Hong Kong musician and professional guzheng playerMoyunis popularizing the traditional instrument for a new generation of music lovers.
The roots of the guzheng, the Chinese zither, can be traced to before the 6th century BCE.
It has a distinctly sweet, melodious sound.
Recently, she uploaded a riveting cover of the epic AC/DC anthem, Thunderstruck.
And, just like the original, it ends with a flourish.
Moyun’s process for covering a song is similar from tune to tune.
Once she chooses a song, she adapts it for the guzheng and creates a rough score.
Then, as she practices, the organic process of music-making takes over and she adds changes and flourishes.
Traditional Chinese instruments aren’t suited for adapting a band’s entire sound,she explains.
Guzheng is like the bass.
It’s hard to create variations with it.
There are many chromatic notes I can’t play on the guzheng.
After that, I’ll venture to add an even more guzheng-like feel to the song.
Chinese culture tends to be abstract, she explains.
It’s not really accessible.
But pop culture is accessible.
By putting the two together, I hope the audience can appreciate my music.
Scroll down to watch her epic Thunderstruck cover, and check out Moyun’sYouTube channelfor more guzheng performances.
