about the zhong ruan
The zhong ruan belongs to a family of related instruments of similar construction and design, but different sizes. These are:
Very small (soprano) - 高音阮 (Gāoyīn ruǎn)
Small (alto) - 小阮 (Xiǎo ruǎn)
Medium (tenor) - 中阮 (zhōngruǎn)
Large (bass) - 大阮 (Dà ruǎn)
Very large (contrabass) - 低音阮 (Dīyīn ruǎn)
The zhong ruan has 24 frets, 4 strings and is played with a plectrum like a guitar. It is commonly tuned GDGD.
learning resources
ENGLISH LANGUAGE RESOURCES
There is unfortunately a scarcity of resources for English speakers interested in learning any of the ruan family of instruments.
However, there is an excellent compilation of techniques and their related symbols on the Sound of Dragon website here: Sound of Dragon: Ruan
USEFUL VIDEOS FOR BEGINNERS
PERFORMANCE EXAMPLES