For more information see Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature.²

Melodies that use this tuning include:

1. Feiming Yin; the first Shen Qi Mi Pu piece in guxian mode, probably a prelude to the second:
2. Qiu Hong (conveys the same idea and, with 36 sections, the second longest piece in the qin repertoire.
3. Jiazhong Modal Prelude and the two pieces that follow it, Yueshang Yin and Yueshang Cao.
4. Ming De Yin and Kong Sheng Jing, Confucian hymns.

The Table of Contents adds "same as Defining Qingshang",³ while below the mode name with the modal prelude is the following explanation:

A modal prelude with this tuning (besides guxian, qingshang, and gu jiazhong; it is also called jiazhong [1549] and nanlü⁵ [1571]) can be found in 16 handbooks to 1670. In Shen Qi Mi Pu the main note is 1 (gong; open 2nd and 7th strings); the secondary note is 3 (jiao). In later handbooks the mode is usually called qingshang, and the modal prelude is different.

Like mangong, the stated tuning method required retuning three strings. However, if one normally tunes the strings as high as they comfortably can go without fear of breakage, then this tuning must be accomplished by lowering four strings (1, 3, 4, 6) instead of raising three.

Perhaps this is a main reason for the fact that, although guxian as a note and as a mode have an ancient history, since the Ming dynasty it has not much been used much: in the surviving repertoire is is only associated with the two pieces included here.

 
No commentary ⁶

 
One section

(00.50) -- harmonics
(01.07) -- Modal prelude ends

Return to the Shen Qi Mi Pu ToC or to the Guqin ToC.

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 神品姑洗意 ; cf. 6286.19 姑洗，十二律之一。。。（國語，周語）姑洗所以脩潔百物考神納賓。 (Return)

2. See also Qin Tunings, some theoretical concepts. (Return)

3. 即清商意 18003.383 五音之一; also autumn wind and a spirit name. See also in Qinshi Bu (琴史補), #39 the biography of Zhong Changtong (仲長統) which says that according to Later Han History he played a beautiful Qing Shang qin. (Return)

4. 古夾鐘 . 5997.97 夾鍾 and .103 夾鐘 seem to be same. Old note names. "pinched/lined/secret bell" (Return)

5. jiazhong 夾鐘意 (1549) and nanlü　南呂 (1571) (Return)

6. Although SQMP modal preludes have no prefaces, those in Zheyin (which all have identical music) do. In Zheyin the preface to the guxian modal prelude is as follows:

Return to the Shen Qi Mi Pu ToC or to the Guqin ToC.