ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Guqin playing technique

The guqin is an ancient Chinese musical instrument that is played using a special technique. To play the guqin, you need to use your fingers to pluck the strings in a specific way.

Imagine you have five friends, each with one finger colored red, yellow, blue, green, and purple. When you play the guqin, you use these fingers to pluck the strings. Your red friend (index finger) is the most important finger, and he helps you control the sound of the guqin.

You also need to learn how to use your left hand to press down on the strings in different places. Think of your left hand as a traffic cop, directing the flow of sound from the strings to your ears.

To play a song on the guqin, you need to know which fingers to use and where to place your left hand on the strings at different times. It's sort of like following a recipe to make a cake.

With practice, you can develop your guqin playing technique and create beautiful music that sounds like it came straight out of ancient China.