Masters Of Traditional Chinese Music - Zhao Jiazhen: Guqin

Guqin is the ancient Chinese seven‑string long zither, emblematic of the scholar‑official (literati) tradition and associated with self‑cultivation, poetry, and quiet contemplation. Historically strung with silk (now often nylon‑metal), it is played with a wide palette of right‑hand plucks and left‑hand slides, vibrati, and controlled harmonics on an unfretted wooden board. Musically it favors pentatonic modes, flexible pulse, and nuanced timbral shading over loudness or overt virtuosity. Three primary sound categories structure its technique: open strings (san yin), stopped tones (an yin), and bell‑like harmonics (fan yin). Repertoire is transmitted through detailed tablature (jianzipu) that encodes fingering, positions, and ornamentation rather than staff notation, inviting interpretive freedom and meditative pacing.