. Pictorial history of China and India; comprising a description of those countries and their inhabitants. ymbol of a particular cord, or of the fingering of the right or left hand ;or possibly the stud marked upon the sounding-board, or the mode to beadopted in sliding the hand over the strings ; or again, the peculiar methodto be used in striking the note, or if two notes should be struck at the sametime. The centre-string of the kin is tuned a, and the two outer strings afifth from it, and they are respectively a fourth from the next string but oneto each other. Another of the stringed inst
. Pictorial history of China and India; comprising a description of those countries and their inhabitants. ymbol of a particular cord, or of the fingering of the right or left hand ;or possibly the stud marked upon the sounding-board, or the mode to beadopted in sliding the hand over the strings ; or again, the peculiar methodto be used in striking the note, or if two notes should be struck at the sametime. The centre-string of the kin is tuned a, and the two outer strings afifth from it, and they are respectively a fourth from the next string but oneto each other. Another of the stringed instruments is called the y-an-kin, and is strungwith brass strings; it is a description of dulcimer, which the performerstrikes with two hammers. The sounds thus produced on this instrumentare pleasing enough, being both melodious and harmonious. The ur-heen, or fiddle, is one of the rudest instruments probably in exist-ence. The everlasting bamboo is again brought into requisition, the sound-ing-board being made of it, in the shape of a small drum, covered with the 316 CHINA, HISTORICAL AND The Ur-heen, or Chinese Fiddle. skin of a tan-snake, through the upper portion of which is passed one endof a bamboo-stick, which forms the neck, or arm ; at the other extremity ofthe neck are inserted two long bamboo-pegs, which serve to wind up ortighten the two only strings this machine has, and which are tuned a fifthfrom each other. The bow is made of bamboo, and its hairs are passedbetween the two strings, which are remarkably close to each other, by rea-son of which great difficulty arises in producing a sound from one withouttouching the other, which, if not happily effected, renders this description ofmusic most excruciating to an unaccustomed ear. Some of the Chinesehave spent so much time and patient exertions in practising this wretchedmachine, that they have overcome the difficult task, and sometimes produceno despicable sounds. The sau-heen is a guitar with three st
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsearsrob, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookyear1851
