Shenpin Qiliang Yi

54. Celestial Air Defining Qiliang Mode
- qiliang mode; (tighten 2nd/5th strings: 2 4 5 6 1 2 3)

神品淒涼意
Shenpin Qiliang Yi ¹

SQMP gives the following added tuning explanation:²

Same as Chushang Mode; tighten 2nd and 5th strings.
Open 7th string = 5th string stopped at 11th position;
Open 4th string = 2nd string stopped at 11th position.

Qiliang mode is paired with chushang, which has the same tuning. Folio III has two qiliang pieces and one in chushang,

All three melodies have stories connected to the ancient state of Chu.³ This also seems to be a characteristic of ruibin mode melodies. Both qiliang melodies concern Qu Yuan; the chushang piece concerns the Chu general Xiang Yu. All these have 2 (re) as the main note and 6 (yu) as the secondary note. This is of particular note because of a possible connection to Song dynasty concepts of shang mode.

A fourth Shen Qi Mi Pu melody using this tuning is,

Huaxu Yin However, this Folio I melody (suggesting it could date from before the Souther Song dynasty) has a somewhat different modality, still with re (2) as the main note but here do (1) is the secondary note. It also has a happier theme.

Melodies published later that use this tuning include:

Qu Yuan Wen Du

Diao Qu Yuan (only in 1546)

Song Yu Bei Qiu (Xilutang Qinpu version only)

All have connections with the state or region of Chu (Song Yu was a Chu poet).

Still other pieces using this tuning include

Qiujiang Songbie
Yangguan Sandie (early forms only; it later changed to using ruibin tuning).

Neither of these seems to have a Chu connection.

Shen Qi Mi Pu inserts shangjiao mode and its two pieces before the piece Chu Ge, which uses this tuning and is presumably associated with chushangmode. The fact that Shen Qi Mi Pu is otherwise so carefully edited makes this particularly puzzling.

Original preface
None ⁴

Music
One section ⁵

(00.38) -- harmonics
(00.55) -- Modal prelude ends

Return to the Shen Qi Mi Pu ToC or to the Guqin ToC.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Shenpin Qiliang Yi 神品凄凉意
For more information on modes see Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature. 1689.2 凄凉 (qiliang) has nothing on music, but 1689.3 凄凉犯 (qiliang fan: cold/mournful offense), says it is 詞牌名 the name of a cipai, 一名瑞鶴仙影 also called Ruihe Xian Ying, 姜夔自度曲 a song composed by Jiang Kui. It then has some discussion connecting 凄凉犯 qiliang fan with 凄凉調 qiliang diao. Qiliang is often written 淒涼. 17998.18 淒涼 also says nothing about a qiliang mode but .19 淒涼犯 qiliang fan has similar information to the above, including making the connection with 淒涼調 qiliang diao. The cipai does not seem to fit with the melody here (see below as well as the melody Rui He Xian published in Japan).
(Return)

3. See Chu themes and the Chu Ci illustrations
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4. Original Preface
Although SQMP modal preludes have no prefaces, those in Zheyin Shizi Qinpu (which all have identical music) do. In Zheyin the preface to the qiliang modal prelude is as follows:

（淒涼意）﹕希仙曰，
是意也，一名楚商調，一名曰外調。其音則散七挑五、名指按五絃於十一徽是也。意簫瑟之意。
(Qiliang Yi)
(Return)

5. Music
Note that the version in Zheyin Shizi Qinpu has the same music but adds lyrics (q.v.).
(Return)

Return to the Shen Qi Mi Pu ToC or to the Guqin ToC.