How to Play Yangqin, the Chinese Hammered Dulcimer: The Basic Skills

By H.H. Lee

This book will teach you to play the yangqin at the beginner's level and no prior knowledge is needed. The yangqin structure, the ways to choose a yangqin, the numbered music notation and several key signatures of the yangqin will be introduced, whereas a number of sheet music will also be provided for practices. After reading the whole book, you should have a basic understanding of the yangqin and can play some simple songs by yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: H.H. Lee
• Release date: Sep 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781393002468

H.H. Lee

H.H. Lee is a Chinese who has played the erhu for around 20 years. Having joined the Chinese orchestra for long, he knows various Chinese musical instruments well and hopes to introduce their elegance to people outside China.

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How to Play Yangqin, the Chinese Hammered Dulcimer

– the Basic Skills

By H.H. Lee

How to Play Yangqin, the Chinese Hammered Dulcimer – the Basic Skills

Copyright © 2018 by H.H. Lee

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

First published on 16 September 2018

Edition 1.1 on 18 May 2020

Table of Contents

Preface

The Structure of the Yangqin

How to Choose a Yangqin

How to Play the Yangqin

The Numbered Music Notation

The Key Signatures of the Yangqin

Selected Songs

Online Materials

Preface

The yangqin, literally meaning acclaimed zither, is a struck string instrument introduced to China from Persia by the end of the Ming Dynasty (the 16th century).  It is generally believed that the yangqin was either imported to Guangdong by sea or Xinjiang through the Silk Road, and then spread to other parts of China as an accompaniment instrument.  Also known as the Chinese hammered dulcimer in the West, the yangqin belongs to the plucking family[1] in the modern Chinese orchestra[2].

The original santur in the Middle East has slowly evolved into the modern yangqin since its introduction to China 400 years ago.  Historically, the yangqin only had two columns of bridges on the trapezium or butterfly-shaped front panel, resulting in a limited register and small volume of sound.  In the 1950s, YANG Jingming invented the model 401, which has more semitones and a wider range of notes; later, HUANG Rongfu inadvertently proposed the idea of improving the model 401, which gave birth to the new model 402.  With the modification work by generations of indigenous musicians, the yangqin has been assimilated into Chinese culture, serving as a principal instrument in Guangdong and Shandong music (especially Jiangnan sizhu).