Guzheng
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese古箏
Simplified Chinese古筝
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyingǔzhēng
Wade–Gilesku3-cheng1
IPA[kùʈʂə́ŋ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationgú-jāang
Southern Min
Tâi-lôkóo-tsing
Japanese name
Kanji
Transcriptions
Romanizationkoto
Seated woman playing a guzheng
Guzheng player

ARTICLE IN PROGRESS BASED ON /GUZHENG FROM MAY 12 2017 BUT WITH SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

The guzheng (Chinese: 古箏), also known as the Chinese zither, is a Chinese plucked string instrument with a more than 2,500-year history. It has 16 (or more) strings and movable bridges. The modern guzheng usually has 21 strings, and is 64 inches (1,600 mm) long. It has a large, resonant cavity made from wutong wood. Other components are often made from other woods for structural or decorative reasons. Guzheng players often wear fingerpicks, made from materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell, resin or hard plastic, on one or both hands.

The guzheng inspired other Asian zithers, such as the Japanese koto,[1][2][3] the Korean gayageum[2][3] and the Vietnamese đàn tranh.[2][3] The guzheng should not be confused with the guqin (another ancient Chinese zither without movable bridges), the zhu, or the se.

An early guzheng emerged during the Warring States period (475–221 BCE),[4] largely influenced by the se.[5] It became prominent during the Qin dynasty (221–206), and by the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), guzheng may have been the most commonly played instrument in China.[4] Late-20th-century musicological studies indicate that early bamboo-tube zithers may have been prototypes of the guzheng, koto, gayageum and đàn tranh.[6][7][8]

The modern guzheng differs from those made centuries ago due to local influences and the adoption of Western musical styles. Strings, once made of silk, are almost always steel (increasing the instrument's volume and changing its timbre).

Etymology

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Naming: onomatopoeia or vie + bamboo

History

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Brief introductory history, then:

Origin Legend

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Division of a 25-string se, then:

Timeline

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Construction and Mechanics

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Diagram of construction, labeled, with explanation of basic vibratory mechanics and tuning. Disclaimer that the description is of the modern popular 21 string.

Design Varieties

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Provide examples of different constructions including the Dunhuang, Model 65 or Model 72, other key-changing zhengs, butterfly (1978, He Baoquan, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, 49-string chromatic key-changeable Butterfly (dieshi) zheng), "w" (Pan Haixin and Pan Haiwei of Hebei province since 2000), and 2007 duosheng zheng, Li Meng.

Playing Techniques

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The guzheng is plucked with plectra attached to four fingers of one or both hands. Traditional playing styles use the right hand to pluck notes and the left hand to change the pitch and produce vibrato by pressing the strings. Modern styles or advanced players use both hands to strike notes.

Ancient picks were made of ivory and, later, of tortoiseshell. Musical ornamentation includes a tremolo, with the left thumb and index finger rapidly plucking the same note. Another common ornamentation is a wide vibrato, achieved by repeatedly pressing the string to the left of the bridge with the left hand. This technique is used extensively in Chinese music and Korean gayageum music.

The guzheng is usually tuned in a major pentatonic scale with five notes to an octave.

Contemporary Fingering Techniques (INSERT 汉字/拼音)

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Right Hand Plucking Techniques

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Name (Pinyin) Name (Chinese) Description
Tuo Thumb pluck (little knuckle) (When you Tuo, you use either your thumb or 2nd finger to glide over a few strings simultaneously.??)
Thumb push (big knuckle)
Mo Index finger pluck
Go Middle finger pluck
Da Ring finger pluck
Xiao Cuo Thumb and index finger pluck simultaneously, two notes apart (1 and 3)
Da Cuo Thumb and middle finger pluck simultaneously, five notes apart (octave)
(Chord) Thumb, index, and middle finger strike three strings simultaneously to produce a chord.
Pi Thumb plucks towards player's body
Tiao Index finger plucks up and away from instrument and body
Ti Middle finger plucks up and away from instrument and body
Gou Tuo Mou Tuo "First four fingers pluck strings" ?? simultaneous, other?
Yao Zhi Index finger braces thumb for rapid and repeated strikes of the same string with the thumb plecta, using only the wrist. Produces a tremolo.
Sao Yao Thumb and index fingers form an "ok" sign and vibrate across one string, striking it quickly and repeatedly for extended sequences. ?? different from yao zhi how?
Lun Zhi Striking the same string with all four fingers of the right hand in quick succession.

Left Hand Techniques, including Vibrato and Portamento

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Name (Pinyin) Name (Chinese) Description
rou A casual and light vibrato used to extend the length of notes. The string is bent with the ring, index, and middle fingers of the left hand.
can A stronger vibrato used for emphasis. The string is bent with the ring, index, and middle fingers of the left hand.
(Pitch Change) The ring, middle, and index fingers push a string down to the left of the bridge, changing the pitch when that string is struck by the right hand.
shang hua yin The left hand presses down while a string is plucked by the right, raising the pitch of the note played - a forward portamento.
xia hua yin The left hand releases a previously bent while it is plucked by the right, lowering the pitch of the note played - a backward portamento.
hui hua The left hand bends and releases the same string while it is plucked, yielding both a forward and backward portamento
dia yin A tap or quick press with the left hand that suddenly changes the pitch of the note. Also known as a cut.

Two-Hand Techniques, including Glissando and Arpeggio

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Name (Pinyin) Name (Chinese) Description
gua Gliss across several notes. The number covered depends on the timing and rhythm of the song.
hua zhi Gliss through 3-5 notes and then pluck a target note.
pa yin 3-4 strings are struck in sequence with three to four fingers on the same hand. They are played by either the left or right hands.
(Broken Chord) The notes of a chord are played individually, with either the left or right hands.
fan yin The left hand taps the same string that the right hand plays. Produces a harmonic that is one octave higher.

Traditional Fingering Techniques (INSERT 汉字/拼音)

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Name Name Description

Possibly, a table identifying name equivalences a and origin of techniques from different schools.

Notation

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(see main article: Chinese Musical Notation ) (will also need to update)

Modern cipher

Musical Styles (Schools)

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Two broad playing styles (schools) are identified as northern and southern, although many traditional regional styles also exist. The northern styles is associated with Henan and Shandong provinces, and the southern style is connected to Chaozhou and the Hakka people of eastern Guangdong province. High Mountain and Running River and Autumn Moon over the Han Palace are from the Shandong school and Jackdaw Plays with Water (Han Ya Xi Shui) and Lotus on Water (Chu shui lian) are part of the Chaozhou and Hakka repertories, respectively.

Many pieces have been composed since the 1950s with new techniques, such as the playing of harmony and counterpoint by the left hand. Pieces in the new style include Harvest Celebration (Qing Feng Nian, Zhao Yuzhai, 1955), Fighting the Typhoon (Zhan Tai Feng, Wang Changyuan, 1965) and the guzheng concerto Fantasia of Miluo River (Li Huanzhi, 1984). Experimental, atonal pieces have been composed since the 1980s.

A modern playing technique, influenced by Western music, uses the left hand to provide harmony and bass notes; this gives the guzheng a more flexible musical range, permitting harmonic progression. It has its limitations, preventing the subtle ornamentation provided by the left hand in traditional music. Guzheng students who take the Central Conservatory of Music examinations are required to learn traditional and modern pieces.[citation needed]

Modern Performers

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During the guzheng's more than 2,000-year history, its number of strings has gradually increased.

Notable 20th-century players and teachers include Wang Xunzhi (王巽之, 1899–1972), who popularized the Wulin zheng school based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang; Lou Shuhua, who rearranged a traditional guzheng piece and named it Yu Zhou Chang Wan; Liang Tsai-Ping (1911–2000), who edited the first guzheng manual (Nizheng Pu) in 1938; Cao Dongfu (1898–1970), from Henan; Gao Zicheng (born 1918) and Zhao Yuzhai (born 1924), both from Shandong; Su Wenxian (1907–1971); Guo Ying (born 1914) and Lin Maogen (born 1929), both from Chaozhou; the Hakka Luo Jiuxiang (1902–1978) and Cao Guifen and Cao Zheng (曹正, 1920–1998), both of whom trained in the Henan school. The Cao family of Henan are known as masters of the guzheng.[citation needed]

Notable 21st-centruy Chinese guzheng players include Xiang Sihua, Wang Zhongshan, Yuan Sha, Chang Jing and Funa.[citation needed] Although most guzheng music is Chinese classical music, the American composer Lou Harrison (1917–2003) played and composed for the instrument. Contemporary guzheng works have also been written by the non-Chinese composers Halim El-Dabh, Kevin Austin, David Vayo, Simon Steen-Andersen, and Jon Foreman.

The guzheng has been used in rock music by Chinese performer Wang Yong of Cui Jian, the English musician Jakko Jakszyk on the 2011 Jakszyk, Fripp & Collins album A Scarcity of Miracles), J. B. Brubaker of August Burns Red on "Creative Captivity" from the 2013 album, Rescue & Restore), and the virtual band Gorillaz on "Hong Kong" (from the 2005 Help! A Day in the Life compilation). Jerusalem-based multi-instrumentalist Bradley Fish used the guzheng with a rock-influenced style and electronic effects on his 1996 collaboration, "The Aquarium Conspiracy" (with Sugarcubes/Björk drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson), and is the most widely recorded artist of loops for the instrument.

It was played by Zhang Yan (张燕, 1945–1996), performing and recording with Asian American jazz bandleader Jon Jang. Other musicians playing in non-traditional styles include Wu Fei, Xu Fengxia, Randy Raine-Reusch, Mohamed Faizal, B. Mohamed Salim, Mei Han, Bei Bei He, Zi Lan Liao, Levi Chen, Andreas Vollenweider, Jaron Lanier, Mike Hovancsek, Chih-Lin Chou, Liu Le and David Sait. Koto player Brett Larner developed innovative works for the guzheng and played the instrument in a duet with electronic musician Samm Bennett on his CD, Itadakimasu.

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In East Asia

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In China

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Popularized in China by the 12 Girls Band

In the television drama series My Fair Princess, actress Ruby Lin's character Xia Ziwei plays the guzheng (although she mimes to the music).

In Taiwan

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In Hong Kong

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In Other Countries

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It is featured in the 1980 pop hit, "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime", by the Korgis.

Guzheng and art

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The guzheng fuses Chinese history and culture as an instrument and decorative art. Artists created unique cultural and artistic content on the instrument, reflecting poetry and the relationship between painting and calligraphy. Decorations include carved art, carved lacquer, straw, mother-of-pearl inlays, painting, shell carving (jade) and cloisonné.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Deal, William E. (2006). Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan. New York: Infobase Publishing. pp. 266–267. ISBN 0-8160-5622-6.
  2. ^ a b c "Hugo's window on the world of Chinese zheng". Chime. 16–17. Leiden: European Foundation for Chinese Music Research: 242. 2005. Throughout the centuries, the zheng became the parent instrument of the Asian zither family as it spread from China to a number of adjacent countries giving birth to the Japanese koto, the Korean kayagum and the Vietnamese dan tranh.
  3. ^ a b c Howard, Keith (1995). Korean musical instruments. Oxford University Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-19-586177-8. The kayagum, the most popular South Korean instrument, is a 12-string half-tube plucked zither (H/S 312.22.5) (Plate 7). It resembles the Chinese zheng, Mongolian yatga, Japanese koto, and Vietnamese dan tranh. All these instruments descend from a common model, the ancient zheng.
  4. ^ a b "The Sound of History". Archived from the original on 2012-11-18.
  5. ^ Sharron Gu (2011). A Cultural History of the Chinese Language. McFarland & Company. p. 14. ISBN 0-7864-6649-9.
  6. ^ Le, Tuan Hung. Dan Tranh Music of Vietnam : Traditions and Innovations. Melbourne, Tokyo : Australia Asia Foundation, 1998. ISBN 0958534306 (hard back); ISBN 0958534314 (paperback), pages 5-8
  7. ^ Kusano Taeko. "Classification and Playing Technique: A Study of Zithers in Asia", in Asian Musics in an Asian Perspective. editors, Koizumi Fumio, Tokumaru Yoshihiko, Yamaguchi Osamu ; assistant editor, Richard Emmert. Tokyo : Heibonsha, c1977, page 131
  8. ^ Kaufmann, Walter. Musical References in the Chinese Classics. Detroit Monographs in Musicology. Detroit : Information Coordinators, 1976, page 101

Further reading

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{{Commons category|Guzheng}} {{Traditional Chinese musical instruments}} {{Zithers}} [[Category:Zithers]] [[Category:Chinese musical instruments]] [[Category:Chinese words and phrases]]