# Music by Genre > Orchestral, Classical, Italian, Medieval, Renaissance >  Chinese music for mandolin

## Timothy

Hello - 
If anyone knows a source for traditional Chinese music which can be played on the mandolin, could you share it with me please? Thank you.

Tim

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## swampstomper

Write to Abagail Washburn, if anyone in our niche of the musical world knows, or knows of, it would be her. She speaks standard Chinese and has lived/toured there. There is the Chinese more-or-less mandolin called the 琵琶 (pipa) but it's better called a lute. Music for pipa might be transposable... let us know what you find out.

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## K. WONG

A pipa is much bigger than a mandolin and it is played with fingers. If you want to find a Chinese musical instrument similiar to that of a mandolin, you should find liuqin. It is more or less the same size as a mandolin, besides, it is played with plectrum. However, the tuning is different.
Liu in Chinese means a willow and qin means musical instrument.
Go to you tube, search liuqin, you can see it yourself.
Hi Tim, I have send you a message through mandolincafe. I may have what you wants.

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## Jim Garber

Thanks, Kasper, for the advice. Do you know what the tuning is for the liuqin?

 I found this youtube video of a concert piece.

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## Jim Garber

I did find this link about tuning.

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## K. WONG

There is no mandolin, but the chieftains sounds very Chinese (except the violin which is a little bit exaggerated) when they play "Full of Joy".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38s4mVY2b_Y

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## Jim Garber

Here is another performance. I am not sure if this is more modern Chinese music -- I am no expert but it sounds modern, maybe recently composed esp toward the end with some dissonances. It also sounds like it would translate pretty well to mandolin.

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## K. WONG

"Full of Joy" is traditional Chinese music while the above liuqin solo is a comtemporary composition. Its title is "Sword Dance", like most Chinese music, it is program music.
If anyone in the cafe would like to try "Sword Dance" on his/her mandolin, send a mail to the address below, I shall send you the music in an attached file.
wong.kasper@gmail.com

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## clobflute

Fascinating - is the mandolin technique interchangeable with this?  I mean...they both use picks and two arms  :Smile: 

It can also be tuned GDAE as well as the standard GDGD. Going to try and borrow one  :Smile: 

Most of the music is written in a different notation - a lot of it is on the internet if you using googletranslate.  I notice all the players commit to memory, which makes me wonder if it is learnt aurally with maybe sheet music for minimal  guidance, Sounds higher pitch than the mandolin too.

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