Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 20, 2006



The Guqin is the modern name for a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement. Traditionally the instrument was called simply Qin, but by the 20th century the term had come to be applied to many other musical instruments as well. The yangqin hammered dulcimer, the huqin family of bowed string instruments, and the Western piano are examples of this. The guqin is a very quiet instrument, with a range of about four octaves, and its open strings are tuned in the bass register, and its lowest pitch is about two octaves below middle C, or the lowest note on the cello. Sounds are produced by plucking open strings, stopped strings, and harmonics. Stopped sounds are noteworthy for the variety of slides and ornaments used, and the use of glissando &mdash; sliding tones &mdash; gives it a sound reminiscent of a pizzicato cello or fretless double bass. (continued...)

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