Guzheng production and sustainable development of production materials(Peng Jingxin assignment 4)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTdn_QQm01E


The production process of guzheng can be divided into two types: modern "folded face zheng" and traditional digging zheng. The folded zheng is made of several pieces of wood bonded together. Because the panel is bent during the production process, it is called "folded face zheng". The production of the folded zheng is to first make a frame with pine wood, and then glue the string peg board made of colored wood and the vertical support made of pine wood inside the frame. It needs to be explained here: most of the panels of the folded zheng and the half-dig zheng are made of paulownia wood. The frame is overwhelmingly pine wood. Those so-called old mahogany zheng, red sandalwood zheng, nanmu zheng, etc. only refer to the veneer materials attached to the frame of the guzheng. The panel, after a series of treatments of water immersion, cooking, and air drying, bake the panel into an arc shape, and then bond and fix it to the frame. 

The advantages and disadvantages of the folded zheng: 1: The panel is an arc formed by a straight plate after baking and extrusion, and has the stress of rebound. Wood fibers are squeezed or stretched to some extent. The inner support and the panel are bonded together, which will affect the overall vibration of the panel, and the pronunciation is not as natural as digging a guzheng. 2: The longer it is used, the thinner and duller the tone becomes. Relatively short lifespan. 3: Save material. 4: The folded zither has a short construction period, quick results and simple construction methods. The cost of buying a panel to make a guzheng is low, suitable for mass production, and the price is low, catering to modern ordinary consumers.   In ancient times, the method of "cutting tongs as the body" was used to make guzheng. That is, a section of paulownia wood is hollowed out, and then a bottom plate is added to make a zheng body. In modern times, during the period of the Republic of China or the early days of liberation, folk artists still used the method of "cutting Tong" to make zheng. And this method of making a guzheng is called "digging a zheng" today. There are two types of digging: half digging and full digging: half dug A half-dig zheng is to use a whole piece of wood, plan and dig out the required thickness and radian of the panel, and then glue the frame. Because the panel is excavated, there is no defect of the folded zheng panel. But the required wood thickness is relatively thick, waste. dig the zheng The whole zheng is dug out of a whole piece of wood. The whole dig zheng generally has no internal support. If there is, it is not as big as the folded-faced zheng.、

 The vibration of the panel is better than that of the folding zheng. Advantages and disadvantages of digging zheng: 1: The wood has been aged for 5 years or even longer, which requires a large amount of reserved wood and strong financial strength. 2: Panel processing requires deep experience and technical strength. 3: The previous production was time-consuming and labor-intensive, with long construction period, small output and high technical cost. Now with mechanical excavation, the situation has improved. 4: The pores of the plate will not be deformed due to extrusion, and the sound quality and tone stability are high. 5: Tone life and service life of up to 30 years, 50 years or more. 6: The sound quality and tone are mellow and pure (some have the taste of Guqin).   The frame of the half-dig zheng is the same as that of the folded zheng. The side board and the front panel of the whole excavated guzheng are integrated and are all made of paulownia, and the hardness is not enough. In order to increase its strength and ensure the stability of the sound, a layer of hard red wood will be pasted on the surface. Now there are many brands of Shanghai zheng, Xi'an zheng, Yangzhou zheng, Henan zheng, including Taiwan zheng and so on. Whether it is a folding zheng or a digging zheng, excellent raw materials, good craftsmanship and the experience and attitude of the luthiers determine the quality of a guzheng. It does not mean that a digging guzheng is necessarily better than a folding zheng. Consumers can compare and contrast the sound more. A good guzheng has a clear and mellow tone, good resonance, transparent texture, natural transition of high, middle and low bass, long aftertaste, delicate and varied, and can display various styles of music with great charm. The production of guzheng is very elegant, and it is divided into 7 processes of "material selection, dissection, drying in the shade, baking, planing, gluing, and assembly". Only one item of assembly is divided into 11 processes of "buttoning the frame, hanging the door, topping the bottom, trimming, mounting the east mountain, sticking the flower, putting on the putty, spraying the paint, setting the size, winding the string, and tuning". The technological process is complex, and only one assembly is divided into eleven procedures, such as buckle frame and door-to-door. In addition, the Yuncheng Guzheng made by traditional crafts has almost no screws. Through the connection of tenon and mortise, the various components are interlocked, which highlights the simplicity and elegance. Yuncheng Guzheng does not demand aesthetics, but pursues the ultimate in beautiful sound quality and wide range. 

Generally speaking, the service life of the guzheng is about 10 years, and this is because your guzheng is properly maintained. If you use proper maintenance, wipe off the residual sweat and dust with a cloth, and then cover it with a professional zither cover after using the guzheng. After returning, be sure to stay away from the heating or the small sun, and avoid drying. The humidity of the guzheng is generally 40%~60%, so the sound is the best.

The use of wood materials to make guzheng is the most, but from the perspective of sustainable development, we should try to use sustainable wood to make guzheng

More than any other wood on the market, sustainable wood is obtained legally and collected in a way that protects other existing trees in the forest, as well as waterways, wildlife and the wood harvesting environment. For wood imported from other countries, sustainability also means collecting the wood in a way that respects the rights of indigenous peoples in the region. In sustainable logging practices, new seedlings are planted faster than trees are removed, ensuring forest regeneration.


 



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