{"id":5759,"date":"2011-09-08T14:07:17","date_gmt":"2011-09-08T18:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=5759"},"modified":"2011-09-08T14:07:17","modified_gmt":"2011-09-08T18:07:17","slug":"chinese-instruments-guqin-or-chinese-harp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/chinese-instruments-guqin-or-chinese-harp\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese Instruments: g\u01d4q\u00edn (\u53e4\u7434)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”<\/em><\/p>\n

–Confucius<\/em><\/p>\n

Stillness of mind in seven strings. Harmony and heartbreak dance like fingers over a fretboard. That is the g\u01d4q\u00edn or \u53e4\u7434, in a nutshell. This string-plucked, Chinese\u00a0musical instrument\u00a0of the\u00a0zither\u00a0family is similar to a western harp, and is famous for its hallmark vibrato sound and wafting, low-toned melodies.<\/p>\n

It’s name literally translates to “ancient stringed instrument” as it has been a mainstay of Chinese traditional music for millennia. The guqin sound resembles that of an American slide guitar or steel guitar, and is similarly played in a sitting position with fretboard facing up and the player’s hands on top. The guqin, with all its refinement and subtlety, has been traditionally favored by\u00a0scholars\u00a0and the Chinese intelligencia.<\/p>\n

The guqin is famously\u00a0associated with the ancient Chinese philosopher\u00a0Confucius (\u5b54\u5b50), who through his analects, proselytized the value of music and art in daily life. Confucius saw great benefit in playing the guqin, believing it would enrich one’s heart and bring peace of mind to the instrumentalist. To paraphrase in English, we say music “soothes the savage beast”. As a result, the guqin is often referred to by the Chinese as \u00a0“the instrument of the sages”. Only through mastery can you achieve harmonious sounds likes these:<\/p>\n