02.02.12
In-Depth#2- Guzheng
I have been learning to play the guzheng for about three weeks now and it is even better than I imagined. I am still covering the basics but have started to learn how to tune my guzheng. So far I’ve been to three lessons and met up with my mentor around five times. I am about half way through level one with the four basic fingerings(ways to pluck the string) down. I have been challenged by my teacher to finish the level in a month and a half and I fully intent to try. It will be a challenge but not impossible. I have been asking my mentor to teach me the different techniques in advance so I have more time to mastered them. I figured if I previewed and reviewed with lots and lots of practice I won’t have too much trouble with any of the new songs.
The guzheng like the guitar needs to be tuned often. At the right end of the guzheng there’s a compartment where all 21 tuning pins for each of the 21 strings are located. All you have to do is use a tuning wench and tighten (turn clockwise) if the note is flat and loosen (turn counterclockwise) if the note is sharp.
The string closer to you are at a higher octave and as you move away from you the notes gets progressively lower. It took me a long, long time to get the hang of this because the lower notes are represented by a dot underneath the number on the sheet music and higher notes with a dot on top. For a visual learner like me, my brain automatically places the sheet music parallel with the instrument and so the dots underneath the numbers seems to represent strings closer to me and vice versa for the higher notes.
Because of the movable bridges, you can technically tune your guzheng to any scale you want. But for beginners like me you usually start off with the D major scale. Which means D is string 1(two below any green string), E is string 2 (two above any green string), F# is string 3 (one above any green string), A is string 5 (the green string) and B (one below any green string). I currently do not own a tuner so I’ve been told by my mentor I can make do by using the piano. The only problem is that my guzheng and piano are on different floors at my house. While I have managed to convince my sister to play the necessary notes on the piano for me while I tune, I found for some unknown reason, the lower notes are insanely hard for me to tune. So now I am hoping I can borrow a tuner from my mentor this week.
February 3, 2012 at 9:37 am
This is very instructional. I like to hear a recording of you playing some of the notes in the next post.
QMtK
February 3, 2012 at 5:20 pm
This looks like an excellent undertaking, Louise! I can’t wait to hear the guzheng in action – perhaps as a player in the TALONS anthem, even?
Mr. J
February 4, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Ms Mulder,
I will as soon as I can get my guzheng tuned, I did my best with the piano but as I mentioned in the post, I’m having some trouble with lower notes so it’s still pretty obvious it’s out of tune when I play octaves. I’m seeing my mentor tomorrow so I will be able to get a tuner and get my guzheng tuned
February 4, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Mr J,
Maybe, it’ll be a huge challenge though with the different sheet music and with the guzheng missing two notes but we’ll see. Perhaps later in the year when I have a better judge of how far I’ll be able to get we’ll have a better idea.