Great and very informative video - as a fluent Chinese speaker, I can help you a bit with your Chinese pronunciation - R’s are never flapped or trilled as in Italian or Spanish; they’re much closer to an American English R, but with the tongue horizontally rounded a bit. It’s a very liquid, watery sound. Some people say there’s a touch of a ‘zh’ sound in there, such as the sound of the g in the word, ‘beige.’ X is a very noisy sound that’s about halfway between SH and S. ZH is always pronounced like a hard J. And regarding the tones, ruǎn is actually a tone we call ‘third tone’, ‘curve tone’, or ‘dipping tone’ - it isn’t exactly what you called a rising tone, which would be the second tone - third tone syllables are said low in the voice, falling a bit and then rising a bit - think of how it sounds when you try to say something while stifling a hiccup or a burp! In fast speech, it usually just sounds low. Fun fact: the name of these instruments, Ruǎn 阮, is exactly the same character as the most common Vietnamese surname of Nguyễn - ruǎn is just the Mandarin pronunciation!
Can you please help me to provide some link where I can learn this instrument? I can't find much material in the internet. Also any book available in English? Kindly refer if any. I'm having this instrument but I need some guidance to proceed. Thanks in advance. I'm in Hong Kong.
Well, Willard, I was looking for a liuqin but a friend of mine found a used xiaoruan that looks exactly like yours here in the US for a very reasonable price. I just got it and it plays very nicely. Might take some time to get used to the high frets. It also has a nice sound and sustain. I'll probably tune it like yours to CGDA low to high but figured I would keep in the patriarchal tuning DADA :-).
@@willardlosingersmusicchann569 Thanks. Actually I was looking for a liuqin which is closer to a mandolin scale. There are some importers in North America I may buy from.
@@willardlosingersmusicchann569 Really nice Alto Ruan & it's basically the Chinese Equivalent of a Tenor Guitar. You can always use Tenor Guitar Strings because it can be tuned the same way as a Tenor Guitar/Mandola (That's C, G, D, A). The Tuning machines are Shaped like friction pegs because originally these used Friction pegs, but over the years they've been replaced with geared tuners so that it holds tune better.
Also, do you use the Chinese strings? It looks like they are flatwounds on the lower ones. I have to see what gauge they are or maybe just order some from China.
There are also closed Geared Machine heads for Guitar, so these are basically oversized Closed geared tuners.
Great and very informative video - as a fluent Chinese speaker, I can help you a bit with your Chinese pronunciation -
R’s are never flapped or trilled as in Italian or Spanish; they’re much closer to an American English R, but with the tongue horizontally rounded a bit. It’s a very liquid, watery sound. Some people say there’s a touch of a ‘zh’ sound in there, such as the sound of the g in the word, ‘beige.’
X is a very noisy sound that’s about halfway between SH and S.
ZH is always pronounced like a hard J.
And regarding the tones, ruǎn is actually a tone we call ‘third tone’, ‘curve tone’, or ‘dipping tone’ - it isn’t exactly what you called a rising tone, which would be the second tone - third tone syllables are said low in the voice, falling a bit and then rising a bit - think of how it sounds when you try to say something while stifling a hiccup or a burp! In fast speech, it usually just sounds low.
Fun fact: the name of these instruments, Ruǎn 阮, is exactly the same character as the most common Vietnamese surname of Nguyễn - ruǎn is just the Mandarin pronunciation!
Thanks for the information!
Can you please help me to provide some link where I can learn this instrument? I can't find much material in the internet. Also any book available in English? Kindly refer if any. I'm having this instrument but I need some guidance to proceed. Thanks in advance. I'm in Hong Kong.
It's pretty funny that my mother's friends call her Xiaoruan when she was young because her surname is Ruan
Thanks very much Willard, a beautiful instrument and very interesting video. David.
These all have round body like a Banjo, so it's kinda a Chinese Wood Top version of the 4 String Mandolin-Banjo.
I bought one and found it to be quite easy to play. Nearly every man above the age of 25 in China smokes. Thanks for the video.
Thanks a lot Willard.
Well, Willard, I was looking for a liuqin but a friend of mine found a used xiaoruan that looks exactly like yours here in the US for a very reasonable price. I just got it and it plays very nicely. Might take some time to get used to the high frets. It also has a nice sound and sustain. I'll probably tune it like yours to CGDA low to high but figured I would keep in the patriarchal tuning DADA :-).
Willard, I remember you from Mandolin Cafe. Where did you buy your xiaoruan? Do you remember the ebay seller?
I don't remember the seller. It came from China. I just searched EBay for the cheapest one.
@@willardlosingersmusicchann569 Thanks. Actually I was looking for a liuqin which is closer to a mandolin scale. There are some importers in North America I may buy from.
@@willardlosingersmusicchann569 Really nice Alto Ruan & it's basically the Chinese Equivalent of a Tenor Guitar. You can always use Tenor Guitar Strings because it can be tuned the same way as a Tenor Guitar/Mandola (That's C, G, D, A). The Tuning machines are Shaped like friction pegs because originally these used Friction pegs, but over the years they've been replaced with geared tuners so that it holds tune better.
Also, do you use the Chinese strings? It looks like they are flatwounds on the lower ones. I have to see what gauge they are or maybe just order some from China.
Well done! I noticed that Chinese lutes have become very expensive on EBay. The strings I ordered from Canada through an EBay seller.
Hello, thanks for all these information. Do you know how much it weighs?
1.8 kg
@@willardlosingersmusicchann569 You have it tuned like a Mandola so it's basically the Chinese equivalent of the Mandola.
@@willardlosingersmusicchann569 You have it tuned like a Mandola so it's basically the Chinese equivalent of the Mandola.
@@willardlosingersmusicchann569 You have it tuned like a Mandola so it's basically the Chinese equivalent of the Mandola.
@UCJnK-e2v7RjytktFjEFuJ3w
Rock n Roll Guitarists must have learned many techniques from watching Ruan players.