紧tight
Pinyin: jǐn
Terms and marksCompact: play closely and slightly faster, without slack between the notes.
How it is played
Asks for this section to be played tightly, a little faster than usual with the notes drawn together, but not as swift as ji. Xu Shangying divides speed into small and great: small speed is only slightly fast and should be tight, yet without losing elegance within the tightness, like drifting clouds and flowing water. Ming writers describing a piece's shape speak of moving from slow into tight and from tight into easy. In qin writings, jin also often means tightening a string to change mode, a different sense from this tempo term.
In the classical handbooks
小速微快。要以緊。緊使指不傷速中之雅度。而恰有行雲流水之趣。Gist: Small speed is slightly fast and must be tight; tightness must not let the finger harm the elegance within speed, and should have the charm of drifting clouds and flowing water.
从慢入紧。从紧至缓。若缓急得合。Gist: From slow into tight, from tight into easy; when slow and fast are fitted together …
Easily confused with
- 急jí· quickJi is faster and more pressing; jin only tightens and quickens slightly.
- 慢màn· slowMan relaxes the tempo, the opposite of jin.