Day 144, and I’m finally done with the guqin project. On one, I used modern steel/nylon strings, and on the other, I used silk strings. They sound very different, and I’m pleased with how both instruments turned out. Now, I have to try the pick-up system in the jiaoye guqin with the silk strings and hear how it sounds.
Sun, June 27, 2010
Also known as Danny, Dr. Wongworawat finds enjoyment in many aspects of life, from family and friends to work and pastimes. He currently practices orthopaedic surgery at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
October 19, 2011 at 1:19 pm
I have been researching guqin recently, the photos of qin construction were well done… how did you design the template overlay for the cuts, also … for the routering ? I would like to make my own qin (although I am thinking of using nylon strings
October 19, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Thanks for the comments.
I read the instructions from Yuguzhai Qinpu (Abiding with Antiquity). There’s an English translation by Jim Binkley who lives in Portland, OR. Basically, the instructions are in words (draw a straight line, mark off 12 divisions, inscribe a curve, etc.) I translated that into math and just plotted it. But, I deviated a little but and tweaked the formula to get a wider instrument so I can play with the profile. Then I drew lines on the boards and routed away. I think I was too detailed, and if I do this again, I would make less contour lines. It was too tedious. Do you play, and where are you located?
October 20, 2011 at 9:13 am
Thanks for such a fast response… I have just started reading the book Yuguzhai Qinpu (Abiding with Antiquity) now…
I am at the very beginning in this pursuit … but I have heard that a long journey begins with but one step… 
I will try to duplicate your method of translating into math formula… do you mind if I consult with you if I run into problems?
October 20, 2011 at 9:49 am
That should be fine. Let me know whenever.
By the way, which city/state/country are you in?
(I’m working on restructuring my blog, so links might change. You should be able to re-navigate back through my homepage.)
October 24, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Hi Danny,
What software did you use to plot the template? Also… which do you think is better, the silk string or the nylon/metal string…
October 21, 2011 at 11:53 am
appreciate it… currently in Dallas area, Texas
October 24, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Calculated contour lines and just plotted them x-y. Any simple program will work. Silk is very painful to deal with. The sound is rough. It goes out of tune constantly. Do you play?
October 25, 2011 at 8:08 am
thanks for the tip about silk strings… it saddens me to hear it though… I listened to “Wild Geese Descend On a Sandbank” played using silk string, and again using metal/nylon string… while not as loud, there was distinctive overtones… the research I did said the silk string last about 7 years… good sound between years 2-5… normally breaks at the point of contact at the bridge… extend life through splicing in more silk string at the point of breakage…
I am literally just beginning… doing my background research first… studying the structure of the instrument…
October 29, 2011 at 6:46 am
Hi Danny, as I slowly inch forward in my understanding of matters related to guqin… I noticed you are using a transduction pickup… why did you go that route? I have another question… did you vary the depth of the wood to accommodate the thickness of the string above it… thicker under the lower tone… thinner under the higher tone? I read this technique is used to facilitate the transmission of the formant frequencies into the sound chamber…
October 29, 2011 at 8:27 am
I happened to have that pickup from another instrument, so I just transferred it over. No other reason in particular.
About the thickness: guitars have struts, and violins have the bass bar. In the guqin, because the design already calls for wood to be left thicker across from the soundholes, I didn’t vary the thickness.