Guzheng, Anyone?
 

Took an introductory guzheng lesson, last night. A long-time piano and guitar player, I was curious as to how challenging it would be, as a beginner.

21 strings (metal, wrapped in nylon), equally spaced horizontally, pentatonic scale (key of D), with low notes farthest away from you (like a harp.) Add to this the “music” system they use (similar to tablature) and you have quite a challenging first lesson!

Humbling to struggle through sight-reading the most simple single-note melodies. Couldn’t help thinking of the millions of children who’ve shared that experience, over the centuries.

Anyway, the teacher and I both lasted the entire hour, although we took a break, while she played for me an amazing piece, called “You Will Never Be Able to Do This.” Enchanting. :)

I may go back for more, or perhaps just rent one for a while and play around with alternate tunings. This Westerner’s ear can take only so much of the 5-note octaves.

Has anyone else spent any time on one?

Been playing one for years, I was even in a Chinese Orchestra at one time. Its a beuatiful instrument, once you get the vibrato, string bends and the thumb picking down you'll really enjoy it. Learning to read Chinese tab was a challange but I thouroghly enjoy my Gu Zhengs (I have two). Here is a link to The Sound of China they sell instuments, music books, dvd's/cd's and there is alink to a Gu Zheng forum on their site. Enjoy!!

https://www.chinesezither.net/
http://www.guzhengforum.com/

Thanks for the reply, Craviola; I suspected this was an obscure topic, on AGF.

The school sells used rentals for $240. They do look planer and smaller than some of the others; probably made of lesser woods, also.

In your opinion, is "playability" as crucial on a guzheng, as it is on a guitar? With no fingerboard or frets, it would seem to be less of a concern. Thanks.

Began study just over one year ago. However, I'm into trad Han - old style, with wire strings.

Havent been able to find a teacher - even though I live in a college town, most Chinese here of course study piano, violin, Western music..

Like ancient Gaelic wire strung harp - my other major interest, it's a deep study.

Re, "playability": unlike neck stringed instruments, zithers and harps only need a frame and a sound board; the factors and determinants of playability are much different than on the necked instruments.

Patrick, I've never attempted playing the Chinese version of this trans-Asian instrument, but when I was in South Korea I sat down and made some (rudimentary) music on the kayagŭm, which is their version (it's also spelled gayageum.) Then when I was in Japan on a different trip, I was able to visit a koto factory in Hiroshima Prefecture and watched them being made.

I play mountain dulcimer and can find my way around on a European concert zither, so I had some fun and played something resembling music on it.

Obviously, from my flippant tone you can tell I haven't pursued either instrument seriously. But in the right hands, they're wonderfully expressive instruments.


Wade Hampton Miller

Playability isnt as important like it is on a guitar but just like a guitar the quailty of the build and materials used will result in a better sounding instrument and of course travel and student size vs full and concert size is a factor as well. I have a 16 string student and a 21 string full size and enjoy both. The 21 string definatly has a ricer fuller tone.

Thanks for the replies. Like you, Wade, I'm just testing the waters. Don't really need another time-consuming musical instrument in my life, but...

Going back for lesson No. 2 tomorrow night; will likely rent a student model.

Cool. Looking forward to hearing more.

Re.. just after Thanksgiving last year - I suppose just about one year ago, I fell hard for studying wire guzheng; I'd procured one a couple of years earlier, but only last year did I study formal trad Han. I'd been listening to a CD for years - studying it now.

For a (fingerstyle) guitarist, getting into zithers is probably a natural progression - I felt like it was for me (Lindley's axiom). If you're into overtones, harps and zithers are wonderfully evocative.

Very easy to play sonorous figures, especially for guitarist, etc. But trad forms are deeper study - so you can go as far as you want.

When I saw this thread I thought it was marvelous that more than one person here has explored this instrument, which I thought was fairly obscure outside China.

I've been hesitant to respond to the thread though, because I do not have an actual guzheng, nor know much about its traditional playing technique. I make do however with a guitar MIDI interface to cop the timbres of unusual instruments. In fact I was working on adding MIDI guzheng on piece just as this thread started. The VI guzheng patches I played was from East/West Guitar MIDI Ethnic instruments collection. The acoustic guitar part is my Seagull Folk.


The Book of Lu T'ang Chu


The words are from a 1921 poem written by a guy from Davenport Iowa (Arthur Davison Ficke) who was fascinated by oriental culture, so I had planned to mix western and Chinese instrument sounds in my music for the piece. In the final result the Chinese sounds aren't all that prominent, though the piano has a gong-like resonance that sounds "Chinese" to my ear and ignorence. The guzheng tracks are not all the complex: octaves of the chords root note and an arpeggio part.

Went back for Lesson #2, this week. Made two decisions: no more lessons, for now, and rented a student model. I need to struggle through this beginner stage on my own, in small doses.

What's vexing me most is the "opposite" direction of the strings, i.e. the thumb is always picking the higher notes, index finger next, etc. After decades of playing guitar and piano, I'm not sure this old brain will adjust. I joked with her about reversing all the strings on the rental; she was not enthusiastic about the idea. : /

Frank: Interesting. Although MIDI is "cheating," I haven't ruled it out.

Hmm. Sounds like Elizabeth Cotton would have been a natural to double on guzheng!