Leiqin
![]() | This article does not cite any sources. (April 2021) |
Classification | |
---|---|
Related instruments | |
|
The leiqin (雷琴 or 擂琴, literally "thunderous instrument"; also called leihu) is a Chinese bowed string musical instrument.
Construction[]
It has a metal soundbox covered with snakeskin and a long fretless fingerboard. The two strings pass over a small bridge that is placed on the snakeskin, near the top edge.
Playing technique[]
The leiqin is played while the player is seated in a chair, with the instrument's body resting in his or her lap and held in a vertical or near-vertical position. Unlike the erhu and other instruments in the huqin family, the strings are touched against the fingerboard in the same technique as the sanxian.
History[]
The leiqin was adapted from an earlier traditional instrument called zhuihu in the 1920s.
See also[]
- Zhuihu
- Huqin
- Music of China
- Traditional Chinese musical instruments
- String instruments
External links[]
Audio[]
- Leiqin MP3s[permanent dead link] (click on headphones to listen to individual tracks)
Video[]
Categories:
- Bowed string instruments
- Chinese musical instruments
- Drumhead lutes
- Lute stubs
- Chinese music stubs