Xu Zhengao is a senior guzheng production technician.

Xu Zhengao is the only senior guzheng-making technician in my country. Shanghai Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor.

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The guzheng is one of the oldest plucked string instruments in my country. Modern ethnic musical instruments are becoming more and more popular, especially the guzheng. Guzheng has many playing techniques, which can express subtle and profound charm as well as passionate and majestic momentum. It has won the favor of many musicians. The popularity of guzheng has also made more people re-recognize guzheng, and more and more people are learning guzheng. How to choose a guzheng? Let’s first understand the structure of the guzheng and how it is made.

1. Whole-cut log guzheng method

It is made by digging out a whole piece of wood, including the side panels and panels connected together. This production method is popular in Hongsheng guzheng in Taiwan, and now some people in China are also using this method to make guzheng. This method is difficult and time-consuming, but it is full of traditional craftsmanship and simple elegance. This kind of guzheng achieves the best sound transmission speed, and each part is fully utilized, giving the entire guzheng a beautiful tone.

2. Guzheng multi-panel splicing method

Considering the characteristics of the wood, choose paulownia wood with similar material texture and good performance to form the required arc (usually three or four pieces) (piece), after bonding, design and digging based on the principle of acoustic vibration. The piano made in this way has a moderate curvature and even thickness distribution. The production process is complicated and the requirements are strict, which wastes a lot of materials. However, this production structure is more reasonable in material selection and material matching, and this production method is more popular in the north.

3. The guzheng masking method

It is to cover a piece of paulownia wood on a frame with curved bracing, pressurize, bond, and then heat and shape to form a pattern. Curved guzheng surface. This production method has simple technology, uniform panel thickness, sensitive sound and fast response, but the sound is single. It also saves materials and is suitable for mass processing and production. It is currently the most common production method in China.

The above methods of making guzheng each have their own characteristics in appearance. In the development process of guzheng, various types of guzheng, such as modified guzheng and butterfly-style guzheng, have gradually appeared. I believe that better guzheng will be on the market in the near future.