In 2002, the art of Chinese zither was selected as the "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in the world.
In the long history of China, the Chinese zither has always occupied an important position, and has become the carrier of Chinese traditional culture together with Chinese calligraphy, poetry and literature. The Chinese zither is the most representative of Chinese solo instruments. People often play the Chinese zither not only to enjoy music, but also to intimate the entertainment, meditation, personal cultivation, and emotional communication between close friends.
In fact, the history of Chinese zither and Chinese literati has an inseparable origin, because it is one of the qualities of "Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting" necessary for Chinese literati, and ranks the first place. The art of Chinese zither has absorbed a large number of elegant and beautiful tunes, and its performance techniques are complex and exquisite, with a unique notation. A lot of music notations are passed down orally.
The Chinese zither has seven strings and thirteen cords. Through ten different plucking methods, the player can play four octaves. There are three basic techniques for playing the Chinese zither: plucking, pressing, and touching. "Plucking" is the playing with an empty string with a strong voice, which is often used for the backbone sounds in tunes. "Touching" is the left-hand touching of the cord to play the light and soft musical tones (overtones), which is available for playing the elegant music. "Pressing" is the left-hand pressing of the string. Moving the finger can change the effective string length to change the pitch. The same pitch can be played by different methods such as plucking, pressing and touching on different strings and different cords, and the tone is changeable.
In the long history of China, the Chinese zither has always occupied an important position, and has become the carrier of Chinese traditional culture together with Chinese calligraphy, poetry and literature. The Chinese zither is the most representative of Chinese solo instruments. People often play the Chinese zither not only to enjoy music, but also to intimate the entertainment, meditation, personal cultivation, and emotional communication between close friends.
In fact, the history of Chinese zither and Chinese literati has an inseparable origin, because it is one of the qualities of "Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting" necessary for Chinese literati, and ranks the first place. The art of Chinese zither has absorbed a large number of elegant and beautiful tunes, and its performance techniques are complex and exquisite, with a unique notation. A lot of music notations are passed down orally.
The Chinese zither has seven strings and thirteen cords. Through ten different plucking methods, the player can play four octaves. There are three basic techniques for playing the Chinese zither: plucking, pressing, and touching. "Plucking" is the playing with an empty string with a strong voice, which is often used for the backbone sounds in tunes. "Touching" is the left-hand touching of the cord to play the light and soft musical tones (overtones), which is available for playing the elegant music. "Pressing" is the left-hand pressing of the string. Moving the finger can change the effective string length to change the pitch. The same pitch can be played by different methods such as plucking, pressing and touching on different strings and different cords, and the tone is changeable.
