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Gu zheng

Guzheng
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 古箏
Simplified Chinese 古筝
Japanese name
Kanji 箏

The guzheng (Chinese: 古箏), also known as the Chinese zither, is a Chinese plucked string instrument with a more than 2,500-year history. It has 16 (or more) strings and movable bridges. The modern guzheng usually has 21 strings, and is 64 inches (1,600 mm) long. It has a large, resonant cavity made from wutong wood. Other components are often made from other woods for structural or decorative reasons. Guzheng players often wear fingerpicks, made from materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell, resin or hard plastic, on one or both hands.

The guzheng inspired other Asian zithers, such as the Japanese koto, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The guzheng should not be confused with the guqin (another ancient Chinese zither without moveable bridges).

An early guzheng emerged during the Warring States period (475–221 BC), largely influenced by the se. It became prominent during the Qin dynasty (221–206), and by the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), guzheng may have been the most commonly played instrument in China. Late-20th-century musicological studies indicate that early bamboo-tube zithers may have been prototypes of the guzheng, koto, gayageum and đàn tranh.

The modern guzheng differs from those made centuries ago due to local influences and the adoption of Western musical styles. Strings, once made of silk, are almost always steel coated in nylon (increasing the instrument's volume and changing its timbre).


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