Hu ch'in

Hu ch'in generic name for *spike fiddles in China, instrs. possibly of C. Asian origin. The body is a small cylinder or hexagon of bamboo, wood, or coconut, the lower end being left open, the upper covered with a lizardskin or snake-skin belly. The handle pierces the body; there is no fingerboard. Its 2 strings are usually tuned a 5th apart. Played with a small bow that passes between the strings and is not removable from the instr. Called sze hu hsien in Peking, it corresponds to the sa dueng…