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The board is dried by heat and then pressed into an arc by special machines. The guzheng that is made with the modern method is called a curved zheng, featuring a curved front board which is pressed from a flat board. The material for whole board hollowing needs to be dried for at least five years for better sound quality and longer life. The other is whole board hollowing: Both the front board and the sideboard are made from one piece of wood. One is front board hollowing: The front board is made using one piece of wood. Guzheng-making techniques can be categorized into two types: Traditional hollowing and modern method. The bridges under the strings can be moved sideways to change the pitch and tune. Besides, the head is usually connected to the resonance box, therefore expanding the range of sound. The head is used to fix the strings, and its sides have holes to allow the sound to emit. The quality and structure of the soundbox decides the sound of guzheng. An arched sound bridge is placed inside the soundbox, not only to produce sound but also to support the box. The resonance soundbox is composed of the front board, backboard, and side board. The typical one has 21 strings which mainly consists of a front board, backboard, side board, head, tail, bridges and strings. By the 1960s, the model of guzheng we use today was set: 160.5 centimeters long and 33.5 centimeters wide with 22 strings. In the 1950s, the design and manufacturing techniques of guzheng went through a major transformation, highlighted by an enlarged soundbox and the addition of metal strings which enabled the stings to produce a louder sound. By playing in concert together, two players make their rendition more expressive and touching through their musical interactions. Being widely played in the court and by the public, it had already become the most popular stringed instrument by the prime time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).ĭuring the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), the guzheng duet performance emerged. There are a number of guzheng clubs and studios hosted by schools throughout China.Īccording to historical records, guzheng first became popular during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Played by millions of people in China, guzheng is a popular traditional Chinese musical instrument. Two minutes later during the school concert, the spotlight shined on her as she played her guzheng solo debut in the Dream Theater of Beijing 101 Middle School. With an audience of around 200 seated people in the school theater and 100 more watching live streaming online, 14-year-old Xi paced up and down behind the stage, looking a bit tense, but there were also sparkles of excitement in her eyes. Relax and just focus on your playing," said Cao Yuanyuan, a young guzheng teacher at Beijing 101 Middle School, while adjusting the collar of Xi Rong, a girl who was dressed in an elaborate hanfu, the traditional Chinese costumes during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). As the art of playing Guzheng has been handed down by Chinese instrumentalists from generation to generation, for more than a millennium, countless people, from around the world, have become fascinated by the instrument's "celestial beauty." In 2008, the art of playing Guzheng was added to the list of the country's items of intangible cultural heritage. Yet, jade may not be the best material for dizi since, as with metal, jade may not be as tonally responsive as bamboo, which is more resonant.Guzheng is a popular traditional, plucked Chinese musical instrument.
#Chinese string instrument guzheng professional
Jade dizi (or yudi, 玉笛) are popular among both collectors interested in their beauty, and professional players. Dizi produced in southern Chinese regions such as Chaozhou are often made of very slender, lightweight, light-colored bamboo and are much quieter in tone.Īlthough bamboo is the common material for the dizi, it is also possible to find dizi made from other kinds of wood, or even from stone. Northern Chinese dizi is made from purple or violet bamboo, while dizi made in Suzhou and Hangzhou are made from white bamboo. However, "bamboo" is perhaps more of a Chinese instrument classification like "woodwind" in the West. Most dizi is made of bamboo, which explains why dizi are sometimes known by simple names such as Chinese bamboo flute. Traditionally, the dizi has also been popular among the Chinese common people, and it is simple to make and easy to carry. The dizi is a key Chinese musical instrument and is widely used in many kinds of Chinese folk music, as well as Chinese opera, and the modern Chinese orchestra. It is also sometimes known as the di (笛) or hengdi (橫笛) and has an assortment including the qudi (曲笛) and bangdi (梆笛).
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