 厘米依百科类资料
- ⭐⭐ 定弦与音域（音域窄是特点不是缺点）：定弦「因地域和用途不同而有异，多以五度关系定弦，也可按四度 · 小三度音程定弦，一般常定弦为 g · d¹ · c¹ · g¹；d¹ · a¹；d¹ · g¹ 或 e¹ · g¹」；⭐⭐ 「只用一个把位演奏，音域只有一个八度」；⭐ 而它"能与人声密切结合"正是靠这个窄音域 —— 侗族大歌与叙事歌就在这个音区里。还常常同时用双弦奏出五度和音依百科与地方志类资料
- ⭐⭐ 两种姿势（第二种极少见）：坐姿多使用稍大的琴，将琴箱下端夹于两膝之间，琴面朝前，左手持琴按弦，右手执弓在弦外拉奏；⭐ 立姿多使用稍小的琴，将琴的尾端顶在左肩与左胸之间，琴面朝上，左手托持琴颈，用食指 · 中指和无名指按弦，右手执弓在弦上拉奏 —— ⭐⭐ 「这种奏法在我国各族民间拉弦乐器中极为少见，它和演奏小提琴的姿势有些相似」；⭐⭐ 依地方志类资料另有更具体的一说：「将琴身斜置于胸前，左手持琴按弦，右手执拨弹奏……演奏方法和姿态略似小提琴」，牛腿琴还可边走边奏依百科类资料
- ⭐⭐ 用途与"几乎每个男青年都有一把"：主要用于牛腿琴歌 · 侗族大歌和叙事歌的伴奏，也可独奏 · 合奏，还常常自拉自唱（或男拉女唱）；⭐⭐ 「在侗族人民的文化生活中，牛腿琴占有重要地位……几乎每个侗族的男青年都有一把牛腿琴，每逢节日或农闲之时，他们便拉起牛腿琴，边走边唱，到亲戚朋友家去作客。据说，只要牛腿琴在侗乡一奏响，人们就会寻声而来，聚集一堂，拉琴歌唱」；⭐ 婚礼上还「用此琴与琵琶合奏，传达出热烈喜庆的气氛」依百科与地方志类资料
- ⭐ 名称：因琴体细长、酷似牛腿而得名；侗语称「郭各」；⭐ 因琴端二角似羊角，又称「牛巴腿」·「羊角弦」依百科类资料
- ⭐ 历史：另据明代沈庠等纂《贵州图经新志》记载，牛腿琴已有六百多年历史；研究还表明牛腿琴早在唐代就已经成型依百科类资料（⚠️ 断代按来源原样记录）
- ⭐⭐ 改革（一条很实的改造链）：⭐「改革后的牛腿琴，不仅扩大了共鸣箱，还在弦马一侧的面板上开了音孔，在面板和背板之间支上了圆形的木质音柱，增加了按音指板，并且用丝弦 · 钢丝弦和马尾弓代替了棕绳弦和棕丝弓」；⭐⭐ 「有的乐器改革家还在牛腿琴的尾部安置了弯形的金属架，演奏的时候可以把琴体挟持在演奏者的腋下，使琴箱得以固定—— 这样一来，既减轻了演奏者左手的负担，又丰富和发展了牛腿琴的演奏技巧」；⭐ 近年来经改良可拉到两个八度以上，甚至将近三个八度，有希望填补中国高音弦乐空白依百科与地方志类资料
- ⭐⭐ 改革的原因是一段真实的生活变化：「面临传承困境，因年轻人外出打工，侗族优秀传统文化脱离了传统的地域生境」；2015-01-08 世界非遗侗族大歌音乐诗剧《行歌坐月》在国家剧院完成全球首演；牛腿琴近年来在德国 · 法国 · 西班牙 · 捷克等国家相继演出依百科类资料
- ⭐ 一个地方性的旁支（哈尼族碧约牛腿琴）：另有一种碧约牛腿琴（哈尼族）—— 外形「与一支倒置的牛腿维妙维肖」，整块野桑木斫制，琴身全长 65~70 厘米，共鸣箱呈半梨形，⭐ 面板中央开有 12 个圆形小音孔（横向三排或圆圈形排列），琴头正面雕一支鸟雀为饰；⭐⭐ 「只在收获季节才能弹奏」；传统乐曲《情调》·《琴调》·《杂调》·《恋爱调》依百科类资料（⚠️ 与侗族牛腿琴是不同民族的同名乐器，本页只作对照，不并入侗族牛腿琴）
- ⚠️ 清单曾把牛腿琴注为"西安鼓乐"，⚠️ 与来源不符 —— 主流资料均指其为侗族拉弦乐器，流行于贵州 · 广西 · 湖南侗族聚居区 → 本页按侗族乐器写；「西安鼓乐」一项待查实
- 「牛腿琴属八音中的丝」依通行资料
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.