What you are actually learning
The guqin is played from 減字譜 — a tablature that describes the physical action: which string, which stud, which finger, which technique. It does not give you rhythm. That is not an omission; the interpretation of timing is part of what a player brings, and it is why the same piece sounds different in two schools.
Learning the guqin therefore means learning to read a script, not just to play. It is the most scholarly instrument in this building, and the one where the relationship with a particular teacher matters most, because you are joining a lineage of interpretation.
Who it suits
People drawn to the guqin usually already know why. It suits patient adults, people with an interest in Chinese literature, calligraphy or tea culture, and musicians who want depth rather than display. It is a poor choice for someone who wants to play loudly, quickly, or for a crowd.
Children and adults
Predominantly an adult instrument. Children can learn, but the repertoire and the notation reward maturity, and most students here begin as adults.
Lesson format
One-to-one only. Guqin teaching is a transmission between two people; group instruction does not serve it.
How the learning is structured
The seven open strings, right-hand techniques, and reading your first 減字譜 characters. 仙翁操 or a comparable opening piece.
Left-hand sliding and the harmonics that give the instrument its second voice. Building a small repertoire of classical pieces.
The major pieces — 流水, 平沙落雁, 梅花三弄 — and the question of interpretation between schools.
Who teaches it here
See all teachers →
Instruments in the shop
The lessons and the shop are the same building, which means you can try an instrument before you buy one and bring it back to the person who sold it to you if anything is wrong. We are glad to advise without a sale.
Questions people ask
Is the guqin harder than the guzheng?
Different, not harder. The guzheng gives you a pleasant sound immediately and demands years for expression; the guqin demands attention from the first note and gives its rewards more slowly and more privately.
Do I need to read Chinese?
It helps, because the notation is built from Chinese characters, but it is not a prerequisite. The characters used are a closed set and are taught as part of the instrument.
Is it too quiet to play in an apartment?
It is the quietest instrument we teach — which for apartment living is an advantage, not a problem.
Arrange a trial lesson
Tell us your experience so far, who the lessons are for and roughly when you can come. We will suggest a teacher and a time.
Central Taipei, walking distance from Dongmen and Zhongxiao Xinsheng stations. Teaching, the shop and the workshop are all in the same place.
