Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

I composed and recorded this three-track guzheng piece today while thinking of the wild deer in the forest near my home in West Nashville. Hunting season has begun in Tennessee, and I hope these deer escape the hunters’ arrows.

I played all the tracks using harmonics and half-muted strings. My left hand lightly touched the strings with all five fingers while my right hand did the plucking. Producing accurate harmonics at a fast tempo was not easy, and I had to re-record several sections many times, especially in the higher register.

Concert Announcement:

If you or your friends are in Seattle, I’m coming to your city next month!

On December 10th, I will be giving a solo concert at the Carlson Theatre, presented by the International Guitar Series at Bellevue College. In addition to the performance, I will lead a masterclass for music majors and rehearse a student composer’s new ensemble piece written for the guzheng and other instruments. This new work will have its premiere at my concert, and I am very excited to present it!

For more information and tickets, please visit the KBCS-FM (91.3 MHz) website here. KBCS is a public radio station in Bellevue, Washington, owned by Bellevue College, which serves the Puget Sound region, including Seattle.

Venue: Carlson Theatre

Address: 3000 Landerholm Cir SE, Bellevue, WA 98007

Date & Time: December 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM

Wu Fei 吴非

wufeimusic.com

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

Today’s guzheng and vocal improvisation was inspired by an interesting discovery in my house. I was heating up lunch in the microwave while my husband was making an espresso with the coffee machine. The two machines were humming at the same time, and they were both at the same pitch—B flat. (By the way, I have perfect pitch, which is a blessing but can also be really annoying because I can’t turn myself off.)

This discovery reminded me of another coincidence from a few years ago. I was tuning my guzheng in a hotel room before a concert, and the hum from the air conditioning was also B flat. It was extremely annoying because I had to tune all the A strings first on the guzheng—and B flat is a half step higher than A. My tuner was struggling to stay calm between my A’s and the constant B flat from the air conditioning in the background.

Now, I’m pretty sure that whoever designed the electrical system in the U.S. must be a clarinet player :D

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

In the world of AI, making mistakes has become more valuable. At least it is real. I took this photo yesterday near my home in Nashville. The colors are so intense under the sun that it looks almost like an oil painting. I was inspired.

Today, I used all overtones on the guzheng to create this piece. Because it is a multi-track piece, sometimes my plucking doesn’t line up perfectly between tracks. I used to think it’s a flaw for recorded music. Not any more. It’s probably very hard to fake mistakes. Hope this song can massage your ear drums.

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Dear listeners,

Today, I tuned my guzheng to a frequency of A4 = 432 Hz, which is also known as “cycles per second”. This term comes from the fact that sound waves have a frequency measurable as a number of oscillations, or cycles, per second.

An intriguing comment from my last newsletter, “1220 Bamboo Shadow 竹影,” led to a discussion about the colored strings on my guzheng and their purpose. In that context, Klaus Hubbertz shared an article titled, “Music Tuned to 440 Hz Versus 432 Hz and the Health Effects: A Double-blind Cross-over Pilot Study.”

To quote the study’s introduction:

“Context

The current reference frequency for tuning musical instruments is 440 Hz. Some theorists and musicians claim that the 432 Hz tuning has better effects on the human body, but there are no scientific studies that support this hypothesis.

Objective

To identify differences in vital parameters and perceptions after listening to music at different frequencies, 440 Hz versus 432 Hz.”*

I hope you will read the full article. It is fascinating how science can explore the effects of string vibrations on our bodies, nerves, and well-being.

I am so fascinated by this research that I have tuned one of my guzhengs to 432 Hz to begin my own exploration with you all. This is the first time I have ever knowingly tuned my instrument to this frequency, and I would love to hear your feedback in the future.

I will have another guzheng tuned to the standard A4 = 440 Hz and will continue to record with it as well. I may or may not mention in my posts which guzheng I use, so you can simply feel the difference without any preconception.

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

This guzheng improvisation was recorded earlier today, performed on two guzhengs (photo below). The instruments are tuned differently, though they share several common pitches. I’ve always been drawn to multi-tonality—to me, the world is heard in many colors of sound.

The lighter-colored guzheng is crafted from nanmu wood (楠木), a precious timber native to China and South Asia. Historically, nanmu was used in boatbuilding, architecture, furniture, and sculpture. A recent archaeological excavation in Lija village, Jiangxi Province, uncovered 47 coffins made of nanmu wood—dating back about 2,500 years to the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Well, maybe my guzheng can last that long too ;)

The darker, slightly smaller guzheng is made from zitan wood (紫檀), an extremely dense rosewood so heavy it sinks in water. Zitan ranges in color from blackish-purple to deep reddish-black. Its fibers are rich with natural pigments that have been used as dye since ancient times.

Both instruments were made in Yangzhou, a city on China’s eastern coast renowned for its long tradition of instrument craftsmanship and its connections to celebrated poets. Among them is Zheng Banqiao (郑板桥, 1693–1765), also known as Zheng Xie, one of the “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou.” His paintings of orchids, bamboo, and stones have been admired for centuries. My Nanmu guzheng is inscribed with his calligraphy and a carved motif of orchids, bamboo, and stone. The four characters are “wind, move, bamboo, shadow.”

I’d like to share one of Zheng Banqiao’s well-known poems with you:

《竹石》

咬定青山不放松，立根原在破岩中。

千磨万击还坚劲，任尔东西南北风。

“Bamboo and Rock”

Clenching the blue hills, not loosening its hold,

Its roots are planted deep in the broken rock.

Tempered through countless blows, it’s tough and bold,

Let the winds from all directions whip and knock.

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

Today, I sang and improvised this song on the valiha—a traditional 21-string tube zither from Madagascar (photo below). I want to thank my dear friends Tasha and David for bringing me this beautiful gift all the way from Madagascar to Nashville.

Coincidentally, the valiha, the Chinese guzheng, and kora (or cora) from West Africa all have 21 strings. I need to get myself a kora to unite the 21-string gang!

In Chinese, a giraffe is called 长颈鹿 (cháng jǐng lù), which means “long-necked deer.” When I was a toddler, I called giraffes “脖脖鹿” (bóbo lù), or “neck-neck deer,” because I couldn’t pronounce “cháng jǐng lù” yet while I was still learning how to talk.

I’d love to go back to Africa with my family someday.

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

I composed this four-track guzheng étude today. The tomatoes in my mom’s garden are ripe. They’re as beautiful as they are delicious (photo below). That sweet-and-sour taste awakens every nerve from my skull to my spine. It will be hard to return to store-bought tomatoes once fall ends. I hope you enjoy this piece!

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

This four-track guzheng set was inspired by the Jack-o’-lantern mushrooms I saw on a hike today (photo below). They’re all over the hills in West Nashville, and it was my first time seeing these bright orange fungi. I just had to look them up.

They grow in clusters on decaying stumps, buried roots, or at the base of hardwood trees in Europe and eastern North America. These mushrooms are poisonous and can cause severe cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea if ingested.

Encountering them has kicked off my Halloween season in a serious way :D I might even dress up as one!

Wish you a fun and fascinating weekend! May you discover something unusual.

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

I composed and recorded this three-track guzheng piece today. The entire piece is built on double and triple tremolos, played simultaneously by my right thumb, index, and middle fingers. I was inspired by a conversation with my 10-year-old about the universe—how everything will keep stretching until it bursts. The micro world can be as powerful as macro space, and I can already feel this power in this very moment from the forest west of Nashville (photo below).

I hope this piece gives you energy!

Next Monday, I will be traveling to New York City. On Tuesday, I will give a very special performance with my dear friend, singer-songwriter Abigail Washburn, at the Gala for the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. As the relationship between our two countries faces challenges, it feels more important than ever to share our common desire for beauty and our shared humanity.

My daily music posts will resume later next week. Thank you for all your support and understanding! Have a fun weekend!

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Happy Moon Festival! Also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, tonight brings the fullest and brightest moon of the year.

The Mid-Autumn Festival—sometimes called the Mooncake Festival—is a traditional Chinese harvest celebration held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, under a full moon. This year, it falls on October 6th. For Chinese communities worldwide, it’s the second most important holiday after Lunar New Year.

Over the past day, I’ve been sending holiday wishes to Chinese friends and family on WeChat and here in the West. An old middle-school classmate shared a stunning shot she took last night by the White Pagoda at Miaoying Temple (白塔寺) in Beijing. The pagoda stands where the Yong’an Temple once stood during the Liao Dynasty (916–1125). That neighborhood is where we grew up—for about ten years, I passed this pagoda on weekly bus rides between home and school.

The melody in the song is inspired by a traditional tune in China called 《彩云追月》, literal translation is ‘colorful clouds chase the moon’. This melody became popular in Guangdong province as early as the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD).

To mark the day, I’d like to share a couplet by Zhang Jiuling (张九龄, Tang Dynasty, 678–740 AD):

“海上生明月，天涯共此时。

Over the sea, the moon shines bright;

We gaze on it, far, far apart.”

These lines are from his poem “Looking at the Moon and Thinking of One Far Away” (《望月怀远》), expressing how, despite the distance, we share the same moonlit moment.

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com