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Listen to Qin Music 1 (Videos are here, on and on ) 請聽絲弦古琴
下面鏈接的300以上 .mp3文件都是個人彈我打譜的琴曲。
 		 A Fisherman's Song from my CD:   
listen while reading a transcription    
 The focus of this website is the melodies I have reconstructed mostly from Ming dynasty tablature, and for this the site currently has mp3 recordings of over 300 melodies.4 that I have reconstructed and recorded from old qin tablature.5 This does not include these other recordings:

As for the repertoire of reconstructed melodies, this website lists them in four ways:
    The chronological list below groups these recordings based on the publication date of their handbook.
    This alphabetical list arranges the same recordings based on Chinese romanized title.
    This alphabetical list also arranges them by romanization, but with the Chinese characters first and omitting the translation.
    This alphabetical list arranges them by English translation and omits the Chinese characters.

Before delving into these lists, please look at how to listen.7 You might also begin to get a general flavor of the musical variety available in the old qin repertoire by listening to these six melodies chosen from the list below (to do so, select each accompanying "").

  1. Apricot Tree Forum ( 杏壇 Xing Tan): a lively melody connected to Confucius
  2. Roaming to Gather the True ( 採真遊 Cai Zhen You): a Daoist meditation
  3. Li Ling Thinks of Han ( 李陵思漢 Li Ling Si Han): anguish on the frontier
  4. Wine Mad ( 酒狂 Jiu Kuang): later made into a drinking song
  5. Towering Rock Melody Secluded Orchid (碣石調幽蘭 Jieshidao You Lan): the world's oldest surviving detailed music composition (6th c. CE)
  6. Wild Geese Descend on a Sandbank (雁落平沙 Yan Luo Pingsha: earliest version of the most popular melody

All but a handful of the recordings below are of melodies I have reconstructed (dapu) and recorded according to qin tablature written down some time before 1676. To go directly to the recording select "" or the Chinese title; selecting the English title goes to the commentary, which in turn links to a transcription as well as back to the recording.6

I.  Tang and Song dynasty (13; including "You Lan") 唐、宋代出版的 (包括《幽蘭》)
II.  Shen Qi Mi Pu (1425) 神奇秘譜錄音
IV.  Wusheng Qinpu (1457) 五聲琴音)
III.  Zheyin Shizi Qinpu (>1505) 浙音釋字琴譜錄音 (希聲)
V.  Taigu Yi Yin (1511) 太古遺音
VI.  Xilutang Qintong (1525) 西麓堂琴統
VII.  Faming Qinpu (1530) 發明琴譜
 VIII.  Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539) 風宣玄品錄音
IX.  Later Handbooks.... 別的琴譜

- - -
    I. Tang and Song dynasty (13 mp3s for 13 pieces)
        These 13 recordings have music I play from four sources: one Tang dynasty (1 track) and three Song dynasty (12 tracks).
        None of these recordings is available yet on CD. 以下個MP3有唐、宋代出版的音樂。到現在沒有光盤。

  1. Jieshidao You Lan ( 聽「碣石調幽蘭」), Secluded Orchid, a Towering Rock Melody ; the world's oldest surviving music composition (6th c. CE)
  2. Gu Yuan, Ancient Lament ( 聽「白石道人歌曲古怨」), a song composed by Jiang Kui (ca. 1155 - 1221)
  3. Shilin Guangji (1269 CE): Golden Oriole Prelude (a song) plus five modal preludes (事林廣記﹕ 開指黃鶯吟、 五個調意)
  4. Taiyin Daquanji (13th C.?): Five modal preludes (太音大全集﹕ 五個調意)
 
   II. Shen Qi Mi Pu (1525; 64 mp3s)
        These 64 pieces comprise all the music from this, the earliest surviving printed collection of guqin tablature. Most of them are mp3 versions of the 64 tracks on my Shen Qi Mi Pu 6-CD set.
        六個光盤 神奇秘譜 有 神奇秘譜 (1425 CE) 所有的音樂，如下
  1. Dunshi Cao (聽「遯世操」 Withdrawing from Society)
  2. Guangling San (聽「廣陵散」 Guangling Melody)
  3. Huaxu Yin (聽「華胥引」 Huaxu [Clan] Prelude)
        - with transcription linked to Rhythm in Early Ming Qin Tablature
  4. Gu Feng Cao (聽「古風操」 The Ancient Style)
        - used with dance in Silk Stone Moving
  5. Gao Shan (聽「高山」 High Mountains)
  6. Liu Shui (聽「流水」 Flowing Streams)
  7. Yang Chun (聽「陽春」 Sunny Spring)
  8. Xuan Mo (聽「玄默」 Profoundly Serene)
  9. Zhao Yin (聽「招隱」 Seeking Seclusion)
  10. Jiu Kuang (聽「酒狂」 Wine Mad; listen also to the 聽 琴歌 ; 看歌詞 song with lyrics)
  11. Huo Lin (聽「獲麟」 Captured Unicorn)
  12. Kai Zhi (聽「開指」 Opening Fingering)
  13. Qiuyue Zhao Maoting (聽 「秋月昭茅亭」 Autumn Moon Shining on a Reed Pavilion)
  14. Shanzhong Si Youren (聽「山中思友人」 Amidst Mountains Thinking of an Old Friend)
  15. Xiao Hujia (聽「小胡笳」 Nomad Reed Pipe, Short Version)
  16. Yi Zhen (聽「頤真」 Nourishing One's Natural Character)

  17. Shenpin Gong Yi (聽「神品宮意」 Celestial Air Defining the Gong Mode)
  18. Guanghan You (聽「廣寒遊」 Wandering in a Lunar Palace)
  19. Meihua Sannong (聽「梅花三弄」 Three Repetitions of Plum Blossoms)
  20. Shenpin Shangyi (聽「神品商意」 Celestial Air Defining Shang Mode)
  21. Shenpin Gu Shangyi (聽「神品古商意」 Celestial Air Defining Old Shang Mode)
  22. Kai Gu (聽「慨古」 Sigh for Antiquity)
  23. Wang Ji (聽「忘機」 No Ulterior Motives)
  24. Yin De (聽「隱德」 Hidden Virtue)
        - compare with the related Qiujiang Yebo
  25. Guanghan Qiu (聽「廣寒秋」 Autumn in a Lunar Palace)
  26. Tianfeng Huanpei (聽「天風環珮」 Jade Pendants in a Heavenly Breeze)
  27. Shen You Liu He (聽「神遊六合」 Spirit Roaming the Universe)
  28. Chang Qing (聽「長清」 Long Clarity)
  29. Duan Qing (聽「短清」 Short Clarity)
  30. Bai Xue (聽「白雪」 White Snow)
  31. He Ming Jiugao (聽「鶴鳴九皋」 Cranes Cry in the Nine Marshpools)
  32. Yi Lan (聽「猗蘭」 Flourishing Orchid)
  33. Shenpin Jiao Yi (聽「神品角意」 Celestial Air Defining Jiao Mode)
  34. Ling Xu Yin (聽「凌虛吟」 Ascending the Great Void)
  35. Liezi Yu Feng (聽「列子御風」 Liezi Rides the Wind)
  36. Shenpin Zhi Yi (聽「神品徴意」 Celestial Air Defining Zhi Mode)
  37. Zhi Yi (聽「徴意」 Defining Zhi Mode)
  38. Shan Ju Yin (聽「山居吟」 Mountain Life)
  39. Yu Hui Tu Shan (聽「禹會塗山」 Emperor Yu's Gathering at Mount Tu)
  40. Qiao Ge (聽「樵歌」 Song of the Woodcutter)
  41. Shenpin Yu Yi (聽「神品羽意」 Celestial Air Defining Yu Mode)
  42. Zhi Zhao Fei (聽「雉朝飛」 Pheasants' Morning Flight)
  43. Wu Ye Ti (聽「烏夜啼」 Evening Call of the Raven)
        - also: one .WAV file with transcription of a brief passage, with fingering explanation.

  44. Shenpin Wuyi Yi (聽「神品無射意」 Celestial Air Defining Wuyi Mode)
  45. Huang Yun Qiu Sai (聽「黃雲秋塞」 Yellow Clouds of Autumn at the Frontier)
  46. Longshuo Cao (聽「龍朔操」 Lament from Longshuo [the north])
  47. Da Hujia (聽「大胡笳」 Nomad Reed Pipe, Long Version)
  48. Da Ya (聽「大雅」 Epic Virtue)
  49. Shenpin Biyu Yi (聽「神品碧玉意」 Celestial Air Defining Biyu Mode)
  50. Baji You (聽「八極遊」 Roaming the Eight Corners [of the earth])
  51. Shenpin Ruibin Yi (聽「神品蕤賓意」 Celestial Air Defining Ruibin Mode)
  52. Fan Canglang (聽「泛滄浪」 Floating on the Canglang)
  53. Xiao Xiang Shui Yun (聽「瀟湘水雲」 Clouds over the Xiao and Xiang Rivers)
  54. Shenpin Qiliang Yi (聽「神品淒涼意」 Celestial Air Defining Qiliang Mode)
  55. Shenpin Chusshang Yi (聽「神品楚商意」 Celestial Air Defining Chushang Mode)
  56. Zepan Yin (聽「澤畔吟」 Marshbank Melody)
        - with slide show
  57. Li Sao (聽「離騷」 Falling into Grief)
        - with slide show
  58. Shenpin Shangjiao Yi (聽「神品商角意」 Celestial Air Defining Shangjiao Mode)
  59. Shenhua Yin (聽「神化引」 Metamorphosis)
  60. Zhuangzhou Meng Die (聽「莊周夢蝶」 Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream)
  61. Chu Ge (聽「楚歌」 Song of Chu)
  62. Shenpin Guxian Yi (聽「神品姑洗意」 Celestial Air Defining Guxian Mode)
  63. Fei Ming Yin (聽「飛鳴吟」 Calling out in Flight)
  64. Qiu Hong (聽「秋鴻」 Wild Geese in Autumn)
 
  III. Wusheng Qinpu (1457; 5 mp3s)
        This handbook has 5 melodies said to be in five modes, gong, shang, jue, zhi and yu. Nothing seems to be known of the compiler. I have transcribed and recorded all five of these melodies. They are:
  1. Chun Yu (聽「春雨」 Spring Rain)
  2. Wen Yang (聽「汶陽」 North of the Wen)
  3. Xian Shan Yue (聽「仙山月」 Moon over the Immortals' Mountain)
  4. Hong Fei (聽「鴻飛」 Wild Geese Flying)
  5. Meng Ou (聽「鴻飛」 Bonding with Seagulls)
 
  IV. Zheyin Shizi Qinpu (>1505; 13 mp3s)
        These 13 meodies comprise the music from all 13 (except one) of the pieces in Zheyin Shizi Qinpu (中文) that either did not occur in Shen Qi Mi Pu or were different from the ones in that earlier handbook. Most of the MP3 files were made from the 13 tracks on my single CD Music Beyond Sound.
        光盤希聲 有 浙音釋字琴譜 (>1505) 的音樂，如下
  1. Guan Ju (聽「關雎」 Cry of the Ospreys)
  2. Nan Xun Ge (聽「南熏歌」 Song of Southern Breezes)
  3. Tiantai Yin (聽「天台引」 Mount Tiantai Prelude)
  4. Yu Hui Tushan (聽「禹會塗山」 Emperor Yu's Meeting at Mount Tu)
  5. Si Shun (聽「思舜」 Thinking of [Emperor] Shun)
  6. Shi Xian (聽「師賢」 Respect the Virtuous)
  7. Shan Ju Yin (聽「山居吟」 Living in the Mountains)
  8. Yu Ge Diao (漁歌調 Melody of the Fisherman's Song; see image above right)
        - Sing along with my transcription.
  9. Yu Ge (聽「漁歌」 Fisherman's Song)
  10. Wu Ye Ti (聽「烏夜啼」 Evening Call of the Raven)
  11. Zhi Zhao Fei (聽「雉朝飛」 [Paired] Pheasants Fly in the Morning)
  12. Qu Yuan Wen Du (聽「屈原問渡」 Qu Yuan Asks for Advice)
  13. Yangguan San Die (聽「陽關三疊」 [看歌詞] Thrice Parting for Yangguan, long version [compare the 1530 short version])
 
Other handbooks
The handbooks above dated 1425 and >1505 (some time after 1505, in particular during the Zhengde reign 1505-1521) formed the focus of my guqin work from 1976-2000, when I lived in Hong Kong.6 By contrast, the following MP3 files are of music I reconstructed and recorded after leaving Hong Kong. These melodies are from the following later handbooks, then eventually from Wusheng Qinpu (1457). They are not yet availables on CD.
以下個 MP3 有別的琴譜的音樂

 
   V. 太古遺音 Taigu Yiyin (1511; 31 melodies on 30 mp3s)
          Although of its 38 qin melodies I have recorded 31, I sing as well as play on only a few of them. Other than Guan Ju Qu, which has a loose connection to the >1505 Guan Ju, these are all the earliest surviving versions of these titles.

  1. Nanfeng Ge (聽「南風歌」 Song of the South Wind)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  2. Si Qin Cao (聽「思親操」 Thinking of Parents Melody)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  3. Xiang Fei Yuan (聽「湘妃怨」 Lament of the Xiang River Concubines)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  4. Qi Shan Cao (聽「岐山操」 Melody of Mount Qi)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  5. Ju You Cao (聽「拘幽操」 Detained in Gloom)                         (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  6. Guan Ju Qu (聽「關雎曲」 Osprey Cry Tune)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  7. Wen Wang Cao (聽「文王操」 Wen Wang Melody)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  8. Ke Shang Cao (聽「文王操」 Overcoming Shang Melody - at end of Wen Wang Cao)     (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  9. Wen Wang Qu (聽「文王曲」 Songs of King Wen)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  10. Yueshang Cao (聽「越裳操」 Yueshang Melody)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  11. Lü Shuang Cao (聽「履霜操」 Trading the Frost)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  12. Jiang Gui Cao (聽「將歸操」 About to Return Melody)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  13. Gui Shan Cao (聽「龜山操」 Turte Mountain Melody)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  14. Yasheng Cao (聽「亞聖操」 Proximate Sage Melody)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  15. Can Xing Cao (聽「殘形操」 Partial Form Melody)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  16. Bie Gu Cao (聽「別鵠操」 Parting Snowgoodes Melody)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  17. Zhi Zhao Fei (聽「雉朝飛」 [Paired] Pheasants Morning Flight)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  18. Cai Shi Wunong (聽「蔡氏五弄」 Five Melodies of the Cai Clan)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  19. Ba Gong Cao (聽「八公操」 [Melody of the Eight Dukes)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  20. Huangzhong Diao (聽「黃鐘調」 Yellow Bell Mode)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  21. Gui Qu Lai Ci (聽「歸去來辭」 Come Away Home)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  22. Si Gui Yin (聽「思歸引」 Longing to Return Prelude)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  23. Feng Ru Song Ge (聽「風入松歌」 Song of Wind through the Pines)                       (見歌詞; lyrics are sung)
  24. Ting Qin Fu (聽「聽琴賦」 Rhapsody on Listening to a Qin)                       (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  25. Boya Diao Ziqi (聽「伯牙吊子期」 Boya Mourns Ziqi)                       (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung; compare the 1525 version)
  26. Yangguan Qu (聽「陽關曲」 Song of Yangguan)                                           (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung; compare >1505 Yangguan Sandie)
  27. Chun Jiang Qu (聽「春江曲」 Spring River Melody)                                           (見歌詞; lyrics are sung)
  28. Shuang Qing Zhuan (聽「雙清傳」 Tale of Clarity in Thought and Action, i.e., Paired Clarity of Gibbon and Crane)       (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  29. Zheng Qi Ge (聽「正氣歌」 Song of Integrity)                         (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  30. Gu Qiu Feng (聽「古秋風」 Old Autumn Wind)                                               (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)
  31. Kechuang Yehua (聽「客窗夜話」 Evening Talk by a Guest's Window)                 (見歌詞; lyrics are not sung)

 
     VI. 西麓堂琴統 Xilutang Qintong (1525; 81 pieces)
          The following 81 pieces are on 76 mp3 files (44-45, 65-66, 166-168 and 169-170 are combined); all are the earliest surviving version of these titles. 109 of the 170 pieces from 1525 are the earliest surviving version (see chart). In addition, a few modal preludes have a connection with earlier such preludes.
        以下個MP3有西麓堂琴統 (1525) 的音樂。到現在沒有光盤。

  1. Tiao Xian Pin (聽「調絃品」 String Tuning Melody)
  2. Gong Yi (聽「宮意」 Defining Gong Mode)
  3. Xiuxi Yin (聽「修禊吟」 Purification Ceremony Melody)
  4. Yang Chun (聽「陽春」 Sunny Spring)
  5. Kangqu Yao (聽「康衢謠」 Ballad of the High Road)
  6. Chonghe Yin (聽「冲和吟」 Intonation on Balanced Vital Force)
  7. Gukou Yin (聽「谷口引」 Gukou Allure）
  8. Yi Qiao Jin Lü (聽「圯橋進履」 Going for Shoes under the Bridge）
  9. Da Guan Yin (聽「達觀吟」 Intonation on Being Free of Worldly Emotions)
  10. Liu Shang (聽「流觴」 Floating Wine-Cups)
  11. You Lan (聽「幽蘭」 Secluded Orchid)
  12. Shang Yi #1 (聽「商意」 Defining Shang Mode)
  13. Fei Dian Yin (聽「風電」 Intonation on Lightning Flashes)
  14. Feng Lei (聽「風雷」 Wind and Thunder)
  15. Chun Jiang (聽「春江」 Spring River)
  16. Shang Yi #2 (聽「商意」 Defining Shang Mode, #2; 秋風 lyrics; included under 1425 Shenpin Shang Yi)
  17. Jiao Qi Yin (聽「膠漆吟」 Glue and Lacquer Intonation)
  18. Gu Jiao Xing (聽「古交行」; Engaging with Old Friends)                           （看歌詞 / lyrics are sung）
  19. Yan Yi Ge (聽「剡移歌」 Doorbar Song)                           （看歌詞 / lyrics are sung）
  20. Huai Gu Yin (聽「懷古吟」 Cherish Antiquity Intonation)
  21. Xing Tan (聽「杏壇」 Apricot Tree Forum)                     （看歌詞 / lyrics, Section 10, are sung）
  22. Qing Ye Yin (聽「清夜吟」 Clear Evening Intonation)
  23. Jiang Yue Bai (聽「江月白」 White Moon over the River)                       （看第四、五段歌詞 / lyrics, sections 4 & 5, are sung）
  24. Xue Chuang Ye Hua (聽「雪窗夜話」 Evening Talk by a Snowy Window)
  25. Qiu Feng (聽「秋風」 Autumn Wind)
  26. Chun Jiang Wan Tiao (聽「春江晚眺」 Spring River Evening View)
  27. Ying Zhou (聽「瀛州」 Ying Zhou)
  28. Yi Ye Zhi Qiu (聽「一葉知秋」 Knowing Autumn from a Single Leaf
  29. Meishao Yue (聽「梅梢月」 Moon Atop a Plum Tree)
  30. Jue Yi (聽「角意」 Meaning of Jiao Mode)
  31. Mengji Yin (聽「蒙棘引」 Covered Brambles Prelude)
  32. Cangwu Yuan (聽「蒼梧怨」 Cangwu Lament)
  33. Lienü Yin (聽「列女引」 Exemplary Woman Prelude)
  34. Cai Zhen You (聽「採真遊」 Roaming to Gather the True)
  35. Juezhiyu Yi (聽「角徵羽意」 Defining Juezhiyu Mode)
  36. Nan Feng Chang (聽「南風暢」 Southern Winds Rhapsody)
  37. Qing Yun Ge (聽「卿雲歌」 Song of Auspicious Clouds)
  38. Shishang Liu Quan (聽「石上流泉」 On a Rock by a Flowing Spring)
  39. Dongting Qiu Si (聽「洞庭秋思」 Autumn Reverie at Dongting)
  40. Zui Yu Chang Wan (聽「醉漁唱晚」 A Drunken Fisherman Sings in the Evening)
  41. Yu Ge (聽「漁歌」 Fisherman's Song)
  42. Yushu Lin Feng (聽「玉樹臨風」 (Jade Tree in a Breeze)
  43. Chunxiao Yin (聽「春曉吟」 Spring Dawn)
  44. He Wu Dongtian (聽「鶴舞洞天」 Cranes Dance in the Grotto-Heaven)
  45. Yao Tian Sheng He (聽「瑤天笙鶴」 Jade Sheng Heavenly Crane)                       （看第八段歌詞 / lyrics, section 8, are sung）
  46. Chun Si (聽「春思」 Spring Thoughts)
  47. Boya Diao Ziqi (聽「伯牙弔子期」 Boya Mourns Ziqi)                                         （看歌詞 / lyrics are sung）
  48. Huangzhong Yi (聽「黃鐘意」 Defining Yellow Bell Mode)
  49. Li Ling Si Han (聽「李陵思漢」 Li Ling Thinks of Han)
  50. Taicou Yi (聽「太簇意」 Defining Taicou Mode; recording includes next)
  51. Ding Hui Yin (聽「定慧引」 Fixed on Mental Pursuits; recording includes previous)
  52. Yize Yi (聽「夷則意」 Meaning of Yize Mode)
  53. Chutai Yin (聽「處泰吟」 Dwell at the Source)
  54. Yuan You (聽「遠遊」 Wander Afar)
        - with slide show
  55. Yi Guanshan (聽「憶關山」 Recalling Guanshan)
  56. Han Gong Qiu (聽「漢宮秋」 Autumn in the Han Palace)
  57. Dalü Yi (聽「大呂意」 Defining Dalü Mode)
  58. Kongtong Yin (聽「崆峒引」 Kongtong Mountain Prelude)
  59. Kongtong Wen Dao (聽「崆峒問道」 Discussing the Dao at Kongtong Mountain)
  60. Jiazhong Yi (聽「夾鍾意」 Defining Jiazhong Mode)
  61. Yueshang Yin (聽「越裳吟」 Yueshang Intonation)
  62. Yueshang Cao (聽「越裳操」 Yueshang Melody)
  63. Zhonglü Yi (聽「仲呂意、逍遙吟」 Defining Zhonglü - with next)
  64. Xiaoyao Yin ((聽「仲呂意、逍遙吟」 Carefree Intonation - with previous)
  65. Xiaoyao You (聽「越裳操」 Carefree Roaming)
  66. Linzhong Yi (聽「林鐘意」 Linzhong Prelude)
  67. Shenren Chang (聽「神人暢」 Rhapsody on a Celestial)
  68. Yingzhong Yi (聽「應鐘意」 Yingzhong Prelude)
  69. Han Jie Cao (聽「漢節操」 Han Credentials)
  70. Song Yu Bei Qiu (聽「宋玉悲秋」 Song Yu Mourns Autumn)
        - with slide show
  71. Wumei Yi (聽「無媒意」 Defining Wumei Mode)
  72. Linqiong Yin (聽「臨邛吟」 Linqiong Prelude)
  73. Feng Qiu Huang (聽「鳳求凰」 A Phoenix Seeks his Mate)                 （看第三、第八段歌詞 / lyrics, sections 3 and 8, are sung）
  74. Gu Guan Yu Shen (聽「孤館遇神」 Encountering Spirits in an Isolated Mountain)
  75. Biyu Yi (聽「碧玉意」 Defining Green Jade Mode; recording includes next two pieces)
  76. Qiu Yue Yin (聽「秋夜吟」 Autumn Evening Intonation; recording includes previous and next piece)
  77. Qiu Xiao Bu Yue (recording includes previous two pieces; 聽「秋宵步月」 Autumn Night Moon Walk)
  78. Yu Nü Yi (聽「玉女意」 Defining Jade Lady Mode; recording includes next)
  79. Xian Pei Ying Feng (聽「仙珮迎風」 Fairy Jade in the Wind; recording includes previous)
  80. Qingyu Yi (聽「清羽意」 Defining Qingyu Mode)
  81. Taoyuan Chunxiao (聽「桃源春曉」 Spring Dawn at Peach Blossom Spring)

 
 VII. 發明琴譜 Faming Qinpu (1530; 4 melodies)
        These four melodies are the four (of 25) that survive first from Faming Qinpu.

  1. Qiujiang Wandiao （聽「秋江晚釣」 Autumn River Evening Fishing）             （看中文歌詞)
  2. Sheng De Song （聽「盛德頌」 Hymn of Grand Moral Virtue)                             （看中文歌詞)
  3. Yangguan Sandie (聽「陽關三疊」 Thrice Parting for Yangguan, short version, sung )                       （看中文歌詞
  4. Shiba Xueshi Deng Yingzhou （聽「十八學士登瀛洲」 Eighteen Scholars Ascend Yingzhou ）         （看中文歌詞; lyrics not sung)
 
 VIII. 風宣玄品 Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539; 15 of 101 pieces)
        On these 15 MP3 files I play all 8 of the melodies from 1539 that did not appear in any earlier handbooks, plus 7 that are variants of melodies also surviving from 1511 or 1525 (details).
        以下個MP3有風宣玄品 (1539) 的音樂。到現在沒有光盤。

  1. Yi Sa Jin (聽「一撒金」 First Scatter Gold)
  2. Wenjun Cao （文君操，兩個﹕ 聽「甲」， 聽「乙」； 看歌詞）;   a 琴歌 qin song lyrics are sung; two examples: see comment
  3. Loushi Ming （聽「陋室銘」Inscription on a Crude Dwelling）                       （看歌詞 / see lyrics）
  4. Dao Yi Qu (聽「搗衣曲」 Pounding Cloth Melody)                       （看歌詞 / see lyrics）
  5. Gui Geng (聽「歸耕」 Return to Ploughing）                       （看歌詞 / - see lyrics)
  6. Da Ming Yi Tong (聽「大明一統」 Unity of the Great Ming)                       （看歌詞 / see lyrics）
  7. Zui Weng Yin (聽「醉翁吟」 Old Toper's Chant)                       （看歌詞 / see lyrics; 1571 song on same track）
  8. Feng Lei Yin (聽「風雷引」 Invocation of Wind and Thunder)
  9. Gujiao Xing (聽「古交行」 Engaging with Old Friends)                 （看第八段歌詞 / lyrics, Section 8, are sung）
  10. Chun Jiang (聽「春江」 Spring River)
  11. Kai Gu (聽「慨古」 Sigh for Antiquity)
  12. Yan Guo Hengyang (聽「雁過衡陽」 Wild Geese Traverse Hengyang)
  13. Weibin Yin (聽「渭濱吟」 Wei Riverbank Intonation)
  14. Pei Lan (聽「佩蘭」 Fragrant Orchids)
  15. Ji Qing Cao (聽「寄情操」 Melody for Expressing Emotion)

 
 IX. 杏莊太音續譜 Xingzhuang Taiyin Xupu (1559)
           In the mid-16th century several handbooks were produced mostly with different versions of melodies published earlier; Yu Qiao Wenda is the best known new one from these handbooks.

  1. Yu Qiao Wenda (聽「漁樵問答」 Dialogue between a Fisherman and Woodcutter)

 
   X. 龍湖琴譜 Longhu Qinpu (1571)

  1. Zui Weng Yin (聽「醉翁吟」 Old Toper's Chant)                       （看歌詞 / see lyrics; 1539 song on same track）
 
    XI. 五音琴譜 Wuyin Qinpu (1579)

  1. Shuixian Qu (聽「水仙曲」 Water Immortals' Melody)
  2. Jing Guan Yin (聽「靜觀吟」 Contemplative Intonation)
 
  XII. 重修真傳琴譜 Chongxiu Zhenchuan Qinpu (1573 - 1585)

  1. Caoman Yin (see 看「操縵引」 Strum Silk Prelude under Videos for Learning)
  2. Feng Qiu Huang (聽「鳳求凰」 (A Phoenix Seeks his Mate; same lyrics as the 1539 Wenjun Cao)
  3. Shi Yin/Xing Tan Yin (聽「詩吟」、「杏壇吟」 Intonation for Poetry [1573 only] and for Apricot Pavilion [also 1585])
  4. Si Gui Yin (linked under 1511: 聽「思歸引」 and 看五線譜 transcription； Longing to Return Prelude)
  5. Yu Xian Yin (聽「遇仙吟」 Intonation of Meeting an Immortal; originally in 1573, see ToC)
  6. Xiang Si Qu 1573, (聽「相思曲」 (sung); Melody of Mutual Love; first of multiple versions)
  7. Xiang Si Qu 1585, (聽「相思曲」 (sung); Melody of Mutual Love; second of multiple versions)
  8. Xing Xin Ji (聽「醒心集」; Awakened Minds; also see link to transcription)
 
  XIII. 玉梧琴譜 Yuwu Qinpu (1589)

  1. Shuilong Yin (聽「水龍吟」 Water Dragon Intonation)
 
  XIV. 真傳正宗琴譜 Zhenchuan Zhengzong Qinpu (1589)

  1. Jiu Kuang     (酒狂 Wine Mad: sung in Chinese or sung in English)               （看、 聽中文歌詞 ; 看、聽英文歌詞)
  2. Feng Qiu Huang (聽「鳳求凰」 (A Phoenix Seeks his Mate; same lyrics as the 1539 Wenjun Cao)
  3. Ting Qin Yin (聽「聽琴吟」 Intonation on Listening to a Qin)                   （看中文歌詞; lyrics not sung)
  4. Mozi Bei Ge (聽「墨子悲歌」 Mozi Sings with Feeling)
  5. Dao Yi          (聽「搗衣」 Pounding Cloth)                                             （看中文歌詞; lyrics not sung)
  6. Gui Yuan Cao (聽「閨怨操」 Lament in a Lady's Chamber)
  7. Shitan Zhang (聽「釋談章」; Stanzas of Siddham; not sung); see with 1592 under Sanjiao Tongsheng
  8. Qingshang Diao (聽「清商調」 Qingshang Modal Prelude)                       （看中文歌詞; lyrics not sung)
 
  XV. 三教同聲 Sanjiao Tongsheng (1592)
           Combined Sounds of Three Religions: Three melodies in two mp3s
  1. Ming De Yin /
  2. Kongsheng Jing (聽「明德引」、「孔聖經」 Bright Virtue Prelude / Confucian Canon; both sung)    （看五線譜）
  3. Shitan Zhang (聽「釋談章」; Stanzas of Siddham; not sung); see with 1609 here               （看五線譜、看歌詞）
  4. Qing Jing Jing (聽「清靜經」 Canon of Purity and Tranquility; sung)                               （看五線譜、看歌詞）
 
   XVI. 綠綺新聲 : Luqi Xin Sheng (1597)

  1. Gong Yi (聽「宮意」 Essence from Gong Mode; 1597)
  2. Moshang Sang (聽「陌上桑」 Mulberry Lane; 1597)
  3. Si Si Ge (聽「四思歌」 Song of Four Laments; 1597)
 
    XVII. 松絃館琴譜 Songxian Guan Qinpu (1614)

  1. Zhongqiu Yue (聽「中秋月」 Mid Autumn Moon)
  2. Qiujiang Yebo (聽「秋江夜泊」 Autumn River Night Anchorage)
  3. Liangxiao Yin (聽「良宵引」 Peaceful Evening Prelude)
 
   XVIII. 理性元雅 (1618)

  1. Lu Ming (聽「鹿鳴 」 Deer Calls; lyrics from the Shi Jing)
  2. Ba Jiu Wen Yue (聽「把酒問月」 Wine in Hand Asking the Moon; lyrics by Li Bai)
  3. Xiang Si Qu 1618, (聽「相思曲」 (sung); Melody of Mutual Love; third of multiple versions)
  4. Cha Ge (聽「茶歌」 Song of Tea; lyrics from a poem by Lu Tong include the famous "Seven Bowls of Tea")
  5. Jie Yu Ge (聽「接輿歌」 Song of Jie Yu; lyrics from the Analects and Zhuangzi, tablature adapted from one of the handbook's five nine-string melodies)
 
   XIX. 古音正宗 Sizhaitang Qinpu (1620)
  1. Oulu Wang Ji (聽「鷗鷺忘機」 No Ulterior Motives Regarding Seabirds; 1620)
 
    XX. 太音希聲 Taiyin Xisheng (1625)
  1. Se Kong Jue (聽「梅花」 Canon of Form and Emptiness [Heart Sutra]; 1625)
 
    XXI. 古音正宗 Guyin Zhengzong (1634)
  1. Yan Luo Pingsha (聽「雁落平沙」 Wild Geese Descend on a Sandbank)
  2. Guangling Zhen Qu (Guangling True Essence) (聽「廣陵散」（小） Guangling Melody (later short version; 00.00 to 01.11 of the recording)
  3. Guangling San (聽「廣陵散」（小） Guangling Melody (later short version; 01.12 to end of the recording)
 
    XXII.  琴學心聲諧譜 Qinxue Xinsheng Xiepu (1664)
  1. Li Yun Chun Si (聽「梨雲春思」 Pear-White Clouds, Spring Thoughts; 1664)
  2. Lin He Xiuxi (聽「臨河修禊」 Riverside Purification Ceremony; 1664)
  3. Wuye Wu Qiufeng (聽「梧葉舞秋風」 Leaves Dance in an Autumn Breeze; 1664)
 
  XXIII.  和文注音琴譜 Japan handbooks (music brought to Japan in 1676)
  1. Qing Ping Yue (聽「清平樂」 Clear Peaceful Music)
  2. Lang Tao Sha (聽「浪淘沙 」 Waves Scouring the Sands)
  3. Dongfeng Qi Zhuo Li (聽「東風齊著力」 East Winds Work Together)
  4. Qiu Feng Ci (聽「秋風辭」 Autumn Wind Ode)
  5. Ziye Wu Ge (聽「子夜吳歌」 Ziye Songs of Wu)
  6. You Jian Quan (聽「幽澗泉 」 Secluded Cascading Spring)
  7. Zui Weng Cao (聽「醉翁操」 Old Toper's Melody)
  8. Ba Sheng Ganzhou (聽「八聲甘州」 Eight Sounds of Ganzhou)
  9. Rui He Xian (聽「瑞鶴仙」 Auspicious Crane Immortal)
  10. Fenghuang Taishang Yi Chui Xiao (聽「鳳凰臺上憶吹簫」 On Phoenix Terrace Recalling the Playing of a Flute )
  11. He Chong Xiao (聽「 鶴沖霄 」 Cranes Pierce the Clouds)
  12. Nan Pu Yue (聽「南浦月」 South Bank Moon)
  13. Mei Hua (聽「梅花」 Plum Blossoms)
  14. Ou Cheng (聽「偶成」 Stray Thoughts)
  15. Libie Nan (聽「離別難」 Separation Sorrows)
  16. Pili Yin (聽「霹靂引」 Thunderbolt Prelude)
  17. Yue Dang Ting (聽「月當廳 」 )
  18. Yi Wangsun (聽「憶王孫」 Recalling a Prince)
  19. Cao Tang Yin (聽「草堂吟」 Thatched Cottage Intonation)
  20. Chang Xiang Si (聽「長相思」 Everlasting Longing)
  21. Xiang Si Qu 1618, (聽「相思曲」 Melody of Mutual Love; sung); fourth of multiple versions)
  22. Zhu Zhi Ci (聽「竹枝詞」 Bamboo Branch Lyrics)
 
   XXIV. 其他 Other
  1. Tanpo Huan Xi Sha (聽「攤破浣溪沙」 Extended Washing at Creekside; 1682)
  2. Gao Shan Liu Shui (聽「高山流水」 High Mountains, Flowing Streams (cipai); 1682)
  3. Shui Diao Ge Tou (聽「水調歌頭」 Water Tune Prelude; 1687)
  4. Wuling Chun (聽「武陵春」 Wuling Spring; 1687)
  5. Xiang Si Qu 1709, (聽「相思曲」 Melody of Mutual Love; sung); fifth of multiple versions)
  6. Qiu Feng Qu (聽「秋風曲」 Autumn Wind Melody [1709])
  7. Qiu Feng Ci (聽「秋風詞」 Autumn Wind Lyrics [1840])
  8. Gu Qin Yin (聽「古琴吟」 Old Qin Melody [1864]; compare )
  9. Chun Gui Yuan (聽「春閨怨」 Spring Chamber Lament [now called 玉樓春曉 Yu Lou Chun Xiao]; date uncertain)

For further silk string qin playing: (聽別的人彈絲絃古琴)

My site also has recordings by Zha Fuxi
Jim Binkley's site includes a number of old recordings.
Muka Fushimi (伏見无家) of the 鎌倉琴社 Kamakura Qin Society plays on silk strings. (As of 2011 these seem to be gone; try Facebook)  
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Important note on the natural volume of qin music
For the most authentic listening experience, the speaker volume should be kept low, e.g., no louder than normal speech level. Qin music is not designed to overcome its natural surroundings. Note, however, that an essential element of qin music is the color of the tones; the .mp3 file format required here necessarily means some of this color has been lost.
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3 Original repertoire
From 1974 to 1976 I studied 17 melodies from master Sun Yuqin. When I went to Hong Kong I began reconstructing early melodies, starting with ones that had some similarity to melodies I had learned from Master Sun. So as not to be too confused by those learned versions I stopped playing them completely. As a result there are very few recordings around of me playing my original repertoire.
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4. Online recordings
The numerous video recordings on this site are not counted here, but instead are listed separately. In some cases I have more than one recording of a particular piece; in a few other cases I have combined several pieces into one recording (for example, if I am recording a set that consists of a modal prelude, a melodic prelude and the main melody). However, the lists here and linked here treat each melody title separately.

The pieces I have recorded and reconstructed come almost exclusively from the earliest surviving publication of that melody.
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5. The process of making online recordings (MP3; see also General and Technical Details of my Qin Recordings.)
The selections from my CDs were originally recorded during the late 1990s in the 招隱室 Studio for Seeking Solitude, a room at my home overlooking the South China Sea in Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, then were edited in a professional studio. I had to record in the middle of the night, at which time the main obstacle was the noise of the motors in passing fishing junks.

The other recordings included here are part of an ongoing process. This began in October 2006 in the new Studio for Seeking Solitude at my home near the Hudson River in New Jersey, facing Manhattan. The room is rather quiet, but if you listen carefully with headphones to recordings made there you may sometimes hear way in the background the sound of passing cars, planes or helicopters. If it is a neighboring lawn care machine I have to stop. Around that time I bought a Sony RCD-W500C CD recorder. This enabled me to make the initial MP3 files for this website by first copying my DAT recordings onto a CD, then ripping MP3 files from there onto my computer. (My Sony DAT recorder records at a sample rate of 48, whereas CDs use a sample rate of 44.1. For this reason, although both the DAT and the CD are digital signals, I could only copy between the two using analog format.)

At the beginning of 2009 I started using a Fostex FR-2LE Field Memory Recorder (solid state); this solved the analog-digital problem. However, I still had only primitive editing programs available. To solve this I moved from PC to Mac and learned some basic editing techniques in Mac's Logic Express. This is the system I used when we moved to India.

After moving to Mumbai in May 2009 I continued recording in a sound insulated room (another Studio for Seeking Solitude) in our home there. There the problem was banging noises elsewhere in the building, auto-ricks and sometimes other vehicles on the street outside, and sound from speakers in a temple across Nirvana Park from our home. Although my equipent served me well most of the time in India, towards the end my Fostex blew up.

In August 2011 I bought a Roland R-26 portable recorder (www.roland.com), also digital. It can be used either with its built in microphones or with external ones.

Around the same time we moved to Singapore, where we lived in centrally located flat that was rather quiet but my new Studio For Seeking Solitude was not sound insulated. Consequently doing recordings here, from 2011 to 2013, I used the Roland R-26 by itself, without the external AKGs or Aerco preamp (see technical details). During the daytime it seemed quiet until I began recording, which had to be done at night. Then the main noise problems came from within the building: water in pipes, doors opening and closing, footsteps. Nevertheless, I was able to continue doing some recordings.

Regarding the melodies with lyrics, for those with the shorter lyrics I simply sing as I play. However, there are also here some songs that are too long or complicated for me to sing and play well at the same time (three are online at present: Ming De Yin / Kongsheng Jing, Qing Jing Jing, and the sung version of Jiu Kuang). For these I first recorded the qin onto the DAT recorder. Then I played this back, listening on headphones as the sound was also fed through a Samson S-Mix, a small five-channel mixer. I then sang along through the original microphones, also hooking them up through the AERCO microphone preamp to the Samson. This mixed sound then went to the CD recorder. I sang at the same distance from the microphone (about 1 meter) as I did when playing qin and singing at the same time; unfortunately the balance never seemed to me quite correct.

After getting my Roland R-26 I double tracked some songs using it together with the Mac: first I recorded onto the Roland, then I copied this into Logic Express. After doing any necessary editing I sang while listening on headphones to this being played back, recording that onto the R-26 (which does not have the capability of recording sound over sound.) I then copied that new track into Logic Express and the timing seemed to line up without a problem. I could then balance the qin and song tracks separately.

Issues of balance, particularly on the earlier recordings, and having to do the singing myself, are problems I am still working on, but in the mean time I have gone ahead and put some of these files online for two reasons. One is that some people have expressed particular interest in qin songs, but there are very few recordings currently available. The other is my hope that enough of the beauty of these melodies will shine through my amateur singing and recording that it encourages other people to sing the songs themselves.
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6. Transcriptions (see also My Publications)
For all the pieces I have recorded I have also made transcriptions into staff notation - this was part of the reconstruction process. All melodies through and including the >1505 handbook are available also as transcriptions. However, for the final recordings of later melodies, often there are enough differences from what the related "final transcription" that I have not yet put it online. Anyone interested in a particular missing transcription can contact me and I will try to rush that piece to the front of the queue.
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7. How to listen to these recordings
In order to listen while still looking at the page with commentary you probably need to right click the link, select "open in a new window", then (if necessary) make the page with the showing the recording progressing small enough that you can see both windows. When I set up most of the pages I put in code that would automatically open the recording page in a new window, but then the code meaning changed and now it usually opens in a new tab, so you cannot look at both at the same time. The aim is, by putting the recording window on top of the page introducing the melody, you should be able to read the introduction as you listen; and for many of the pieces you should be able follow the music section by section by scrolling down to the section titles, where timings are indicated.

Also, you may have settings that control whether a selected piece plays only once or repeats continuously.

For all the music I play I have also written out Western staff notation using the computer program Encore. For those transcriptions that are online along with the recordings, please note that the transcriptions use Western staff notation as though they are the Chinese number notation. In other words, C is not the modern C or the baroque C, but the relative note do, corresponding to the Chinese gong or 1. This is because there is no absolute pitch with the qin: the actual pitch of the strings depends on such variables as the size of the qin, the quality of the strings and the temperature, as well as the taste of the player. There are further comments on this under Modality in Early Ming QinTablature.
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