游吟roaming vibrato

Pinyin: yóu yín

Vibrato and glides

Also written: 遊吟

The finger slides up and then back down, about twice, swinging open at leisure like a fish drifting with the current.

How it is played

After the note, let the finger carry up a little, then back down a little, up again and down again, about two round trips. The motion is relaxed and unhurried and must flow as one; the downward move must not pluck out a separate note.

How it sounds

The note roams gently above and below the position, swinging wider than an ordinary yin, leisurely and flowing.

In the classical handbooks

指乘絃上聲,就退下,復綽上,又退下,約二次。取一音在絃,似遊蕩之意。行遊而吟,有游魚順水之勢,有如雙撞而放緩是也。

Gist: The finger rides the sound up the string, then retreats, slides up again and retreats again, about twice, taking one note on the string with a sense of drifting. Roaming while vibrating has the air of a fish swimming with the current, like a slowed-down double knock.

Wuzhizhai Qinpu · 卷一·指法 · Qing dynasty, 1722 · View the original page · View source(opens in a new window)
指乘綽上,就退下少許,復綽上,又退下少許,以得二聲爲率,指似遊蕩,如雙撞而放緩。

Gist: The finger rides a chuo up, retreats a little, slides up again and retreats a little again, taking two sounds as the rule; the finger seems to drift, like a slowed-down double knock.

Qinxue Rumen (Introduction to Qin Studies) · 卷上·左按字母 · Qing dynasty, 1864 · View the original page · View source(opens in a new window)

Where sources disagree

Whether you yin and dang yin are the same technique

Easily confused with

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
  2. 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