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Guzhengs are plucked string instruments, and one of the oldest members of the zither family.  Written about as early as 220 BCE, it is among the oldest of Chinese instruments, as well as the ancestor of the koto, kayagum, yatag, and dan tranh.  Guzhengs have remained popular since ancient times, and today are used in both traditional and solo music.  The solo repertoire in particular has grown and evolved in the past 150 years, with a noticeable increase in technical complexity.

Guzhengs are built with a hollow sound body, much like other string instruments, with the strings arched across movable bridges down the length of the instrument.  These bridges are used for both tuning and producing the instrument’s sound.  The very first guzhengs had only 5 strings, though 12 and 13 string versions were created during the Tang dynasty (618-907CE), and a 16 string variant arrived no later than the Ming (1368 1644).  Modern guzhengs typically have between 21 and 25 strings.  The pitch of any given string is determined by the position of the bridge and tension of the string, and by changing either, a guzheng can be tuned to any scale, with the five-tone pentatonic scale being most common.  The performer usually plucks the strings with their right hand and presses with the left to produce not only the desired pitch, but subtle tones and ornamentals as well.  A full scale can also be obtained by applying pressure from the opposite side of the bridge with the left hand.

For traditional songs, picks are attached to each finger with tape.  In these repertoires, three fingers on the right hand are used for plucking, while the left presses on the strings from the opposite side of the bridge to create the guzheng’s characteristic tonalities and ornaments.  Some contemporary pieces do call for two-handed plucking, while in others, a bow may be used to produce sustained sounds or special effects.  Others songs will use sticks to hit the strings, much like a hammered dulcimer.