| Guzheng | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Guzheng display at "The NAMM Show" 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 古箏 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 古筝 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Ancient Zheng | ||||||||||||||||||
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The zheng (pinyin: zhēng; Wade–Giles: cheng) or guzheng (Chinese: 古筝; pinyin: gǔzhēng; lit. 'ancient zheng'), is a Chinese plucked zither. The modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25, or 26 strings, is 64 inches (1.6 m; 5 ft 4 in) long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard made from Paulownia wood. Other components are often made from other woods for structural or decorative reasons. Guzheng players often wear a fingerpick made from materials such as plastic, resin, tortoiseshell, or ivory on one or both hands.
It can have nylon steel strings, steel strings, silk strings, etc., depending on the genre. The most common guzheng has 21 strings. The high-pitched strings of the guzheng are close to the player, and the low-pitched strings are on the opposite side. The strings' order from the inside to the outside is 1 to 21.
The guzheng is ancestral to several other Asian zithers such as the Japanese koto,[1][2][3] the Korean gayageum and ajaeng,[2][3] Mongolian yatga,[3] the Vietnamese đàn tranh,[2][3] the Sundanese kacapi,[citation needed] and the Kazakhstan jetigen.[citation needed] The guzheng should not be confused with the guqin, a Chinese zither with seven strings played without moveable bridges.[4]
The guzheng has undergone many changes during its long history. The oldest specimen yet discovered held 13 strings and was dated to possibly the Warring States period (475–221 BCE).[5] The guzheng became prominent during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE). By the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), the guzheng was perhaps the most commonly played instrument in China.[6] The guzheng is played throughout all of China with a variety of different techniques, depending on the region of China and the time period. It has a light timbre, broad range, rich performance skills, and strong expressive power, and it has been deeply loved by many Chinese people throughout history.[7]
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d Howard, Keith (1995). Korean musical instruments. Oxford University Press. pp. 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.
- ^ Gaywood, Harriet Rosemary Ann (1996). Guqin and Guzheng: the historical and contemporary development of two Chinese musical instruments (Masters thesis). Durham University.
- ^ So, Jenny (2000). Music in the Age of Confucious. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p. 152. ISBN 0-295-97953-4.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
soundwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Zithers of East Asia: Extension of Silk Strings and Diversity of Sounds (Video Review)". Yearbook for Traditional Music. 40: 207–208, 221. JSTOR 20465106.