Guzheng

The Chinese word (gu) signifies ancient, while the term (zheng) refers to a zither, an instrument with strings strung between two bridges. "Guzheng" refers to a zither having fixed bridges at both ends and moving bridges in the middle. 

The guzheng dates back to China before the 6th century BCE. The earliest Zheng discovered so far is from around 598 BCE. In 1979, this instrument was discovered in Gux County, Jingx Province, Southern China. Scholars disagree on how guzheng came to be. Some claim it was based on a single-board zither, others believe it was based on a bamboo zither, and others say it evolved independently. Meng Tian, a general of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), developed an early guzheng-like instrument. Westerners frequently refer to the guzheng as a Chinese harp. As a Chinese harp already exists, the Knghóu, a guzheng, should be referred to as a Chinese zither.

A harp's soundboard or resonating chamber is perpendicular to the strings, whereas the soundboard of a zither is parallel. The material used to make Chinese instruments helps to classify them (silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, etc.). The sound-producing material appears to have ruled for those constructed of multiple materials. Because the guzheng's strings were formerly made of silk, they are classified as a silk instrument. The silk category is subdivided into plucked, struck, and bow-required instruments. The zithers, including the guzheng, are plucked. By Western instrument classification, the guzheng is considered a hetero-chord half-tube zither and falls into a larger group of chordophone instruments.

Well Decorated

The guzheng is frequently decorated. Carved art, carved lacquer, straw, mother-of-pearl inlays, painting, poetry, calligraphy, shell carving (jade), and cloisonné are frequent among the decorations.

With or without a plectrum, the fingers are used to pluck the guzheng, which is plucked with the fingers. The plectra, which may be attached to up to four fingers on each hand, is used by most modern players. Bamboo, bone, and animal teeth were used to make ancient picks or finer materials like ivory, tortoiseshell, and jade. By pushing the strings to the left of the movable bridges, traditional playing methods employ the right hand to pluck notes and the left hand to add ornamentation, such as pitch slides and vibrato. Modern styles use both hands on the right side of the strings.

There are many different ways of striking notes. A tremolo is a sound that occurs by rotating the right thumb rapidly around the same note. Harmonics (Fanyin) is another guzheng method that involves plucking and tapping a string simultaneously to produce a note in a higher octave. Moreover, the techniques from other instruments are also helpful in playing the guzheng.

What Is a Lun?

Lun, for example, is a technique that has been adopted from other instruments. Lun creates a tremolo sound similar to the Pipa by plucking on a string with all five fingers. Techniques in Northern and Southern China differ, resulting in diverse sounds and styles. Although most current guzhengs have 21 or more strings, 16 and 18-string guzhengs are still produced. Instruments with 16 metal strings were the most common 100 years ago. Metal strings with a nylon coating were introduced in the 1950s and are now the most popular. Today's zithers come with anywhere from 12 to 26 strings. Chinese zithers used to be strung with silk and had anything from 5 to 50 strings.