As a beginner, choosing a guzheng that suits you, it should be a simple thing to think about. But often after some inquiry and consultation, most of them become more confused.

The current guzheng market is chaotic, with hundreds of guzheng brands large and small. Especially those small and miscellaneous brand guzheng hype themselves, such as "high-quality material selection", "handmade zheng", etc. Although the quality of these brand guzheng is not very good, but the appearance is very beautiful. The mentality of the zheng, understanding the zheng is entirely based on intuition).

While some businesses over-market their so-called "brand guzheng", they do not hesitate to slander other guzheng brands. The result is that there are all kinds of sayings, and we guzheng beginners can't tell the difference.

Next, I will objectively and comprehensively talk about which guzheng to buy as a beginner from the aspects of beginners' demand for guzheng, the sound quality of guzheng, the preference of brand guzheng characteristics, and the guzheng brand. I hope it can be a reference for everyone to choose a kite in the future.

【Different demands for guzheng】

Have a play mentality

If you just want to buy a guzheng to play, and you don't want to spend too much money, you don't know how long your interest in the guzheng will last. Then there is no need to buy a guzheng that is too good, a basic practice zheng of around 3000 is enough (it is not recommended to buy a guzheng below 1500, it can't talk about the sound quality at all, and the guzheng has to be used for a few years, only a few hundred more It's up to you how you handle the money in the end). According to the price, it is better to choose the more popular model among the well-known brands. There are too many guzheng products of this level. The more popular ones are Dunhuang "696D Shuanghe Chaoyang", "694DQ Shuanghe Chaoyang", Shensheng "728HX Flowery Fragrance" and others Brands are also available at the same price.

I want to learn guzheng well as a hobby

If you really want to practice the guzheng well, play two tunes to entertain yourself, and the economic conditions are not bad, then choose a guzheng of 3000-8000. This level of guzheng is basically an intermediate zheng, and it is also the most purchased grade. Among them, the most cost-effective ones are "Dunhuang 694LC-C Lucky Cloud", "Dunhuang 694KK Banana Window Night Language", Shensheng's "837YC Yichu Lotus", Zhenghe's "Winged Wood Conch", etc., can fully meet different requirements in terms of sound quality.

Plan to develop professionally

If you want to learn guzheng and develop in a professional direction, whether you are an adult or a child, you will have certain requirements for the sound quality of the guzheng, and with the growth of your playing ability, the requirements for the guzheng will become higher and higher. Therefore, if you want to take a professional direction, it is recommended that the guzheng should be at least 5K. The Dunhuang "694LC-C Auspicious Cloud" and "Shensheng 837YC Yichu Lotus" mentioned above, and the slightly better Dunhuang's "694FFW Lotus Dew Fragrance", etc. , Shensheng's "Shensheng 877QY Qiuyuechunhua" and Zhenghe's "Yunshang Huarong", etc.

[Select the brand according to the characteristics of the guzheng]

There are also some differences in the characteristics of each brand of guzheng, so choose the one that suits you.

1. The Dunhuang guzheng has a thin panel and good string tension, which makes it easier to control difficult pieces, especially modern fast-paced big pieces.
2. Taiwan Caile Guzheng is a digging zheng, with delicate and soft tone, full of three-dimensional feeling.
3. Yangzhou Zhenghe and Longfeng have a mellow tone, a relatively soft feel, and a long sound.
4. Shensheng Guzheng is an old brand of Shanghai Zheng. It does not choose any repertoire.
5. Another one is that the northern zheng Suzaku/Dongyun's high-end dig zheng is okay, and it is better to perform the northwest wind repertoire.

 【Reliable and well-known guzheng brand】

Taiwan Caile Guzheng

Caile Guzheng adopts the traditional Chinese ancient method of full-digging production technology, and is in the leading position in the field of digging. The biggest feature of digging kite is that it has vitality without destroying the original state of the tree. The whole kite body is dug up.

The sound of the guzheng is not only bright and pleasant, but also beautiful and three-dimensional! Not only because the panel is purely hand-polished for listening to the sound, but the cabinet is also compressed, so the volume will quickly come out of the speaker, and it will not be stuffy inside for a long time.

Well-known models of Cai Le: "Cai Le Da Meng Lingzheng", "Cai Le Da Na Cai Series", etc.

Dunhuang guzheng - the king of zheng world brands

Dunhuang guzheng is the most famous and the most recommended and popular guzheng brand. On the whole, Dunhuang is heavy in tone and light in appearance, with a thin panel, good string tension, crisp and bright tone, strong explosive power, and strong ability to control repertoire. It is precisely because of this that most professional stage performances and grade examinations basically choose Dunhuang zheng.

Some information on the Internet now says that the quality of Dunhuang guzheng has declined, and the strings are too hard to control. This is just a way for some businesses to market themselves (as long as the beginners are not too young, the string hardness is not a problem). Strings that are slightly harder are of great benefit to finger strength practice and the improvement of playing feel.

Well-known models: "694DQ Double Crane Chaoyang", "694KK Banana Window Night Talk", "694LC-C Lucky Cloud", "694FFW Lotus Dew Fragrance", "698T Innocent Yuan Yun", "698MJ-Q Xuan Window Asking for the Rain", "698JM Flowers Like a Dream" etc.

Shensheng Guzheng - the best professional zheng

Shensheng Guzheng is a well-known old brand in Shanghai, focusing on professional quality Guzheng. Strictly use the first quality materials and then make the zheng with precision, double selection of Lankao paulownia wood and first-class imported logs.

Shensheng Guzheng has created a set of fine and complex kite-making technology system, which is unique in the industry and is strict in the details of every link. The understanding of wood and the ingenious and perfect combination of structure, acoustics, traditional craftsmanship, modern aesthetics, lacquer art, etc.

Shensheng guzheng also has independent and unique guzheng characteristics, which makes the high-pitched area of Shensheng guzheng bright but not sharp, the mid-range is full and round, the low-frequency area is mellow and rich in flavor, and the sound area is over-balanced and sound control is good. The sound is clear and clean, with strong graininess. It's not hard or soft to the touch, it's more moderate.

The unique timbre and feel makes Shensheng Guzheng suitable for a wide range of repertoires. It masters fast-paced and cheerful repertoires, interprets the charm of slow-paced traditional repertoires, and has sufficient explosive power for large-scale modern repertoires.

Famous models: "728HX Floral Rich", "837YC Lotus Flower" and "877JX Auspicious Continuous"

Zhenghe Guzheng - Excellent Voice and Rhythm

Zhenghe guzheng materials are more elegant and full of materials, which is well known in the zither making circle. This is because Zhenghe attaches great importance to the selection and use of materials, and has a professional, unique and strict system (many manufacturers in Yangzhou make zheng materials from Zhenghe Musical Instrument Factory).

Zhenghe Guzheng has a more mellow and long tone, and has a high sound sensitivity. It has charm in the face of slow rhythm tracks and sufficient flexibility in fast rhythm tracks. The feel is relatively soft, and it is easier to get started.

Famous Models: "Winged Wood Inlaid Snail", "Fog and Rain Lotus Heart", "Clouds with Flowers" and "Flowers in the Stream Rain (Xiaozheng)"

Suzaku Guzheng - The Wind of the Northwest

The representative of the Suzaku northern zheng, produced in Xi'an, the high-end zheng adopts the digging technology. The interpretation of slow rhythm repertoire and northwest music style is more prominent.

Famous Model: "520 Special Kites"

【The zheng player speaks bluntly】

Guzheng is worth every penny, and the price of a well-known guzheng represents the quality and sound quality of the guzheng to a certain extent. It is usually not recommended for beginners to buy low-priced guzheng. The sound quality is the soul of the guzheng, and the guzheng that is too low-end does not have much timbre to speak of.

In addition, there is no special guzheng brand or model for beginners, let alone whether it is suitable or not. Mainly because of the price of guzheng, different beginners have different conditions, and the grades of zither that can be selected are also different. But one thing is clear, a good zheng is definitely of great help to learning.

As a beginner, if you just want to choose a low-end guzheng, you can choose Dunhuang zheng, such as "694KK Banana Window Night Whisper", "694LC-C Lucky Cloud", "694FFW Lotus Dew Fragrance". If you want to buy a high-end zheng with better sound quality, there are relatively more options, such as Dunhuang "698MJ-Q Xuan Window Question", "698T Innocent Yuan Yun" and so on. (Dunhuang zheng is more reliable, in addition, the strings are slightly harder for finger strength practice, and the improvement of playing feel is relatively better)

If you feel that the Dunhuang zheng is too hard to use and your fingers are difficult to use, then choose the Shensheng zheng from Shanghai. For example, "728HX is rich in floral fragrance", "728XS is happy with plum shoots", "837YC Yichu lotus", "877JX auspicious continuous" and so on. If you prefer a zheng with a mellow tone and a soft feel, choose the zheng made by Yangzhou Zhenghe. Such as "Winged Wood Snail", "Mist Rain Lotus Heart" and so on.

If you are not short of money, you just come with a good zheng, then choose your favorite digging zheng from the "Dazzling Guzheng".