The introduction of the traditional musical instrument of the Zhuang "three strings"

Three-string is a plucked instrument of the Zhuang people. Its shape is similar to the small three-string of Han and Lahu, and its tone is clear and bright. It is mainly used for the ensemble of the eight tones of the Zhuang people or the accompaniment of the Zhuang opera rap, and is loved by the Zhuang people. It is popular in Longlin, Xilin, Tianlin, Leye County, Lingyun, Baise, Tianyang, Tiandong, Debao, Jingxi and other places in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Structural Synthesis

The structure consists of *** sounding box, head, pole, string axle, bridge strings and so on. The body length is 80cm~85cm. The four corners of the *** sounding box are flat, rectangular and oval, similar to the Dong pipa. The sound box is 18cm~20cm long, 14cm~16cm wide and 5cm~6cm thick. The frame and bottom board are made from whole pieces of hardwood, such as ironwood, toonwood, or green kongwood, dug out of the belly of the instrument. They are 1 cm to 1.5 cm thick. There are square holes at the top and bottom of the frame for the rods to be inserted, and the top of the frame is covered with old snake skin. The headstock and rods are made of hardwood, mainly of toon, apricot, tea leaf or nanmu, and are the same size as the full length of the body. The head is 14-16 centimeters long, the upper part is flat and spade-shaped, slightly curved backward at the top, and 6-8 centimeters wide, and the lower part is flat and spade-shaped, in the shape of a square column, with a rectangular lower string groove in the middle, 8 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide. There are three spindles on both sides of the groove. The strings are made of hardwood, conical in shape and 10cm~12cm in length.The piano is narrow and thin, semi-circular, 66cm~70cm in length, flat in front and round in back, equal width in top and bottom, and there is a string fingerboard in front, with a smooth surface, easy finger movement and no slant. The upper end of the pole is provided with a channel, and the lower end of the pole is inserted into the square holes above and below the frame. The wooden bridge is hollow and is placed in the center of the leather side of the case. Three silk or steel wires.

How to play

When playing, we generally play in a seated position, with the rods slanting over the chest, the case resting at the base of the right leg, and the head of the piano tilted 45 degrees to the upper left. The left hand holds the piano and presses the strings, while the right hand holds a bone or hardwood stick. The Sho-San strings are set to fifths for the inner center, fourths for the middle and outer strings, and octaves for the inner and outer strings. The constants are A, e1 and a1. There are two octaves in the range a-a2. The sound is crisp, bright and full. The sanxian is popular in the Zhuang townships in western and southern Guangxi, but is not generally used as a solo instrument. It is mainly used for the ensemble of the western Gui Zhuang eight-tone band or the musical accompaniment of the south road Zhuang opera. In the singing of Guinan Jingfu and Debao Sand Wheel, Zhuang Sanxian is often used as an accompanying instrument. In the past, in the Longzhou area of southern Guangxi, Taoist priests often played the sanxian and practiced witchcraft.

Playing repertoire

The repertoire of the three-stringed instrument includes the following: Zhengtong, Yuetong, Xitong, Jingqu, Wearing Clothes Tune, Caicha Tune, Madoling, and Bapan Tune.