Ruan [ruǎn] is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, the abbreviation of Ruan Xian. It is said that Ruan Xian of the Western Jin Dynasty was good at playing this instrument, hence its name. The four strings have pillars and are shaped like a yueqin. It began in the Tang Dynasty and was widely spread among the people in the Yuan Dynasty. It became a favorite plucked instrument with a wide sound range and rich expressive power. Basic introduction Chinese name: Ruan Category: Traditional musical instrument Full name: Ruan Xian Category: Plucked instrument Other meanings: Long-necked pipa Instrument introduction, development history, origin, Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Qing Dynasty, modern, structure, type, tuning function ,Performance,Da Ruan solo,Little Ruan performance,Instrument introduction Ruan, the abbreviation of Ruan Xian, also means long-necked pipa, which is similar in shape to today's Yueqin, and is different from the music-shaped pipa passed down from Qiuci. Ruan Xian, one of the Seven Bamboo Sages of the Western Jin Dynasty, was good at playing the pipa. During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, a copper pipa was unearthed from Ruan Xian's tomb and named "Ruan Xian", or "Ruan" for short. The structure is a wooden round chime box with a straight handle, four strings and twelve columns, which can be played by hand when held vertically. In the Tang Dynasty, the pipa was used to convey orders in the army, so there is a saying that if you want to drink, the pipa will prompt you immediately. Among the Chinese orchestras developed in modern China, Ruan and Xian instruments include Zhong Ruan and Da Ruan. As the alto voice in plucked instruments. After 1949, Ruan Xian instruments were improved and developed into Ruan instruments, including treble Ruan, small Ruan, middle Ruan, large Ruan and bass Ruan. Among them, the treble ruan is used in the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra to replace the Liuqin as a treble plucked instrument, while the middle ruan and the large ruan are commonly used in various folk orchestras as mid-bass plucked instruments. The Ruan speaker is round in shape, has twelve sound columns, and four strings. It is played with false nails or picks. It can be used for solo, ensemble, singing and dancing accompaniment, or to participate in national band performances. It has rich artistic expression. Development history originated in the Han Dynasty, when many horse-drawn musical instruments were introduced to our country. In the second year of Yuanding (115 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian went to Wusun Kingdom (today's Uzbek nation) as an envoy. Wusun King Liejiaomi married the Han Dynasty. Before Princess Wusun got married, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered craftsmen who knew music to create an instrument that could be played on a horse with reference to the qin, zither, zhu, and crouching harp. It had a round speaker, a straight handle, twelve columns, and four strings. The first musical instrument was the Ruan, which was called "Qin Pipa" at that time. There are different opinions on its origin. According to the literary and historical data from the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the ruan is a musical instrument created by China with a round body, a straight neck, four strings, and 12 columns (frets). It originated from about 217 BC to 105 BC. It was called Qin Pipa or Qin Hanzi in the Han Dynasty. Ruan Xian in the murals of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Ruan Xian of the Western Jin Dynasty was good at playing this kind of pipa, so the lute was named Ruan Xian. During the Tang Dynasty, the tune Pipa, which was introduced to China from the Western Regions around 350, became very popular and occupied the first place in the music club. Gradually, the pipa with a curved neck was called the straight pipa, while the pipa with a straight handle and a round shape was called Ruan Xian. Until the Qing Dynasty, although the ancient ruan system was still maintained, the range of the ruan was only more than one octave. The old-style ruan popular among the people was reduced to two or three strings. Ruan Xian, one of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" in the Western Jin Dynasty (266 AD - 316 AD), was an outstanding musician and liked to play this instrument the most. At that time, he played the Ruan which was already a stereotype. Because Ruan Xian was good at playing and the society at that time admired the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, this instrument became popular all over the country and became the main instrument for solos, ensembles or to accompany Xianghe songs. Later, due to social unrest, Ruan was once lost. The picture shows the reliefs of the Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu and the murals of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Dunhuang. In the Tang Dynasty, according to the "New Book of Tang·Yuan Xingchong", during the reign of Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty (684-701), Kuai Lang, a native of Shu, obtained a bronze vessel in an ancient tomb. The body was round and resembled a pipa, which was similar to Ruan Xian in "The Picture of the Seven Sages in the Bamboo Forest". The instruments played are similar. Yuan Xingchong thought: "This instrument was made by Ruan Xian. It was stringed in the forest of Mingyi. Its sound is elegant, so musicians called it Ruan Xian." Ruan in the Tang Dynasty had four strings and 13 columns, and was relatively well developed. Bai Juyi, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, vividly described Ruan's voice as pure, thick and round in his poems. It is as sweet and sweet as pearls falling on a jade plate. Ruan Xian was also one of the main musical instruments in the "Qing Shang Yue" and "Xiliang Yue" of the Tang Dynasty. Ruan Xian was popular in Japan during the prosperous Tang Dynasty. To this day, a piece of mother-of-pearl and red sandalwood Ruan Xian passed down from the Tang Dynasty is still treasured in the Shoso-yuan of Todaiji Temple in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. This Ruan Xian piece is 100.7 centimeters long, has four strings and 14 frets. On the panel of the circular sound box, there are two circular sound holes and a sound window. On the belly is a picture of four people playing music. The neck and saddle are inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and the back panel of the piano case is inlaid with a beautiful pattern of flower branches and two flying birds. Its exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful shape are rarely seen in later generations. Song Dynasty Ruan Xian, also known as Ruan for short, began in the Song Dynasty.

At the end of the 10th century, Zhao Guangyi, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, increased the number of Ruan Xian from four strings to five strings, but instead of calling it the five-string Ruan Xian, he called it "the five-string Ruan". This is where the name Ruan comes from. Yuan Dynasty In the Yuan Dynasty, Ruan was widely spread among the people and became a favorite plucked instrument. Qing Dynasty According to a Qing Dynasty ruan collected by the China Music Research Institute, until the Qing Dynasty, the ruan still maintained the ancient system, with a vocal range of only more than one octave. The old-style Ruan that is popular among the people has degenerated into two or three strings. Even if it has four strings, each two strings will sound the same tone. The range of sound is very narrow and the scale is incomplete. Modern After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Ruan's reforms and performing arts developed rapidly. In the 1950s, a series of reforms were carried out on Ruan, which made Ruan have four parts: treble, alto, tenor and bass, making it a genre of its own. The reformed Ruan has four strings and uses metal strings, which is easy to tune. The range is expanded to more than three octaves and the volume is increased. It has semitones and can be modulated at will. In terms of playing skills, in addition to traditional fingering techniques, he also absorbed techniques from other Chinese and foreign plucked instruments, which greatly enriched Ruan's expressive power. In the double-layer piano box made in 1977, a thinner vibration plate was added to the enlarged piano box to separate the cavity into front and rear parts. This international sound is mellow and thick, and the volume is significantly increased. The electronically amplified Zhong Ruan, made in 1979, not only maintains the traditional sound of Ruan, but also enriches the charm of pronunciation. The fretless daruan developed in the 1980s has a sound column in the treble area of ??the piano case. Since the height of the Yamaguchi and string bindings are reduced, the strings are closer to the fingerboard, making it easier to play. It maintains Daruan's original volume and has a softer timbre. The playing techniques of sanxian, pipa and zither can be learned from wiping, sliding, rubbing, playing and chanting. It is suitable for playing smooth and cantabile melodies and has extremely rich expressive power. It has moving artistic effect. The new Da Ruan developed has increased the camber of the sound box and the front and back plates, lengthened the piano rod, and gradually thinned the thickness of the front and back plates from the center to the surroundings. A "V" shape is affixed to the inside of the panel. "U"-shaped grooves are dug around the bracing beam and the periphery, and the sound hole is changed to a symmetrical bird shape. The shape is beautiful, the pronunciation is solid and loud, and the tone is pure, thick and round, which significantly enhances the expressive power and can be used for solo use. Structure: Ruan is composed of headstock, neck, body, pegs, saddle, frets, strings, strings and other parts. The headstock and neck of the Ruan are made of two pieces of hard wood glued together. The top of the headstock is often decorated with ethnic-style carvings. There is a fingerboard glued to the neck, and there are 2 and 4 frets embedded on the fingerboard. Device according to twelve equal laws. The body of the piano is an oblate sounding box made of glued panels, back panels and frame panels. There are frets and sound holes glued on the panel. There are 4 pegs. In addition to ordinary pegs, gear copper axes can also be used. Strings are made of silk, gut-cased or metal strings. The materials used to make Ruan are roughly the same as Pipa. Basswood or poplar can also be used for the neck and body frames. Paulownia wood is used for both the front and back panels. The fingerboard is made of rosewood. The pegs can be made of mahogany, boxwood or rosewood. The roundness of the guitar body should be accurate, the front and back boards should be flat and smooth, the neck and body should be on the same plane, all parts should be tightly and firmly glued, the spacing between frets should be accurate, the surface should be painted evenly, and the wood grain should be clear. The Zhongruan is a Chinese instrument with a quiet, soft and poetic tone, similar to the Qinqin. It is often used to play melody or verses in ensembles, which has a moving effect. When used as an accompaniment, its rich rhythm changes can highlight the characteristics of the music. In the orchestra Using two or more mid-ruan parts to play harmony will make the mid-range part of the plucked instrument group fuller. The da Ruan is five degrees lower than the middle ruan. It is a sub-alto instrument with solid, rich and powerful pronunciation. It is similar to the cello, a Western instrument. When playing melody in a band, it is often combined with the middle ruan in an octave to enhance the middle playing effect and smooth Arpeggios are most suitable for setting off lyrical melodies. When playing single notes or ***, they can strengthen the rhythm and bring out the warm and unrestrained effect of the music. Zhong Ruan and Da Ruan are suitable for solo, ensemble or accompaniment. In ethnic bands, it is often used to form various sound patterns such as double-note or triple-note to enhance the performance of the entire band. It often accompanies musical instruments such as erhu, banhu, flute and suona. In Peking Opera and other local operas, Zhong Ruan and Da Ruan are also commonly used. The low-ruan is a bass instrument with a deep and low pronunciation, just like the double bass, a Western instrument. In ethnic bands, the low-ruan is only used to play harmonious rhythms or simplified tunes. Some bands also use it as a bass string instrument. After 1977, the varieties of Ruan made through reform include: double-layered radio-box medium Ruan, electric amplified medium Ruan, large Ruan with cambered surface and back, fretless Ruan, and six-string Ruan.

Types of Ruan There are treble Ruan, large Ruan, medium Ruan, small Ruan and low Ruan, including four parts: treble, alto, tenor and bass, forming a series of musical instruments. Small Ruan, effective string length (from Yamaguchi to Fuxian) 41, speaker diameter 29.5 cm; medium Ruan, effective string length 51, speaker diameter 35.5 cm; large Ruan, effective string length 69, speaker diameter 50 cm; low Ruan, effective string Length 104cm, speaker diameter 78cm. The major, middle and minor ruan are tuned according to the relationship of fifths. The small ruan is g, d1, a1, e2; the middle ruan is G, d, a, e1; the big ruan is C, G, d, a1, and the low ruan fourth tuning is E1, A1, D, G,. Commonly used ranges are: small ruan g—e3, medium ruan G—e2, large ruan C—a1, and low ruan E1—a. Tuning function: The tuning and range of various ruan instruments are different, and their functions in the orchestra are also different. Major, medium and minor rhymes are tuned in fifths, and low rhymes are tuned in fourths. According to the size of Ruan, it can be divided into three types: large Ruan, medium Ruan and small Ruan, and there is also one called low Ruan. Ruan, as popularized among the people, has very inconsistent tunings. In the folk band, the major, middle and small ruan are all tuned in fifths. They are: small ruan (C, g, d1, a1), middle ruan (G, d, a, e1), large ruan C, G, d, a, the bass ruan is determined as (E1, A1), D, G based on the fourth degree relationship. The commonly used ranges are: small ruan from C to a3, medium ruan from G to e3, large ruan from C to a2, and bass ruan from E1 to e. Among this group of instruments, Xiao Ruan is a high-pitched instrument with crisp and bright pronunciation. It is often used to play tunes in the band. In order to enhance the mid-ruan effect, smooth arpeggios are most suitable to set off the lyrical melody. When playing single notes or ***, it can strengthen the rhythm and bring out the warm and unrestrained effect of the music. Zhong Ruan and Da Ruan are suitable for solo, ensemble or accompaniment. In ethnic bands, it is often used to form various sound patterns such as double-note or triple-note to enhance the performance of the entire band. It often accompanies musical instruments such as erhu, banhu, flute and suona. In Peking Opera and other local operas, Zhong Ruan and Da Ruan are also commonly used. Treble Ruan, small Ruan, middle Ruan, large Ruan and middle Ruan used to have various tunings, including G d a e1 and so on. However, after the 1980s, some new works gradually used the tuning of G d g d1 to write ***, so G.d.g.d1 has become the standard tuning. C key→5.2.5.2 G key→1.5.1.5 F key→2.6.2.6 D key→4.1.4.1 bB key→6.3.6.3 A key→b7.4.b7.4 bE key→3.7.3.7 E key→b3 .b7.b3.b7 bA key→7.#4.7.#4 B key→#5.#2.#5.#2 #F key→#1.#5.#1.#5 #C key→# 4.#1.#4.#1 Soprano Ruan (Liuqin) g.d1.g1.d2 Small Ruan d.a.d1.a1 Medium Ruan G.d.g.d1 Large Ruan D.A.d.a The technique of playing Ruan turns out to be relatively simple. With the reform of musical instruments, it is now gradually enriched. Ruan Duo plays with a pick. Many music conservatories in our country have successively opened professional undergraduate courses on Ruan, and solo works by Da Ruan and Zhong Ruan have also emerged one after another. Through the inheritance, practice, transplantation and creation of players, there are more than 30 fingering methods for the right hand, such as playing, picking, hooking, wiping, buckling, stroking, wheeling, whisking, dividing, shaking, sweeping and rolling. The fingering methods for the left hand also include pan, There are more than 10 types of movements, including hitting, belting, sliding, pushing, pulling, chanting, and patterning, which significantly improve Ruan's artistic expression. Daruan Solo Daruan Solo "Silk Road Camel Bells" "Silk Road Camel Bells" played with Da Ruan, bells and snakeskin tambourines, depicts the scene of camel traders traveling on the Silk Road, the empty and desolate Silk Road, the crisp camel sounds* **, from far to near. Then there is a light melody, showing the merchants dancing happily. Then he embarked on the journey full of hope and spirit, and the hunchback gradually faded away. The music is based on the poem "Liangzhou Ci" written by Zhang Ji of the Tang Dynasty: "The geese are flying low in the evening rain in the border town, and the asparagus is beginning to grow. Countless people are far away from the moraine, and they should carry Bai Lian to Anxi. The water in Fenglin Pass flows eastward, and the white grass is yellow It is based on the poetry of "Yu Sixty Autumn. All the generals have inherited the grace of the Lord, and no one can explain the way to Liangzhou", which draws on the tones of Xinjiang folk music. It also uses anthropomorphic techniques to show the vastness of the desert, the swaying red willows, and the camel caravans who were not afraid of hardships and traveled long distances on the ancient Silk Road. It condenses the bitter and heavy depression emotions. This song has a beautiful and light melody, a simple style, and a strong artistic appeal. Xiao Ruan Playing The instrument now known as Xiao Ruan is also called treble Ruan.

Xiao Ruan was successfully developed in 1993 and is the high-pitched instrument of the "Ruan Xian Series". As a series of musical instruments, the effect of the small Ruan GDGD, alto Ruan Xian (DADA), tenor Ruan Xian (GDGD) and large Ruan Xian (DADA) forming a series is certain. Xiao Ruan's vocal range is the same as that of Liuqin, but his playing techniques are slightly different. All current Liuqin and Yueqin solos can be replaced by Xiaoruan. The biggest difference between it and Liuqin is the sound quality and timbre. The Xiaoruan's sound is almost between the original Liuqin and Yueqin. The reason for Xiao Ruan's reform was that the liuqin used by the band had a thinner tone, and the treble was bright but not strong enough, while the yueqin had a rich tone but was inconvenient to play in the high treble range. The purpose of Xiao Ruan's reform is to solve various problems caused by the band's long-term use of Liuqin. Therefore, Xiaoruan has a louder volume than Liuqin, and its tone is strong and full, especially in the high-pitched area.