捻pinch and twist

Pinyin: niǎn

Right hand, compound

An old right-hand technique listed in Song–Yuan tablature: the thumb and index finger pinch the string and twist it upward to sound it.

How it is played

The thumb and index finger pinch one string between them and twist it upward to produce the note. The technique appears in right-hand tablature of the Song and Yuan periods.

In the classical handbooks

捻也，大食指捻起。

Gist: Nian: the thumb and index finger pinch and twist upward.

Shilin Guangji (Comprehensive Record of Affairs) · 续集卷四·琴·右手字谱 · compiled by Chen Yuanjing in the Southern Song; Yuan-dynasty print (13th–14th c.) · 书格《事林广记》元至顺刊本(opens in a new window) · View source(opens in a new window)

References

  1. 管平湖《古指法考》（北京古琴文化研究会 编，中国书店出版社 2019；据 1963 年中国音乐研究所油印本整理，依《琴用指法》《乌丝栏》《太音大全》《琴书大全》考订古指法）Scholarship