Learn the 古琴 Guqin

The first right-hand stroke — the index finger plucking inward toward the palm.

Index finger flicking outward — the natural partner to Mo.

The middle finger plucking inward.

Combining the first strokes into paired patterns.

A rapid sweep across several strings.

The middle finger flicking outward.

The ring finger plucking inward.

The ring finger flicking outward.

The thumb plucking outward.

The thumb plucking inward.

Sounding two strings together — a plucked chord.

A rolling three-finger figure in quick succession.

Harmonics — the shimmering bell-like tones that define the guqin's voice.

Stopped tones — pressing the string to the board with the left thumb.

Sliding the pressed thumb along the string to change pitch — the source of the guqin's glides.

Stopped tones with the ring and middle fingers.

Sliding pressed ring and middle fingers along the string.

A left-hand pluck-off that sounds a note without the right hand.

Striking the string down onto the board to sound it with the left hand.

A quick knock-and-return that ornaments a sustained tone.

Left-hand release techniques that sound the open string.

First full melody — a simple folk tune to apply the strokes learned so far.

A short traditional practice tune.

Building phrasing across the strings.

Combining stopped tones and open strings in a longer line.

Qiu Feng Ci 秋风词 — one of the canonical first pieces in nearly every guqin method.

An expressive elementary piece.

Feng Qiu Huang 凤求凰 — the famous courtship melody.

A calm elementary study.

Moving into the traditional repertoire.

Yang Guan San Die 阳关三叠 — a beloved farewell piece, a staple of the beginner-to-intermediate bridge.

Jiu Kuang 酒狂 — the 'drunken' piece, rhythmically playful and a rite of passage.

Guan Shan Yue 关山月 — a widely-taught early repertoire piece.

A modern composition for the guqin.

A traditional piece in the intermediate range.

An evocative repertoire study.

Ode to the Orchid — the orchid is a classic literati subject on the qin.

Ping Sha Luo Yan 平沙落雁 — one of the most famous and frequently-played qin pieces.

A serene classical piece.

An expressive classical study.

Yi Gu Ren 忆故人 — a tender, much-loved melody.

Mei Hua San Nong 梅花三弄 — a celebrated harmonics-rich piece and a fitting capstone.