Gu Zheng was developed from an ancient zither called 'Se'. The name 'Zheng' was probably derived from the sound of the instrument. It was already a popular instrument during the Warring Dynasties(403BC - 221 BC) and even more so in the Qin Dynasty (221BC - 207BC). Silk strings were used traditionally, thus putting the zheng in the silk category of Chinese instrument classification.

Gu zheng comes in all sizes ranging from 18 strings to 26 strings. Playing range is about three to four octaves. Strings are threaded across a horizontal wooden sound box that has an arched surface, and are held up by individual bridges. It is tuned in pentatonic scale: do, re, mi, so, la. Player wears finger picks made out of tortoise shell on the inside of the fingers, plucking the strings with the right hand on the right side of the bridges. The left hand is placed on the left side of the bridges and controls vibrato and creates half tones by pushing the strings down.

Today only steel strings and nylon steel strings are used for the gu zheng. Although it is used in ensemble playing, the bigger sound box makes it an ideal solo instrument.

This guzheng has 23 nylon strings. It is an excellent model for players who want a bigger sound and wider range.

Related Products

An Introduction to the Guzheng $12.00 Guzheng Stand, in a pair $60.00 Guzheng Strings $4.50

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