Volume 4,
Chapter 7:
Left and Right-Hand Fingering – An
Illustrated Explanation
The
Right-Hand Five Fingers – Palm Up
Translator’s note: The author commonly uses a number of terms
for parts of the hand for which we lack a precise English translation. One such term is hu-kou (lit. “tiger mouth” 虎口) which refers to the area
where the thumb meets the index finger. We
will For the most part that term will be translated by simply saying “the area
where the thumb and index finger meet” or the equivalent. Terms referring to finger parts also exist that
are somewhat problematic. Each finger
can be said to have three joints, which in Chinese proceeding from the hand to
the tip of the finger are: xiang-jie (lit. “chief joint” 相節), zhong-jie (lit. “middle joint” 中節), and mo-jie (lit. “last joint” 末節). In English we will call these the inner,
middle, and outer (or last) joints where outer/last means away from the hand,
and inner means at the hand. The inner
joint is really more or less the knuckle of the finger. Also note that the thumb is considered a
finger in
Left-Hand
Five Fingers – Palm Down
The
hands proceed from the shoulder to the upper arm, to the elbow, forearm, wrist,
and palm. The palm leads to the fingers.
Each finger has three joints – although
the lower joint for the thumb is between the wrist and palm and is hidden and
not exposed, only branching off at the middle joint. The “tiger mouth” (虎口) is where (the thumb)
meets the index finger. Then we have the
index finger, middle finger, and ring finger.
The smallest finger is the little finger. It is forbidden to use it, thus it may be
called the “forbidden finger” (禁指). At the last joint of all fingers, on the
outside we have a fingernail and on the inside (of the finger), flesh. The flesh has a pattern called the
fingerprint. The fingernails are found
at the tips of the fingers. In this way,
the fingers (and joints) are all the same.
However there are differences in the left hand that presses (strings)
and the right hand that plays (strings).
Proceeding from the aspect of the hands including how they extend out,
bend in, straighten out, incline to the side, bow down, or point up – one by
one we give a detailed illustrated explanation.
A scholar who can learn in detail and quietly understand (these
techniques) can naturally obtain hands that physically respond to the mind’s
will.
The Appearance of the Right Hand As It
Begins To Play
Of
the five fingers of the right hand, only the little finger is not used. Straighten the outer two joints, with the fingernail
(of the little finger) pointing up. The
middle and ring finger should be held out straight with the middle joints close
together. The outer joint of the ring
finger should be slightly higher when compared to the middle finger. Both should bend down about the same
amount. The index finger should bend
down with its outer two joints and fingernail hanging down. The thumb should be under the index finger
with its two joints forming a slight bow.
However much the fingers stick out or bend or are raised up or down, do
not let the fingers separate too much.
It is best if the space between the thumb and ring finger is open.
The
Appearance of the Left Hand As It Begins To Play
Of
the five fingers of the left-hand, only the little finger is not used. As previously shown, the outert two joints of
the index finger are slightly bent as with a crescent moon. The outer two joints of the thumb extend
out. The space between the thumb and the
index finger is slightly open and (the thumb) is inclined to the side. The middle finger is straight but lower than
the index finger (and in this case) lightly presses beyond the ninth hui on a
string. The ring finger is also
straight, but higher than the middle finger.
Regarding the appearance of all the fingers one should exercise care and
not use them in any careless manner. The
fingernails should not be too long. Get
rid of any sharp points so that you can firmly press the strings down, and
avoid harming the surface of the qin.
The
Appearance of the Right-Hand Thumb Playing Pi (擘)
The
thumb is turned down and is perpendicular.
The outer two joints are slightly bent.
Motion comes from the strength in both wrist and the middle (thumb) joint. The ring, middle, and index fingers are held
straight with their middle joints close together and the last joints
uneven. The little finger is held as
previously mentioned.
The Appearance of the Right-Hand Playing Tuo (托)
The right-hand thumb is held down and
perpendicular. The last two joints are
straight out. Motion come from the force
exerted by the middle joint and the wrist.
The index, middle, and ring fingers are straight, although the last two
joints on the middle finger should be slightly below the other two
fingers. There should be some space
between the three fingers. The little
finger should be held as before.
The Appearance of the Right-Hand
Bend the index finger slightly and extend it out using
the last two joints. The last two joints
of the thumb should be slightly bent and incline to the side of the index
finger. Every time mo is played, make
sure that the finger pad of the index finger falls beneath the fingernail of
the thumb. Do not rest it on some inner
string. Motion should originate from the
outer two joints of the index finger.
The middle and index fingers bend a little but are mostly straight. There should be a little separation between
the fingers. The relative height of the
fingers is uneven. The little finger is
as before. The appearance of this
technique is similar to the fu (沸) technique, only fu’s motion
comes from the wrist and forearm.[1]
The Appearance of the
Right-Hand Playing Tiao (挑)
The
index finger and the thumb make a circular shape. The thumb of the fingernail should be under
the index finger and in the center of the finger pad area. When tiao is played, then the thumb should be
stuck out. The (index) finger moves
out. Its motion derives from the thumb’s
outer two joints moving out in a lively fashion. The middle and ring fingers are slightly
bent. Other details are similar to the
mo (抹) technique. The
little finger should be held as before.
The
Appearance of the Right Hand Middle Finger Playing Gou (句)
The
middle finger bends down from the bottom joint.
The outer two joints are held straight.
The thumb is as in previous examples, inclined and under the middle
finger. When gou is played, the last
joint of the middle finger must fall past and under the fingernail of the thumb. It should not strike the next string.[2] Motion comes from force exerted from the
middle joint of the middle finger. The
index and ring fingers are straight and extended in a similar way and are also
higher than the middle finger. The
little finger is (held) as in previous (examples).
The
Appearance of the Right-Hand Middle Finger Playing Ti (剔)
The
middle finger and the thumb make a circle.
The thumbnail is lower than the middle finger’s finger pad area. The motion is similar to the tiao (挑) technique. The index and ring fingers are slightly bent
and higher than the middle finger. The
little finger is held as shown previously.
The
Appearance of the Right-Hand Playing Da (打)
The
ring finger bends down from the inner joint.
Its outer two joints are straight.
Motion comes from the force exerted by the inner joint (at the
hand). The index and middle fingers are
closely joined together and straight.
They are also higher than the ring finger. The space between the thumb and index finger
should be open with the thumb joints making a shape like the Chinese character
for eight (八). The little
finger is held as before.
The Appearance of the Right-Hand Playing Zhai (摘)
The
ring finger bends down from the joint at the hand and the middle joint. The outer joint (and finger part) is held in
a perpendicular manner. This (technique)
is similar to ti (剔).
Only there is no use of the thumb underneath it. As for motion, the force comes from both the inner
and outer joints. The ring and middle fingers should be close together and
slightly bent down. The thumb should be
slightly bent over to the center with a little space between it and the index
finger. The little finger is as
before. The gun (滾) technique has a similar
appearance, only the force of the motion comes from the wrist and upper
arm.
The Appearance of the Right-Hand Playing Cuo (撮) with Thumb and Middle Finger
The
thumb and middle finger each stick out straight and open into the shape of the
Chinese character for eight (八). The force for motion comes from the two inner
joints (of the two fingers). The index and
ring fingers stick out as a pair and are higher than the middle finger. The little finger is held as before.
The
Appearance of the Right-Hand Playing Cuo (撮)[3] with Ring and Middle
Fingers
The
middle and index finger hang down vertically with the outer two joints straight
and the fingers separated in the form of the Chinese character for people (人). The thumb also hangs down and is slightly
bent in the outer two joints. The (thumb’s)
fingernail edge is placed under the finger pad of the index finger. The motion (for this technique) comes from
force exerted by all three fingers, index, middle, and ring finger using the
joint at the hand in each case. The ring
finger is extended and bent down a little.
All three fingers are separated from each other and in form resemble a
three pronged fork. The little finger is
as before.
The
Appearance of the Right-Hand Playing
The
three fingers, index, middle, and ring finger should be held closely together
and bent down from the inner joint. The outer
two joints are extended in a straight manner.
Make the fingernail of the ring finger stick out a little more than the
fingernail of the middle finger. Make
the middle fingernail stick out a little more than the fingernail of the index
finger. Motion is exerted from the
wrist. The thumb is is straight and
inclined a bit underneath the side of the index finger. The little finger is held as before.
The Appearance
of the Right-Hand Playing Ci (刺)
All
three fingers, index, middle and ring finger are held closely together. Each is bent a little in the last two
joints. The fingernail of the index
finger should extend slightly beyond the middle finger’s nail. The fingernail of the middle finger should
also extend beyond the nail of the ring finger. When ci is played all three fingers should
line up and extend straight out together.
Motion derives from force exerted by the wrist. The thumb and little finger are held the same
as in the previous example.
The
Appearance of the Right-Hand Playing Lun (輪)
The
three fingers, index, middle and ring finger are held closely together. Fingernails should be lined up and the
fingers should be bent from the inner joint at the wrist. Motion comes from the last two joints of the
fingers. The last two joints of the
thumb are slightly bent – take the finger nail and put it behind and to the
side of the finger pad of the index finger.
The little finger is held as before.
The ban-lun (半輪) technique uses the same
methodology. Only the index finger does
not play.
The
Appearance of the Right-Hand Playing Fu (伏)
The
technique here is similar to ci (刺). Start to play ci, using the three fingers,
index, middle, and ring finger all close together. Include the thumb and line
it up evenly with the other fingers.
Strike the surface of the qin in the area of the first two strings. The sound should be like the tearing of silk. The little finger is held as in previous
examples.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Thumbnail Playing a String
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Thumb Using the Flesh to Play a String
The
thumb is at the side and beneath the index finger. The space between the thumb and index finger
is half open. When playing a string
(with the thumb) half nail and half flesh is used. The last two joints of the thumb are bent and
employ the border between the nail and flesh on the right side presses the
string. Do not use only the nail. If using only the flesh, then stretch the
thumb out straight and use the bony part of the thumb on the last joint that
protrudes to press the string. Facility
in motion entirely comes from the outer two joints of the thumb, which should stretch
and bend in a lively fashion. When well
practiced, a thumb can easily manage two strings. The zhu (注) and chuo (綽) techniques [with zhu use all flesh, and with chuo use
half nail and half flesh] become very convenient.[4] The index and middle fingers should be close
together and slightly bent. The finger
nails need not line up. The middle and
ring fingers should be slightly apart.
The ring finger should be slightly bowed and bent down. The little finger appears as in previous
examples. Do not under any circumstances
pinch the index finger and thumb together to make a circular shape – this is
vulgar.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Ring Finger Pressing a String
The
index finger bends from the middle joint and should make a convex shape
including the outer last joint. It
should not be bent in a concave manner.
Press at the center of the finger pad.
If you are playing two or three strings, then extend it in a straight
way and slightly incline it to the left.
Strength comes from the outer two joints. Motion stems from the lively movement of the
wrist and upper arm. Do not lay the
middle finger on top of the index finger – this is vulgar. All the other fingers are the same as in
previous examples.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Thumb Playing Tao (搯) and the
Ring Finger
Pressing a String
The
ring finger presses a string as in the previous (illustration). The thumb bends at the outer two joints. Using the right side of the thumbnail above
the pressed position of the ring finger, lightly pluck out a sound from the
string. Facility here stems from making
sure the ring finger is solidly positioned.
Thus when the thumb plucks a string the result is naturally clear and
bright. One must take advantage of the
moment when the ring finger is placed on the string and pluck. If you wait (too long) for the placement (of
the ring finger) and then pluck, then the result may be too late. The rest of the fingers are the same as in
previous examples.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Playing Gui (跪)
The
index finger bends at the middle joint and kneels with the outer part of the
digit. When pressing (the string) there
are two uses with fingernail and flesh.
When using the nail, then press in the center of the nail. When using the flesh then press more closely
to the last joint. When you start to use
this technique, it can be somewhat painful.
After long practice the pain will not be felt. It is best to employ both nail and flesh to
jointly press two strings. If one
employs gui and then does tao (搯), one should lean (the
finger) to the left side. Facility will
come with practice. The other fingers
are the same as when one uses the index finger to play a string.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Middle Finger Playing a String
The
middle finger bends from the lower joint at the wrist. The outer two joints extend straight. Use the center of the finger pad to touch the
string. If two strings are pressed at
one time then slightly favor the left side.
In both cases use the middle joint.[5] The index and ring finger are extended
straight out. The thumb is at the
side. The little finger is treated as in
previous examples.
The
Appearance of the Thumb and Middle Finger Playing Together
The
thumb bends in the last two joints and uses half nail and half flesh to play on
an interior string.[6] The middle finger sticks out straight with
its last two joints and uses the center of the finger pad to play an exterior
string. This technique is often used to
play string pairs seven and two, or one and six. It is also used when strings are far
apart. The index and ring fingers are
held in a manner similar to the middle finger.
The little finger is held as in previous examples.
The
Appearance of the Thumb and Ring Finger Playing Together
The
thumb bends in the last two joints and uses half of the nail and half flesh to
play on an interior string. The index
finger bends from the middle joint with the last joint thrust out and plays an exterior
string. Use the left side of the finger
pad to press an exterior string. This
technique is often used to play string pairs that are far apart. The index and middle fingers should be close
together and slightly bent to the side. The little finger is held as in previous
examples.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Middle and Ring Fingers Playing Together
The
middle finger sticks out straight from its last two digits. Use the left-side of the finger pad on an
exterior string. The ring finger is bent
at the middle joint with the outer joint straight. The left side of the finger pad is also used
to press an interior string. This
technique is often used when playing strings one and two. And it may also be used when the strings are
near each other. The index finger is
stretched out straight and is slightly to the side. The thumb is bent and at the side. The little finger is treated as in previous
examples.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Thumb and Index Finger Playing Together[7]
The
thumb bends at its last two joints and employs half nail and half flesh (to
press) an interior string. The index
finger sticks out at the last two joints and uses the finger pad on the left
side to press some outer string. This
(technique) is often used with two adjoining strings. It is also used when the strings are near
each other. The middle and ring fingers stick straight out
and are slightly raised. Their height is
uneven. The little finger is treated as
before.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Thumb Playing Harmonics
Extend
the outer two joints of the thumb and lightly touch the string with the bony
extruded part on the right side. Motion
may come from the wrist or the joint at the hand. The middle finger is straight and slightly
bent down. The index and ring fingers
are straight and slightly bent up. The
little finger is held as before.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Middle Finger Playing Harmonics
The
outer two joints of the middle finger are extended straight out. Use the highest part of the finger pad and
lightly touch the string. Motion comes
from the lower joint at the hand. The
technique for all other fingers is the same as for the middle finger pressing a
string.[8]
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Ring Finger Playing Harmonics
The
last two joints of the ring finger are slightly curved and the finger is bent
just a little bit towards the left side.
There are two places on the finger that can be used for placement (on
the string). One is at the left side of
the finger pad. The other is at the
intersection of the last two joints, which is often used with the suo-ling (索鈴) and li (歷) techniques. Motion (for the latter technique) is exerted
from the wrist or (for the former technique) from the last joint of the (ring)
finger. With both methods, the thumb, index,
middle, and little fingers have the same appearance as with previous
explanations for the middle and index fingers – only the finger used is
different.
The
Appearance of the Left-Hand Index Finger Playing Harmonics
Hold
the last two joints of the index finger out straight. There are two places (on the finger) used in
playing. One is at the center of the
finger pad in its most prominent position.
The other is at the intersection of the outermost and middle joint with
the center used in both cases directed at the qin surface. Motion derives either from the wrist or from
the last joint. In both cases the thumb
sticks out straight with the fingernail slightly facing up. There is no open space between the thumb and
index finger. The thumb and index finger
are both straight. There is open space
at the tips of the fingers and the fingers slightly face up. Use the illustration to determine the
height. The little finger is held as
before.