拨three fingers inward together
Pinyin: bō
Right hand, compoundAlso written: 泼, 潑, 撥
The index, middle and ring fingers, held together in a slanted row, pluck inward across one or two strings as a single sound.
How it is played
Hold the three fingers together with the joints slightly bent, the ring finger a little ahead, the middle next and the index behind, forming a slant, and pluck toward the player all at once. A light brush is enough; the fingers stay close to the strings going in and out. Do not make a fist and drag toward the chest.
How it sounds
Three fingers entering at once give a thick, full sound.
In the classical handbooks
三指並下入絃曰潑，三指並上出絃曰刺，然可分可合，有單潑止用潑，單刺止用刺。Gist: Three fingers falling together into the strings is bo (潑); three fingers rising together off the strings is la (刺). They may be separated or combined: a single bo uses only bo, a single la only la.
潑法以食中名三指竝用，俱令微曲其指之中末二節，使名指尖稍出於中指，中指尖稍出於食指，以作斜勢，一齊同絃彈入，輕輕一撇（丿，如字法撇勢），共得一聲，曰潑。Gist: The method of bo uses the index, middle and ring fingers together, each with its middle and end joints slightly bent, so the ring fingertip stands a little beyond the middle and the middle a little beyond the index, forming a slant. They pluck inward together on the same strings with a light flick (丿, like the pie stroke in calligraphy), yielding one sound: this is bo.
Where sources disagree
How many fingers
- Index, middle and ring fingers together. Source: Qinxue Rumen (Introduction to Qin Studies), vol. 1; Chengjiantang Qinpu, “Qinpu Zhifa” section(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- The middle and index fingers held together, in first and then out. Source: 《白菡萏香馆琴谱》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
- The ring and middle fingers pressed tightly together enter the string. Source: 《治心斋琴学练要》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
Whether bo is the inward or the outward stroke
- Three fingers falling inward is bo (潑), rising outward is la. Qing handbooks agree with current usage. Source: Chengjiantang Qinpu, “Qinpu Zhifa” section(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- One early-Ming source has it the other way round: two fingers out together is bo, in together is la. Source: 《永乐琴书集成》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
Written 潑 or 撥
- Qing printed editions mostly write 潑. Source: Qinxue Rumen (Introduction to Qin Studies), vol. 1; Chengjiantang Qinpu, “Qinpu Zhifa” section(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- Today it is mostly written 拨, with the jianzipu symbol 癶. Source: Chinese Wikipedia, “Jianzipu”(opens in a new window)
Easily confused with
- 剌là· three fingers outward togetherBo is three fingers inward; la is three fingers outward, and the slant of the fingers is reversed as well.
- 全扶quán fú· full fu (several strings as one)The Qing handbooks say bo in harmonics is called quan fu.
References
- 国琴网指法库「拨剌——澄鉴堂琴谱」(opens in a new window)Qin community
- 国琴网指法库「拨剌——德音堂琴谱」(opens in a new window)Qin community