JIAYIN (9) “When I was 5 years old, I met a girl who played the guzheng in a shopping mall. She was very beautiful, as was the guzheng she was playing.  I was fascinated and thought it was a Chinese musical instrument. Since then, I fell in love with folk music, and even more so with the guzheng, so my mother signed me up for a course. The melodious sound of the instrument was so beautiful that I wanted to keep playing it, so I chose to continue playing.   Now, I have been playing for about 6 years and have passed the eighth level.

The most difficult thing about learning the guzheng is the fingering, because you need to play with any one finger, and the other fingers cannot move. People with poor coordination may need to learn for a while. When I was learning Guzheng, I often encountered many difficulties. For example, there was a song “Fighting Typhoon” which was very difficult for me because the strings broke when I played it hard, or the Qinma fell when it was touched.

 I like to play very classical and beautiful music with the guzheng the most. I think it is very suitable, such as the guzheng classic ”Spring Dawn on the Snow“, which is my favorite. Guzheng can be played with other folk instruments, such as pipa, erhu, and other instruments, which are also very nice. These nice instruments are very spectacular when played together, and it is a grand musical feast.

My most unforgettable performance, my third performance, was when I was 12 years old.. At the time, I was busy focusing on academics and I was not proficient in playing. I focused on memorizing the music before actually playing it. During the performance, I was so nervous that I forgot my song halfway through. But, I focused on being calm and continued to play. 

Some advice about learning Guzheng is that many people like it, but they will also encounter difficulties. Think about it before learning, and stay persistent.”