Guzheng cheat strip

[davidmdahl]

I finally had my first guzheng lesson on Sunday. It was about time I got started. The guzheng arrived early this year, but until now I have had no time to practice yet another instrument. With my Vietnamese programs done and my teacher in Saigon, I have a little breathing space.

My guzheng teacher had a strip of paper attached along the right side under the strings that indicates the jianpu string number. Is this good to do, or is it better to get used to just knowing where the strings are using the colored string as a reference?

Thanks.

Best wishes,

David

[blueharp]

It can't hurt!

Seriously, it is a good way of locating the correct string/octave at first. When I first began playing from jianpu I kept getting the octaves wrong. I noticed that the few people I have taught had the same difficulty - so at the beginning it is useful.

[guzhenglover]

My view is NOT to use the cheat strip - just as I've never encouraged my piano students to use one of those cheap strips on a piano. Getting acquainted to where the notes are is important and not necessarily all that difficult.