guzheng+by+Erwin+Soo_compressed.jpg — Guzheng Techniques

Header photo: "Guzheng" by Erwin Soo, used under CC-BY-2.0

Guzheng TECHNIQUES AND SYMBOLS 指法 ZHǏFǍ

Click on a section for examples of each technique. I’ve sorted them alphabetically by pinyin. For orderings roughly in terms of frequency or difficulty, see reader C. Lam’s technique reference here!

Intro

Hundreds of guzheng finger techniques have been recorded in the last 50 years. This page is an effort to catalogue both the common techniques (around 40) and the more esoteric ones (around 100 so far). You can browse by category, below, or do an in-page search (command-f, ctrl-f) or a site search (Magnifying glass, top right of screen) to find the technique you are looking for.

These techniques are collected both from modern guzheng manuals published in Shanghai and Beijing as well as scholarly works from the past 50 years. Comments and advice are welcome. This is a big project and more perspectives will make it better. Send in an email with ideas on how to make this page more useful!

Plucks (including some video!)

Single Finger, Strings Unbent

Dǎ 打, Di, Gōu 勾, Mǒ 抹, Pī 劈 / Bò 擘, Shuang gou 双勾, Shuangmo 双抹, Shuangpi 双劈 / Shuangbo 双擘, Shuangtiao 双挑, Shuangtuo 双托, Tī 剔, Tiāo 挑, Tuō 托, Yin, Zhāi 摘 / Kòu 扣

Overview of da, gou, mo, tuo techniques by Austin Guzheng Studio. Used with permission.

Single Finger, String Bent

Àn yīn 按音, Anchan 按颤, Bàn quányīn 半全音

Multiple Fingers

Dà cuō 大撮, Dà Fǎn cuō 反撮 / Fēi zhǐ 飞指 / Pēn zhǐ 喷指, Fù zhǐ 复指 / Gǔn zhǐ 滚指, Jiān xián 间弦 / Héxián 和弦 / Hé shēng 和聲, Xiǎo cuō, 小撮

Sweeps

Without Bends

Chóng pī 重劈, Chóngtuō 重托, Chóngyīn 重音, Lián gōu 连勾, Lián mǒ 连抹, Lián pī 连劈, Lián Tī 连剔, Lián tiāo 连挑, Lián tuō 连托, Lián 连, Lún 轮, Niǎn 捻, Sao xin, Shuāng xián qián huáyīn 双弦前滑音, Shuāng xián shàng huáyīn 双弦上滑音, Shuāng yīn 双音 / Qiè 切/ Lín Xián Tóngyīn 邻弦同音

With Bends

Chóng pī 重劈, Chóngtuō 重托, Chóngyīn 重音, Lún 轮, Niǎn 捻, Shuāng xián qián huáyīn 双弦前滑音, Shuāng yīn 双音

Multiple Fingers

Gun, Pō cì zhǐ 泼刺指 / Pō lá zhǐ 泼剌指, Sān pō zhǐ 三泼指, Shuāng pō zhǐ 双泼指

Glissando

Chán fú 潺拂, Fǎn Huá fú 反滑拂, Fú cuō 拂撮 “Brushing Pinch”, Fú yīn 拂音, Fú 拂 or Fú zhǐ 拂指, Guā Zòu 刮奏, Huá fú 滑拂, Huazhi 花指, Lì yīn 歷音 / Zhǎng fú 长拂, Liúshuǐ fú 流水拂, Nèi fú 内拂, Sǎo fú 扫拂, Shān fú 搧拂, Zhuāngshì fú 装饰拂 / Wài fú 外拂