Guqin vs Guzheng

[greentea]

Hey everyone, sorry about falling off the face of the planet a bit. I was in the process of moving and my old computer got smashed so I had to get a new one and yeah, lots of troubles haha. But anyways im back.

I just have a few questions if anyone could please help me with them. I am considering either the guqin or the guzheng. I just want to know what the main differences are with them besides sound. Do they play the same or similar? Or is it two very different instruments? Also what one would you recommend for a novice to playing instruments. Whats a good starter one or price range of one. And last is it easy to teach yourself or should you have an instructor? Thank you to all of you for reading this and have a great day.

[edcat7]

Hi greentea.

I would not get a guqin unless you have deep pockets and tuition. A friend who has a guzheng was looking at guqins in China and he couldn't make a decent sound out of the countless ones he tried.

Also there are a lot more people who play the guzheng. There's even specifically a guzheng forum whose members might be able to help you self teach.

[davidmdahl]

The guqin and guzheng are quite different from each other. There are obvious similarities, but they are played differently. Just look on Youtube for videos of each and you will answer your own question.

I agree with Ed that unless you have a teacher, don't choose guqin. The guzheng is a lot more accessible, teachers are more plentiful, and there are at least some materials for self study. Check on Carol Chang's website www.soundofasia.com/ for good instruments at all prices.

I have been taking weekly lessons for two months on guzheng, and can't imagine doing it any other way. Every lesson has been full of correction and suggestions that have prevented me from learning bad habits. The focus on learning the fundamentals correctly just doesn't happen with self-study. People do learn on their own and they have fun with it, but teaching yourself is not easy, on any instrument. It does depend on your goals though. You will go a lot further more quickly with a teacher, but you can still have fun on your own.

Study with a teacher if you can, but if you can't, I definitely recommend guzheng over guqin. If you have a calling for guqin, are up for a big challenge, and have access to a teacher I could not discourage you. The guqin is a wonderful instrument and the music goes as deep as any in the world.

Best wishes,

David