仰托upturned tuo
Pinyin: yǎng tuō
Right hand, single fingerA tuo in which the thumb, pad facing up, lifts the string and lets it slap against the soundboard; written 仛 in scores.
How it is played
Unlike the upright tuo, where the thumb stands and plucks outward, in yang tuo the thumb's pad faces upward, lifts the string and releases it so it falls back and strikes the soundboard.
How it sounds
Coarse and heavy, with the noise of the string hitting the wood; used well, it can add force at a climax.
In the classical handbooks
今有用仰托者，令大指仰天托絃擊於琴面……有何精意可取？Gist: Some today use the upturned tuo, making the thumb lift the string face-up so it strikes the soundboard … What fine meaning is there in that?
Where sources disagree
Whether it should be used at all
- The sound is coarse, harsh and muddy, with no interest whatever; fellow players are urged not to pick up the habit. Source: Qinxue Rumen (Introduction to Qin Studies), vol. 1(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- It may be used at a climax, but with a touch neither light nor heavy, for a crisp sound. The upright tuo is written 托 and the upturned tuo 仛 to tell them apart. Source: 《蕉庵琴谱》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
- Called “the restrained-hand tuo”, written 仛, used where a beat falls, with the same sense as pai sha. Source: 《兰田馆琴谱》 (via the Guoqinwang technique database)(opens in a new window)
Easily confused with
- 托tuō· thumb outwardThe ordinary tuo is the thumb upright, plucking outward; in yang tuo the pad faces up and the string strikes the soundboard.
References
- 国琴网指法库「托——蕉庵琴谱」(opens in a new window)Qin community
- 国琴网指法库「托——兰田馆琴谱」(opens in a new window)Qin community
- 国琴网指法库「托——琴学尊闻」(opens in a new window)Qin community