Guqin

Sound and Character

The sound of the guqin is quiet, intimate, deep, crystal-clear, and meditative. The instrument produces many different timbres depending on the sound extraction method: open strings sound resonant and bright, stopped strings sound muffled, and harmonics resemble bird songs.

Design and Features

A long, flat wooden body without legs or frets, with just 7 silk strings stretched across it. Mother-of-pearl dots (hui) are inlaid on the soundboard surface to mark the positions of overtones and harmonics.

Genres Used In

• Traditional Chinese philosophical and scholarly solo music (qin music)
• Meditative practices