Great experiment! The kayagum silk strings are softer than what is required by the guzheng, and do not have the same resonance and strength, so the instrument has more of a koto sound. Many people use genuine silk strings for the guqin but they are hard to find and must be specially ordered. The secret of the silk string is in the kinds of binders used to fuse the monofilaments so that the natural acoustic properties of silk can be heard and the string will not fray or break under high tension.
@copperleaves Much thanks for sharing the info. Do you happen to know how someone can make his own decent quality silk strings from raw materials? I really think the world needs more silk strings, and I'm not sure why it has to be such a secret to make such a basic and fundamental musical item . . .
I've been thinking about obtaining a white mulberry tree and raising silkworms in my backyard.
And yes the harmonics are similar to other strings. . . . And the strings were kept at a slightly low tension hopefully causing them to last longer . . . . . . And after a few days the strings began to sound a little more dull. (Yet still quite nice)
Great experiment! The kayagum silk strings are softer than what is required by the guzheng, and do not have the same resonance and strength, so the instrument has more of a koto sound. Many people use genuine silk strings for the guqin but they are hard to find and must be specially ordered. The secret of the silk string is in the kinds of binders used to fuse the monofilaments so that the natural acoustic properties of silk can be heard and the string will not fray or break under high tension.
copperleaves 1 month ago
@copperleaves Much thanks for sharing the info. Do you happen to know how someone can make his own decent quality silk strings from raw materials? I really think the world needs more silk strings, and I'm not sure why it has to be such a secret to make such a basic and fundamental musical item . . .
I've been thinking about obtaining a white mulberry tree and raising silkworms in my backyard.
bluetongueboy 1 week ago
Wow, and none of them broke? I've noticed that playing guzheng (with regular strings) with harmonics sounds close to silk strings.
heavy0metal 6 months ago
@heavy0metal
Yes, none of the strings broke from the tension.
And yes the harmonics are similar to other strings. . . . And the strings were kept at a slightly low tension hopefully causing them to last longer . . . . . . And after a few days the strings began to sound a little more dull. (Yet still quite nice)
Thanks for your comment.
bluetongueboy 6 months ago