Banshi (Metrical Pattern)
The metrical shape of an aria — yuanban, manban, liushui, sanban — not a vocal tradition
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Banshi is the metrical shape of an aria: it fixes which ban-yan pattern, what speed, and how phrases stretch or compress. Take erhuang: the same tune can be sung as yuanban, manban, kuaisanyan or sanban; the tune stays, the sense of time changes.
Banshi is not a vocal tradition, and not banqiang form either. A shengqiang is a cross-genre way of singing, banqiang form is the system that builds a whole play from metrical change, and banshi is one level within it. Listening to Peking opera, first separate: which tune family, which metre.
Read deeper → sanban
Sources
- 板式作为腔调节拍格式的定义、板眼四式及其与板腔体的关系，参《中国音乐词典》与 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "China" 相关条目；本文为原创表述
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