Leiqin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The leiqin (雷琴, lit. "thunderous instrument"; also called leihu) is a Chinese bowed string instrument. It has a metal soundbox covered with snakeskin and a long fretless fingerboard, and is played while seated in a chair, with the instrument held in a vertical or near-vertical position. Unlike the erhu and other instruments in the huqin family, the strings are pressed against the fingerboard in the manner of a sanxian.

The leiqin was adapted from an earlier traditional instrument called zhuihu in the 1920s.

[edit] External links

• Leihu page
• Leiqin photo

[edit] Listening

• Leiqin MP3s (click on headphones to listen to individual tracks)

[edit] See also

• Zhuihu
• Huqin
• Music of China
• Traditional Chinese musical instruments
• String instruments