Description:
rThe zheng or gu-zung is a long zither and a member of the plucked
chordophone family of musical instruments. In the Chinese system of
classification the zheng is classified as a “silk instrument”. Its
believed the origins of the zheng are from the Qin Dynasty or "Warring
States Period" (475 - 221 BC). The word "gu" translates as "antiquity",
or "ancient". During the first century BC the zheng had been described
as a plucked half tube zither. Upon the arrival of the Tang Dynasty
(618 - 907 AD) the amount of the strings for the zheng had increased.
Later in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD) the gu-zheng remained very
popular. A zheng with a fifteenth string was developed In the Ming
Dynasty (1368 - 1644). In the 20th century Prof. Cao Zheng was
innovative in spearheading music instructional programs which offer the
zheng courses in universities which are now common place in mainland
China. The Playing Techniques:
The playing techniques include note bending with the three fingers of
the left hand, to right hand playing includes the use of tortoise shell
plectrums each plectrum is wrapped with tape around the thumb, pointy
and middle fingers are used. The tortoise shell picks produce a very
beautiful and clean tone. When playing the zheng often the left hand
works independently from the right hand. The left side of the zheng
where the tunings pins are located. The tape serves as a means so the
hinges don't rattle during the performance, a lot of solo notes are
utilized along with two or three note "chords". The tape applied to the
surface underneath the strings shows the numerical reference of a
standardized pentatonic A minor tuning. The numerical notation system
used on each of the pieces of tape is called Jian Pu.
Anatomy of the Zheng:
The zheng has up to 21 to 25 strings however the 21 string zhengs are
the current standard. During ancient times the zheng was originally
strung with silk strings. Since the 2nd century some zhengs were
equipped with hand carved jade bridges. Nowadays many of the gu-zheng
are strung with steel wound nylon strings or sometimes with metal
strings. The body of the zheng is made of wutong wood or Paulownia
elongata, a species of tree found throughout China, Japan and Vietnam.
Throughout the surface and the sides of the zheng, the ornamentation
applied is “bas relief” artwork. The theme of the artwork features
cranes who are an important sacred and cultural symbol through out far
east Asia. The top surface of the zheng is concave, the bottom surface
of the zheng is flat. Three sound holes are cut into the bottom of the
instrument. Zheng are supplied with two collapsible wooden stands as
seen in the photo. The stands allow the player of the zheng to sit on a
chair or stool. There is a zheng in that has table like pillar and
pedals this is a recent innovation. The zheng has 21 individual wooden
movable bridges. Such bridges are common on the long zithers of East
Asia and Vietnam. On the right side of the zheng there are metal tuning
pins the pins keep the tension of the strings. The zheng employes
movable-bridges in which the tuning is determined. The tuning pins are
protected in a built in container that opens and closes. This is so the
tuning pins can be accessed for releasing the tension of the strings
when needing to be replaced.