Guqin player Xu Yong will give a show at Old Heaven Bookstore in OCT-LOFT tonight. The entry is free.

    The guqin is 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. It is sometimes referred to by the Chinese as “the father of Chinese music” or “the instrument of the sages.”

    The guqin is a very quiet instrument, with a range of about four octaves, and its open strings are tuned in the bass register. 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.

    The qin is also capable of a lot of harmonics, of which 91 are most commonly used and indicated by the dotted positions. By tradition, the qin originally had five strings, but ancient qin-like instruments with 10 or more strings have been found. The modern form has been standardized for about two millennia.

    Time: 8:30 p.m., Dec. 14

    Venue: Old Heaven, North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区旧天堂书店)

    Metro: Luobao Line, Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A

    (SD News)