泛harmonic

Pinyin: fàn

Timbre and harmonics

Also written: 泛音, 泛声, 徽声

The left finger touches the string lightly at a hui without pressing it down while the right hand plucks, producing a clear harmonic.

How it is played

Align the left finger with the hui and touch the string lightly without pressing to the board; as the right hand plucks, lift the left finger away at once. Off the hui, pressing too hard, or staying on the string, no note comes. Harmonic passages are usually bracketed with fan qi (harmonics begin) and fan zhi (harmonics end).

How it sounds

Only part of the string vibrates: clear, light and transparent, in sharp contrast with open and stopped notes.

In the classical handbooks

以指尖隨右手得聲，浮着絃上，令絃振指而鳴，謂之泛。

Gist: As the right hand sounds the string, the fingertip floats on it so that the string vibrates against the finger and rings: this is fan.

Qinshu Daquan (Great Compendium of Qin Writings) · 卷九·指法手势图 · Ming dynasty, 1590 · View source(opens in a new window)
徽正則鳴，徽差則塞。須要指正當徽用按，不着琴面，浮於絃上點泛。按而不起，則聲不發；按而不着，則聲不成，如蜻蜓點水，落而復翔之意。

Gist: Exactly on the hui it rings; off the hui it is choked. The finger must be square on the hui, not touching the board, floating on the string to touch the harmonic. Pressed without lifting, the sound does not come; pressed without touching, the sound does not form. Like a dragonfly touching the water, alighting and flying off again.

Qinshu Daquan (Great Compendium of Qin Writings) · 卷八·唐陈拙指法 · Ming dynasty, 1590 · View source(opens in a new window)

Easily confused with

  • 按àn· stopped noteA stopped note presses the string to the board; a harmonic only touches it and lifts away at once.

References

  1. 田青《古琴——中国文人的乐器》（国务院参事室网站）(opens in a new window)Institution
  2. 铭乐堂《古琴声音特点——散音、按音、泛音》(opens in a new window)Qin community