I was so surprised that I could get almost C from untuned thickest 1st guqin string.
Removed and then remounted all 7 of my silk strings (JinWu brand heavy gauge) on my new ZhangYong guqin. I kept the 1st thickest string in its original state while I tuned the rest of the 6 strings relative to that thickest 1st string. The guqin sounded reasonably louder after it was tuned up. Subsequently I measured the thickest 1st silk string and was pleasantly surprised that it was almost C (or B-sharp).
Lesson learned for me: if I want to be able to tune to the so-called 'Standard C' used by guqins mounted with metal-nylon strings, I would need to regularly (maybe once a month?) remove and remount the silk strings. hahaha
For me, I have a very hard mattress, so I'd stand on it with my guqin. (I was afraid of breaking the banana-leaf tail end of my guqin if I just use a chair with a small cushion.) The 'trick' for me is to kneel down/squat down and use my body (instead of just my arms) and let my body weight pull the Silk string a few 'notches' beyond what I want (because the Silk string may slip a little) and then I would hold my breath all the way, applying maximum strength while securing the Silk string around the goose foot peg. Oftentimes, I can achieve close to the so-called 'Standard C' (sometimes even C-sharp) on the thickest 1st Silk string if I pull it this way (with my whole body weight). hahaha (WARNING: Please do not try this on a very soft mattress because it may be 'wobbly', only on a very stable hard mattress. Thank you!)
Removed and then remounted all 7 of my silk strings (JinWu brand heavy gauge) on my new ZhangYong guqin. I kept the 1st thickest string in its original state while I tuned the rest of the 6 strings relative to that thickest 1st string. The guqin sounded reasonably louder after it was tuned up. Subsequently I measured the thickest 1st silk string and was pleasantly surprised that it was almost C (or B-sharp).
Lesson learned for me: if I want to be able to tune to the so-called 'Standard C' used by guqins mounted with metal-nylon strings, I would need to regularly (maybe once a month?) remove and remount the silk strings. hahaha
For me, I have a very hard mattress, so I'd stand on it with my guqin. (I was afraid of breaking the banana-leaf tail end of my guqin if I just use a chair with a small cushion.) The 'trick' for me is to kneel down/squat down and use my body (instead of just my arms) and let my body weight pull the Silk string a few 'notches' beyond what I want (because the Silk string may slip a little) and then I would hold my breath all the way, applying maximum strength while securing the Silk string around the goose foot peg. Oftentimes, I can achieve close to the so-called 'Standard C' (sometimes even C-sharp) on the thickest 1st Silk string if I pull it this way (with my whole body weight). hahaha (WARNING: Please do not try this on a very soft mattress because it may be 'wobbly', only on a very stable hard mattress. Thank you!)
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