硬上hard up
Pinyin: yìng shàng
Left hand, slidingAlso written: 硬, 更
Go straight up after the note without any pause, more direct than an ordinary shang.
How it is played
As soon as the right hand plucks, the finger moves up to the target position without stopping on the way, in one straight line. Scores often borrow the character 更 and write it 更上.
How it sounds
A clean, decisive rise with no detour between the notes; firm in character.
In the classical handbooks
得音即上，逕行直捷之意，與上稍異。Gist: Up as soon as the note sounds, in the sense of going straight and swiftly; slightly different from shang.
Where sources disagree
How ying shang differs from shang and hu
- Move up immediately after the note, straight and swift, slightly different from shang. Source: Qinxue Rumen (Introduction to Qin Studies), vol. 1, left-hand pressing symbols(opens in a new window) · View the original page
- Written 更上, of the same family as hu, but hu rises one hui-fraction while ying shang goes straight up two, passing a whole step. Source: 《琴学尊闻》（据Guoqinwang, Guqin Da Cidian (Great Dictionary of the Guqin)所录原文）(opens in a new window)
Easily confused with
- 浒hǔ· pause, then upHu pauses, then goes up; ying shang goes straight up without pausing.
References
- 《琴学入门》国家图书馆藏刻本第 2 册（Wikimedia Commons 扫描）(opens in a new window)Primary source
- 国琴网《古琴大辞典·指法》「硬上」条(opens in a new window)Qin community