细吟fine vibrato
Pinyin: xì yín
Vibrato and glidesA yin of tiny width and compact motion; the wrist is still and only the ring trembles.
How it is played
The left finger presses firmly and trembles finely from the fingertip and joints alone, with almost no visible swing; the wrist does not move. With the thumb, bend slightly and use the half-nail, half-flesh point.
How it sounds
The pitch change is minute, the ring concentrated and full; suited to quiet, delicate passages.
In the classical handbooks
指動緊細，而音出圓滿爲妙。Gist: The finger moves tightly and finely, and the sound comes out round and full; that is best.
凡吟甲肉相半，惟以大指微曲，細動而吟之，切不得和手揺動，又細吟不得動腕。Gist: All yin uses half nail, half flesh; only the thumb bends slightly and trembles finely. Never shake with the whole hand, and in fine yin never move the wrist.
吟之聲細微也。Gist: A yin whose sound is fine and faint.
Where sources disagree
What “fine” means, and how it differs from short yin and ordinary yin
- A light pluck with a small finger movement is short yin; the same small movement sustained for long is fine yin. The difference is duration. Source: Chen Zhuo’s fingering (Tang dynasty; in Qinshu Daquan (Great Compendium of Qin Writings), vol. 8）(opens in a new window)
- The emphasis is on the finger moving tightly and finely, with a round, full sound. Source: Wuzhizhai Qinpu(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- The emphasis is on the faintness of the sound produced. Source: Qinxue Rumen (Introduction to Qin Studies)(opens in a new window) · View the original page
Easily confused with
- 定吟dìng yín· fixed vibratoDing yin makes not even a small to-and-fro, only pressure; xi yin still has a perceptible tremor.
- 少吟shǎo yín· half vibratoShao yin halves the count and finishes briefly; xi yin is about small width and is not necessarily short.
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
- 章华英《管平湖古琴打谱艺术探窥（中）》（华音网，谈杨宗稷一系吟猱的分类）(opens in a new window)Qin community