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Ancient depictions   /   Close-up of qin below left 中文   目錄
The guqin as an object
Physical properties, seeing one, acquiring one		 古琴體質
A qin should be hung vertically,
so the wood won't gradually curve
The qin was prized as a collector's item as well as a music instrument (this sometimes
causes problems for players who would like to play an old instrument). Stringless qins,
while they may seem to refer to the instrument itself, concern more the issue of qin ideology.

Links here are to articles about the physical qin, including

  1. Qin Body
    Basic construction, with links to more information

  2. Silk strings
    Compared with metal strings, introduced during the Cultural Revolution
    - Warning: the so-called "NAGA new silk strings" are not made of silk 1
    Plus:  Can metal strings cause damage?
    And:  An article by Wong Shu-Chee.

  3. Tassels (see at right, hanging down from the qins)
    Making and attaching them

  4. Zhen (tuning pegs; the tassels are attached to them)
    Their origin and use

  5. Hui (studs; see at right, along the right side of each qin)
    Their origin and use

  6. Cases for qin
    Modern cases for modern travel

  7. Acquiring a qin
    Some basic rules, silk and metal string differences, and a link to the biggest US source

  8. Qins in public and private collections
    Mostly concerns museums where you can see qins, plus in captivity?

  9. Xiao Xiang Ye Yu,
    The qin used in my CD Music Beyond Sound.
 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. "NAGA new silk strings"
Perhaps because of the increasing awareness of the special value of silk strings, but also due to a lack of respect for or understanding of their actual qualities, the word "silk" can currently be found used in misleading manners. One example is the so-called "Silk String Quartet"; this London-based Chinese music group plays instruments traditionally classified as "silk", but today none of the players ever actually uses silk strings. Another example is the "NAGA new silk strings", apparently introduced in 2008. The Wikipedia guqin article as of early 2009 states that they are "made of pure silk flatwound with nylon like metal-nylon strings". However, according to Wang Fei (personal communication) they are made of a modern composite material containing no silk. Unfortunately the NAGA promotion, which as of 2009 had not revealed either the producer, maker or the actual material, does not mention this fact, and their statement that the sound "is as good as that of silk strings made before and during the 1950s" is best seen as a promotional strategy underlain by an attempt to justify the rejection of the silk string tradition by players such as Li Xiangting. In certain circumstances I have enjoyed playing with them: they are more mellow than common metal strings. However, to my ears they do not sound or feel like real silk strings.
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