Guqin Play

The illustration of a man playing the qin on a mat is from the Taigu Yiyin reproduced in Tong Kin-Woon's Qin Fu .¹ There are several editions of this work, also known as Taiyin Daquanji (see its illustration), all said to be Ming dynasty copies of a Song dynasty original. These books have no tablature, or only brief tablature, but all contain many illustrations, plus a lot of important information about such things as qin construction, silk string manufacture, playing technique, and so forth.

The illustration of the man playing qin on a table is from Xilutang Qintong, 1525.² Although there are many paintings showing people playing qin with the qin in their lap, it is commonly accepted that one gets better sound from playing the qin on a table.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 唐健垣，琴府 Tong Kin-Woon, Qin Fu, Taiwan, 1971 & 1982, p. 37. (Return)

2. 西麓堂琴統, Xilutang Qintong, QQJC III, p. 56. (Return)

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