There are several differences:

1. Western symphonies are polyphonic music, while Chinese classical music is mainly monophonic music. The original meaning of symphony in Greek is "to ring together", thus creating harmony.

Chinese people believe that the simplest things are the most profound. The Tai Chi diagram is divided into two colors, black and white, which represent everything in the universe.

Why is Chinese music monophonic? Telling stories about the Buddha’s life, the arias are changed into texts. If it is a chorus, with four voices coming out, you can’t hear what is being sung at all, so you must sing alone. To explain clearly, this requires mono music. But monophonic music does not equal simplicity. A two-hour speech, what should the audience do if they get tired of it and leave after three minutes? So the tune must be beautiful and catchy.

2. Rhythm. Guqin's subtracted notation does not mark the rhythm. Guqin playing pays attention to personalization and freedom. Chinese music also has a feature that Western music basically does not have: Sanban. The so-called Sanban means that there is no fixed beat and no rhythm.

In Western piano music, there is a jump from one note to the next, with no transition in between. In Chinese music, there are often some sounds in the "piano gap" between the white keys and the black keys, and this sound has a "flavor".

In Guqin, the previous note must be followed by the next one, and the two notes cannot be disconnected. The most important thing is "rhyme". The Guqin strings are very long. After the left hand wanders on the strings and chants, the right hand When you vibrate the strings, sometimes it seems that the sound has ended and you can no longer hear the sound, but the performer's hand is still sliding away on the strings. This is when silence is better than sound.

3. Expressing feelings is also different. Chinese music pays attention to moderation. Only moderate music is the most suitable music. The strong and exciting music in the West was by no means the best in the eyes of the ancient Chinese. The sound of the guqin is low, simple, old, clear, rich, and mellow, which makes people calm and quiet down from the noise of the world.

4. Guqin is a niche culture. Guqin has a small volume and is not suitable for public performance. Playing the guqin is about pleasing oneself and not pleasing others.

The guqin is also an instrument for self-cultivation. Chinese people used to burn incense and bathe while playing the harp. By playing the harp, they could calm down their minds and use the harp to control their impetuous minds. It was even a kind of practice and a kind of homework.