全扶full fu (several strings as one)
Pinyin: quán fú
Right hand, compoundA fu in which several strings sound as one. Qing handbooks have three fingers each take a string; older sources differ.
How it is played
In the usual Qing description, the index, middle and ring fingers each face one string and pluck inward together with mo, gou and da, so three strings sound at once. Used mostly in harmonic passages, where it is the harmonic equivalent of bo. Ming qin writings, and Yang Zongji's reading of the Tang manuscript Youlan, describe instead two strokes of mo over two strings and two of gou, making four notes (see below).
How it sounds
Several notes stacked into a single whole, especially bright in harmonics.
In the classical handbooks
全扶也，三絃同得一聲也。用食中名三指各入一絃，打句抹竝發，同彈得一聲，亦泛音中用之。Gist: Quan fu: three strings yield a single sound. The index, middle and ring fingers each enter one string with da, gou and mo together, plucking as one sound; also used in harmonics.
用食中名三指各入一絃，如實音用潑之意。蓋全扶之與潑本無二理，而異其名者，分實音與泛音也。Gist: The index, middle and ring fingers each enter one string, with the sense of bo in stopped notes. Quan fu and bo are really one principle; the names differ only to separate stopped notes from harmonics.
大指當九案宮商疾全扶Gist: The thumb at the ninth hui stops gong and shang; a quick quan fu.
Where sources disagree
How many fingers, how many strings, how many notes
- Index, middle and ring fingers each enter one string; three strings as one sound; used in harmonics. Source: Qinxue Rumen (Introduction to Qin Studies), vol. 1; Chengjiantang Qinpu, “Qinpu Zhifa” section(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- The index finger plucks mo across two strings as one sound. Source: Qinshu Daquan (Great Compendium of Qin Writings) (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
- The middle finger hooks two strings and the index finger plucks mo over two strings; after a slight pause, gou over two and mo over two again, four notes in all. Done fast, the four notes run together. Source: Yang Zongji, 《琴学丛书》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
- In harmonics, the ring, middle and index fingers sweep one string together, with the sense of lun in stopped notes. Source: 《蕉庵琴谱》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
Easily confused with
- 半扶bàn fú· half fu (two strings as one)Ban fu uses two fingers on two strings; quan fu uses three fingers on three strings (in the usual Qing account).
- 拨bō· three fingers inward togetherThe Qing handbooks say quan fu is simply bo in harmonics: bo for stopped notes, quan fu for harmonics.
References
- 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
- 国琴网指法库「全扶——琴学丛书1」(opens in a new window)Qin community
- 国琴网指法库「全扶——琴学入门」(opens in a new window)Qin community