ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Guqin tunings

Imagine you have a special toy that makes beautiful sounds. This special toy is called a guqin. But in order to make the different kinds of beautiful sounds, we have to tune the strings of the guqin. Tuning the strings means adjusting them to different pitches, just like we do when we sing different notes in a song.

There are many different ways we can tune our guqin, just like how we can sing different songs with different notes. But the most common ways we tune our guqin are called standard tuning, ancient Chinese tuning, and contemporary tuning. These tunings help us create different moods or feelings in the music we play on our guqin.

In standard tuning, we tune the strings to five different notes: C, D, E, G, and A. This is a very balanced way of tuning the guqin, and it's good for playing many different kinds of music.

In ancient Chinese tuning, we use a different set of notes that were popular a long, long time ago. This tuning gives the music a very old-fashioned, traditional sound.

In contemporary tuning, we use a more modern set of notes that are popular in music today. This tuning gives the music a more modern, upbeat sound.

So there you have it! Tuning your guqin is like adjusting the strings on a special toy to make different beautiful sounds. And by using different tunings, we can create different moods and feelings in the music we play.