What is "relaxation" in Guzheng? Is it a feeling that can only be understood and cannot be expressed? Or are just a few people blessed with natural talents? Or is it an ability that everyone can acquire through learning?

From the meaning of the word, we are likely to make such an association: probably to relax is to loosen the strength of the muscles, and make the whole person become weak and weak! But that's not the relaxation we're looking for when we play the zither. Or some people think that by some breathing method, the efficiency of the muscles can reach a higher level, but this is not the correct way to practice relaxation.

So what exactly does playing the guzheng mean to relax?

The "relaxation" of playing an instrument refers to the correct choice of actions and each action is done consciously, so how much force should be used to press and strum the strings, and no effort will be wasted.

For the left hand, most people use the strength of the tiger's mouth and fingers to play the guzheng. In order for the thumb to resist the force of the other four fingers on the fretboard, the tiger's mouth must continue to exert force. So relying on fingers and a handful of muscles in the mouth to complete the entire one-hour concert repertoire, the result is doomed to painful failure.

Therefore, when the left hand presses the strings correctly, the tiger's mouth and the left thumb are completely useless (except for the closed pressing method, which requires a little bit of the tiger's mouth force), because the fingers are only passive roles and are in a state of rest at any time.

The real protagonists of the left hand are the wrist and arm. By adjusting the bending degree of the wrist and the movement of the arm extending and pulling back, the fingers are placed in the correct position on the fretboard, so the correct use of various hand shapes is to get the left hand to relax. The beginning of skill training. From the basic vertical hand shape, horizontal hand shape, to advanced comprehensive hand shape, between vertical and horizontal hand shape) is an important subject to conquer the fingerboard.