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Rasgueados and Picados Outside of Flamenco and Guitar
I was watching a documentary about Dshingis Khan history days ago. In between, contemporary traditonal Mongolian items were shown, supposedly already in existance long ago ( like typical tents etc.).
As such, there occured a zither sound, of the type commonly associated with Chinese music. With that typically very even tremolo that makes you think of sticks used to hit the strings.
But then the player and her instrument came into the picture, leaving me flabbergasted.
It was a young women, playing that zither-like instrument with her bare hands. Producing a marvelous tremolo with rasguado and picado technique so fluently and naturally appearing as you hardly come to see it, even with the flamenco greats. And that with the strings positioned on a horizontal level, as it being with zithers anyway!
So far I had been considering harp players and pianists as basically the only musical relatives to partially take an example of ( considering harp player´s wonderful "spring tensioned" technique at plucking, and pianist´s approach as an inspiring example for the left hand on the fretboard).
But what I have seen now with that Mongolian zither playing girl, matches exactly what me would be dreaming of as guitar technique.
Anyone else here, who has seen the zither virtuousity I am about?
RE: Rasgueados and Picados Outside o... (in reply to Ruphus)
The instrument in at-leo's youtube link is called Zheng. The tone of strings arranged as do re mi so la then repeat again. (pentatonic?? Is this the term?).
Another Chinese instrument Pipa has amazing similarity with Flamenco guitar techniques:
I played these instruments when I was in school years ago. The music in the Pipa link is a piece of folk music from Xin Jiang, the North Western muslim province of China bordering Kazakstan.
RE: Rasgueados and Picados Outside o... (in reply to Ruphus)
I think the tremolo musical instrument that you referred to is "Yang Qin"
Yang Qin means foregin instrument, so it is a imported culture not of Chinese origin. When I was travelling in Europe I saw musicians played this instrument (or very similar instrument) on the street.
The music at the beginning of the video posted by at-leo (before the lady comes into scene) was played by this Yang Qin. Each note on the instrument is composed of 2 to 5 strings (2 for the lowest notes, 3 medium and 5 for the higher pitched notes, like piano). The instrument is played by two bamboo "sticks" with a small hammer head lined with leather. The sticks are not round shaped but are flat. They are basically strips of bamboo skin. Very stringy.
RE: Rasgueados and Picados Outside o... (in reply to at_leo_87)
quote:
ORIGINAL: at_leo_87
you mean this instrument?
Basically, yes! ( Think the instrument I saw in the docu to have had much shorter excess behind the "bridges". More similar to the Persian "Zantur".)
In this example the playing technique used is also very interesting, besides. The one shown in the docu I have seen however was different, using rasguado and picado technique, as well as in a less strained way. ( In fact so incredibly seamless and virtuouso that I only wished I could present the exat same video to you.)
Now, with youtube visible I see that all the other links provided above have nothing to do with what I described. They, other than Hon´s link, don´t even engage zither-like instruments, neither application like I tried to describe of the technique seen in the Dshingis Khan documentary. Thank you, guys, for trying to find it, nonetheless!
Should I sometime find an example on the internet, I shall remember this thread and post a link.
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