- Aaron Ang
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The Guzheng is a Chinese zither with multiple strings, each with a movable bridge stretched across a wooden, oblong-shaped soundboard. It sits upon specially made stands which allows the musician to sit/stand while plucking the strings with their fingers. From the name Guzheng, Gǔ 古 means ancient and Zhēng 筝 a Zither, together it means Ancient Zither.
Often compared to the sound of flowing water, the expressive music of Guzheng is graceful, fluid, and powerful. The sound of Guzheng is also known to evoke a sense of elegance and poise. Have a listen to the Guzheng in the video below.
Summarized Description Of A Guzheng
The Guzheng is a Chinese zither with multiple strings, each with a movable bridge stretched across a wooden, oblong-shaped soundboard. It sits upon specially made stands which allows the musician to sit/stand while plucking the strings with their fingers. From the name Guzheng, Gǔ 古 means ancient and Zhēng 筝 a Zither, together it means Ancient Zither.
Often compared to the sound of flowing water, the expressive music of Guzheng is graceful, fluid, and powerful. The sound of Guzheng is also known to evoke a sense of elegance and poise. Have a listen to the Guzheng in the video below.
A Traditional Guzheng Piece – Dance Of The Yao People, performed by Eight Tones Music School Teacher – Rebecca Tan
Structure Of Guzheng
The modern day standard Guzheng is an oblong rectangular shaped wooden box that is about 64 inches (160cm) long. It has 21 nylon wounded steel strings strung one side onto a straight wooden bridge, and the other side onto a S shape curved wooden block known as the yue shan. In between the S shape curved yue shan and the straight wooden bridge, each string has a movable bridge underneath it. From what we understand, there are also 22 or 24 string models of Guzhengs (with extended bass or highs), however, most Guzheng manufacturers such as Shanghai Dunhuang, Zhuque and other big brands have standardized to 21 string Guzheng and no longer produce extended range Guzhengs. If you are interested in purchasing a Guzheng, do check out our Guzheng store page (click here), or contact us to visit our physical store.
The string between the movable bridge and the performer’s right hand-side bridge of the Guzheng is tensioned to the note required. The string between the movable bridge and S shape curved yue shan are usually not tuned to any notes – mainly used for pitch banding and often used for special sound effects.
The Mujiuchen ‘Eternal Love’ Fully Hollowed Out Guzheng on a fixed stand
How It Is Played
Origin Of Guzheng
Perhaps one of the most popular Chinese instruments, the Guzheng has a long history dating back to the 5th Century BC and the Warring States period of China. We are unclear of the exact origin however there are many accounts of how it came about – Some said it was invented by a general of Qin dynasty Meng Tian, while another narration depicts two people fighting over a 25-string instrument known as Se and broke it in half, one person receiving a 12-string part and another the 13-string part.
Several other Asian zithers can trace their origins back to the Guzheng – such as Japanese koto, Mongolian yatga, the Vietnamese đàn tranh, the Sundanese kacapi, and the Kazakhstan jetigen.
Notable Pieces
- 战台风 Battling the Typhoon
- 高山流水 (河南, 浙江, 山东版本) Mountain Stream (Henan, Zhejiang, Shandong Versions)
- 瑶族舞曲 Dance of the Yao People
- 彝族舞曲 Dance of Yi Tribe
- 山丹丹花开红艳艳 Red Lilies Crimson and Bright
- 秦桑曲 Tunes of Qin Mulberry
- 茉莉芬芳 Fragrance of Jasmine Blossom
- 渔舟唱晚 Fishing Boats at Dusk
- 雪山春晓 Snowy Mountain in Spring
- 临安遗恨 The Eternal Sorrow of Lin’an
- 丰收锣鼓 Drums in Celebration of a Bumper Harvest
- 寒鸦戏水 Winter Ducks Frolicking in the Water
- 如是 ‘As Thus’ Guzheng Concerto
- 苍歌引 Blue Heaven Overture
