Got my instrument today. According to my instructor, my guzheng (Chinese zither) was handmade using wood from Yangzhou (not sure where that is). It’s a beautiful reddish wood, with shell carvings on the sides. The sound is so rich and resonating. Now I just have to get used to the picks. You essentially tape them to your fingertips with first aid tape. I used to play using Lee press-on nails, but they don’t do that here. My lessons start next Thursday. And fortunately for me, my Thursday student canceled class tonight. Now I can attend the guzheng concert at the music conservatory.
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Just got back from the concert. A nice performance hall, and there were many more people than I was expecting. The performers included two women from Japan and a Chinese man and woman. For the most part, the Japanese played really avant-garde, cacophonous stuff. I mean they were like slapping the strings and making all kinds of weird sounds. I felt like they were doing background music for some horror flick. I guess I’m just used to hearing classical music on this instrument, which dates back about 2300 years. The male performer was especially stellar. Apparently, he is world reknown. He did several pieces accompanied by piano. The Chinese woman played accompanied by a drummer. Anyway, it was an enjoyable event (except for the elderly couple behind me who didn’t know how to whisper).