Guqin strings

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The strings of the guqin Chinese zither are either made of silk or metal-nylon.

1 Overview
- 1.1 Silk strings
- 1.2 Modern strings
2 Properties of the strings
3 Stringing the instrument
4 The pros and cons of silk and metal-nylon strings
- 4.1 Silk
- 4.2 Metal-nylon
5 Etymological note on the word 'string'
6 References
7 Footnotes

[edit] Overview

A selection of different qin strings. Top to bottom: 〖太古琴絃〗 Taigu Silk Qin Strings [中清 zhongqing gauge] with a container of 'string gum' 「絃膠」, 〖上音牌琴弦〗 Shangyin Shanghai Conservatorie Quality Qin Strings (metal-nylon), 〖虎丘古琴絃〗 Huqiu Silk Strings

Until the Cultural Revolution, the guqin's strings were always made of various thicknesses of twisted silk 『絲/丝』, but since then most players use modern nylon-flatwound steel strings 『鋼絲/钢丝』. This was partly due to the scarcity of high quality silk strings and partly due to the newer strings' greater durability and louder tone.

[edit] Silk strings

Silk strings are made by gathering a prescribed number of strands of silk thread, then twisting them tightly together. The twisted cord of strings is then wrapped around a frame and immersed in a vat of liquid composed of a special mixture of natural glue that binds the strands together. The strings is taken out and left to dry, before being cut into the appropriate length. The top thicker strings (i.e. strings one to four) are further wrapped in a thin silk thread, coiled around the core to make it smoother. According to ancient manuals, there are three distinctive gauges of thickness that one can make the strings. The first is taigu 〖太古〗 [Great Antiquity] which is the standard gauge, the zhongqing 〖中清〗 [Middle Clarity] is thinner, whilst the jiazhong 〖加重〗 [Added Thickness] is thicker. According to the Yugu Zhai Qinpu, zhongqing is the best.

[edit] Modern strings

Recently in China, production of very good quality silk strings has resumed and more players are beginning to use them. The American qin player and scholar John Thompson advocates for the use of both silk and nylon-wrapped metal strings for different styles of qin music, much like the guitar exists in both classical (nylon-string) and steel-string forms. ^[1] It must be noted that playing silk strings is different from playing metal-nylon one, as you need to pluck much more gently in order to avoid buzzing and the string slapping on the surface. Thus, silk strings are slightly more difficult to play.

[edit] Properties of the strings

Although most contemporary players use nylon-wrapped metal strings, some argue that nylon-wrapped metal strings cannot replace silk strings for their refinement of tone. Further, it is the case that nylon-wrapped metal strings can cause damage to the wood of old qins. Many traditionalists feel that the sound of the fingers of the left hand sliding on the strings to be a distinctive feature of qin music. The modern nylon-wrapped metal strings were very smooth in the past, but are now slightly modified in order to capture these sliding sounds.

Although silk strings tend to break more often than metal nylon ones, they are stronger than one may be led to think. Silk is very flexible, and can be strung to high tensions and tuned up to the standard pitch that was proposed by mainland China (5th string at A) without breaking. Also, although they may be more likely to break at higher tension, they are hardly discardable once a string has broken. Silk strings tend to be very long (more than 2 metres) and break at the point where it rubs on the bridge. One simply ties another butterfly knot at the broken end, cut the frayed bit, then re-string. In this way, the string can be re-used up to ten times for the thinner strings (three or four times for thicker ones), and every set includes an extra seventh (most likely to break) and probably a fourth (next most likely to break). Because silk strings break easily, there are very few that survive from the past dynasties.

[edit] Stringing the instrument

The new tuning device which clips onto the goose-feet and is strung using a tuning wrench on the zither-pins. The pins are adjusted to more-or-less the required pitch, whilst the tuning pegs on the head are used to tune it more finely. Image courtesy of Chinese Culture Net

Traditionally, the strings were wrapped around the goose feet 『雁足』, ^[2] but there has been a device that has been invented, which is a block of wood attached to the goose feet, with pins similar to those used to tune the guzheng protruding out at the sides, so one can string and tune the qin using a tuning wrench. This is good for those who lack the physical strength to pull and add tension to the strings when wrapping the ends to the goose feet. However, the tuning device looks rather unsightly and thus many qin players prefer the traditional manner of tuning; many also feel that the strings should be firmly wrapped to the goose feet in order that the sound may be "grounded" into the qin. Further, one cannot wrap silk strings around such tuning pins as they tend to break more easily at the wrapping end.

Although the future of metal-nylon string manufacture is secure, the manufacture situation of silk strings is not. Throughout the ages, particularly the political disturbances of the twentieth century as well as the popularity of the metal-nylon strings, has seen silk string manufacture decline. Plus the difficulty in obtaining the best quality silk and the difficulty in obtaining a high quality throughout has brought about only short phases now and again of silk string manufacture. There is currently a steady supply of standard silk strings (from Suzhou), plus a fluctuating quality and supply of extremely good quality strings.

[edit] The pros and cons of silk and metal-nylon strings

To summarise, here are the pros and cons of silk and metal-nylon strings ^[3]:

[edit] Silk

Pros

Uniqueness: has a special quality and sound that metal-nylon strings cannot fully embody.
Elegance: more elegant and ancient to use. Preferred by the traditionalists.
Re-usability: one string can be re-used several times before it must be replace.
Less harmful: does not damage the instrument or wear down the lacquer.
Stringing: more easier to string than metal-nylon.
Environmental: bio-degradable and natural. Renewable source. Can last centuries.

Stringing the qin in the traditional way. The end of the string is pulled into tune then, keeping that tension, the end is wrapped around the goose feet. Afterwards, the short end is tucked into the incoming strings.

Cons

Stability: tends to de-tune from time to time and requires re-stringing or re-adjusting. Also, the climate plays a part in its playability.
Strength: tends to break more often and more easily than metal-nylon. Not suitable for excessively hard play.
Volume: very quiet and requires you to be in a near perfect environment in order to hear yourself play.
Usage: much more difficult to play. Weaknesses in play become more noticeable.
Sound: some may find the scratchy sounds during the slides not to their taste. Also, buzzing sounds can occur, but that arises from the player plucking too hard.
Cost: quality sets are expensive, but that is mainly due to the market situation.

[edit] Metal-nylon

Pros

Volume: louder and more suitable for concert and performance to a large number of people.
Strength: stronger and breaks less than silk.
Stability: retains tuning without further adjustments.
Usage: easier to play and smooth to slide on.
Cost: inexpensive in the long run.

Cons

Harmful: tends to wear the instrument down (especially the lacquer), meaning more repairs.
Tone: tends to be too 'metallic' for some.
Stringing: hard to string. High tension requires a lot of strength and effort on the player, though this is eliminated if you use the new tuning device.
Re-usability: once a string has broke, it cannot be re-used like silk.
Environmental: not bio-degradable.

[edit] Etymological note on the word 'string'

How the qin is traditionally strung; the strings wrap around the goose-feet. Strings 1 to 4 on the outer foot, and strings 5 to 7 on the inner foot. Image courtesy of Chinese Culture Net

There are a number of Chinese characters for the word string(s). 『絃』, 『弦』, 『線』 and 『綫』. According to Chinese Characters (1915), 『線』 and 『綫/线』 are both the same character (the former used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the later used in mainland China in its simplified form), which meaning is 'thread', 'line' or 'wire'. However, the characters 『絃』 and 『弦』 mean the same thing ('string'), but have different etymological meanings. In the case of 『絃』, the radical is 「糸」, which is the radical for silk, whilst for 『弦』, the radical is 「弓」 which is the radical for the archery 'bow'. It is important to distinguish from the two as they are often used to refer to the strings of the qin, or any other stringed instrument, sometimes together on the same page. However, etymologically, 『絃』 is the correct character to be used to refer to strings of the qin as the radical denotes, qin strings were made of silk (though probably etymologically incorrect for the modern metal-nylon strings). But for 『弦』, it probably denotes a string used on an instrument which requires a bow to play, such as erhu or violin. Maybe, 『弦』 can also be used to refer to metal / metal-nylon strings... ^[4]

[edit] References

Please see: References section in the guqin article for a full list of references used in all qin related articles.

[edit] Footnotes

^ John Thompson on the Guqin Silk String Zither (2004) Silk Strings (http://www.silkqin.com/03qobj/silk.htm, 29 July 2006)
^ Gong, Yi. Guqin Yanzhoufa 【古琴演奏法】. Page 11 and 13.
^ The pros and cons of the two types of strings is relative to the players experience.
^ Dr. L. Wieger, S. J. Chinese Characters: Their origin, etymology, history, classification and signification. A thorough study from Chinese documents. Pages 701, 758-759.

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