The ruan (阮, pinyin: ruǎn) is a Chinese plucked string instrument. It is a lute with a fretted neck, a circular body, and four strings. Its four strings were formerly made of silk but since the 20th century they have been made of steel (flatwound for the lower strings). The modern ruan has 24 frets with 12 semitones on each string, which has greatly expanded its range from a previous 13 frets. The frets are commonly made of ivory. Or in recent times, metal mounted on wood. The metal frets produce a brighter tone as compared to the ivory frets. It is sometimes called ruanqin (阮琴), particularly in Taiwan.
Notes: Daruan and Zhongruan is used in the orchestra; Daruan is one-fifth below the Zhongruan.
Open strings are C, G, D, A.
Daruan uses the bass clef. If the pitch is very high pitch, it can also use the treble clef.
Low range – very sad, low; simple and honest
Middle range – bright and loud
high range – a little nervous
very high range – sound is very dry, not very useful
Daruan – easy, can play the scale, two pitches at a time. Can slide
装饰音 －（zhuāng shì yīn）－ grace note
can either use the pick (like the liuqin) or the plectrums (like the pipa)
Left Hand Techniques
Right Hand Techniques
Daruan can play fourths and fifths, and big and small thirds and/or sixths; can not changes the pitches very fast. It can also change tuning, but the player often uses keys in C, F, G, B-flat, and D. Daruan is the bass instrument for the plucked instruments. Soft and full. It can solo and also can play in the orchestra. It can not play very fast (doesn’t usually play cadenza).
Zhongruan Piece #1 (first time) — 游泰山 （yóu tài shān）－ climb the mountain
Zhongruan Piece #2 (first time) — 幽远的歌声 （yōu yuǎn de gē shēng） － the singing is very far because the environment is quiet
Zhongruan Piece #1 (second time) — 游泰山 （yóu tài shān）－ climb the mountain
Zhongruan Piece #2 (second time) — 幽远的歌声 （yōu yuǎn de gē shēng） － the singing is very far because the environment is quiet
Daruan Piece #1 －－ 丝路驼铃 （sī lù tuó líng） － silk road camel bells
Daruan Piece #2 －－ 花下醉 （huā xià zuì） － looking at flowers when we’re drunk
Coming Soon