The father of Chinese Music Instruments- Guqin Zither

Guqin, a musical instrument which consists of a number of strings stretched over a box, is “Chinese piano” which has a history of 3000 years. However, Guqin looks totally different from piano. People prefer called it Guqin Zither because it has a similar construction with some music instruments such as violin or guitar. Considered as one of the oldest living traditional arts but rarely seen in today, Guqin has very unique structure and sounds and is made of special materials, so it can highly represented the ideology and the wisdom of ancient Chinese, the essence of Chinese music and art, which makes it the most revered cultural artifact in China even in the world rather than just an old instrument.
The construction of guqin is really simple, which has only seven strings and a zither which is made out of wood. Guqin is usually 122-125 cm long and about 55cm wide. Although the construction is simple, the types of Guqin are various due to the long history, which generally varies by the types of wood, shapes, strings and ways to make. The Guqin consists of a long, narrow upper wooden board made from the tong tree (or other trees of the pine family) and a lower board made from the catalpa tree or other hardwood. There are 13 dots called Hui located on the upper board mark the positions of harmonics. Seven strings are stretched on the upper board from the thickest to thinnest (“Guqin-Chinese Traditional Musical Instruments”).
Though guqin has only seven strings , 100 harmonics can be played on it making the insturment has the largest number of overtone, whicn also indicates the wisdom and the creativity of ancient artists. Unlike the eighty-eitht keys of a piano which a key represents one overtone, a guqin has strings. Different position in a string can make a different sound. Theoretically, there are infinite spots in a string which makes a guqin has a lot of different overtone.
The sound of guqin is really unique. "When I play it I feel as though I'm trying to catch something that's hovering elusively in the air," Dai Xiaolian, one of the tiny number of people who still teach the instrument, told BBC World Service's The World Today programme(Changing China leaves guqin behind,BBC). For most peple, when hearing music played by guqin, can feel the inenarrable peace. In a philosophical sense, pursuring peace is exactly the main mentality that ancient Chinese had been seeking. As a result, guqin also reflects the harmony between nature and human that Chinese have been wishing for. It is also the main root of a five-thousand-year culture.
However, the sad fact is not many people play guqin today. Guqin is becoming rare in China right now and a lot of great musicals have lost and we can never hear them again. “
As a living traditionally culture artifact of China, guqin plays a significant part in representing the Chinese music, handicraft, art, wisdom of China. It collects unique sounds and musical styles. As the result, Guqin should be honored as the father of Chinese Music Instruments

Reseach paper outline

Thesis statement:
Although electronic publishing has some disadvantages, it should replace traditional publishing because it benefits readers, writers, publishers and society.
A Electronic publishing has more advantages for readers.
1\ It’s very accessible for readers to read the contents.
2\ It’s very cheap.
3\ Readers can bring their own library with them.
4\ Readers can easily access those out-of-print books.
B Electronic publishing has more advantages for writers.
1\ Writers can publish their books easily
2\ Writers can make more profits by publishing their books by themselves.
C Electronic publishing has more advantages for publishers.
1\Publishers can advertise their books easily.
2\Publishers don't have to print before selling books, aviod the risk of overstock.
3\ Publishers don't need transportation anymore, which can significantly reduce the cost.
4\ Publishers can make great profits because of the large potential tmarket and high demanding.



Some disadvantages : (This part will only be mentioned in the introduction paragragh in order to aviod misleading the readers.)
1\Requiring expensive reading devices like PC or electronic readers
2\There are many books can't be found in electronic format.
3\People should change their reading habits

Reseach Log

A. Topic: electronic publishing will take place with the traditional ones.

The e-book finally hits its stride.

Authors:

Leddy, Chuck

Source:

Writer; Jun2009, Vol. 122 Issue 6, p8-9, 2p

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*ELECTRONIC books
*ELECTRONIC publishing
*ELECTRONIC book readers
SONY Corp.

Company/Entity:

AMAZON.COM Inc. DUNS Number: 884745530 Ticker: AMZN
SONY Corp.

Abstract:

The article reports that the electronic book industry is expanding in 2009. Electronic books, which often cost less than half the price of a traditional book, are becoming more popular because of handheld reading devices like the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader. The author presents statistics about electronic book sales.

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Popular Demand.

Authors:

FREIERMAN, SHELLY

Source:

New York Times; 10/12/2009, p7, 0p

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*PERIODICALS
*ELECTRONIC journals
*ELECTRONIC publishing
*WEB sites
CONDE Nast Press

Company/Entity:

CONDE Nast Press

NAICS/Industry Codes:

519130 Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals

Abstract:

Conde Nast announced the closing of several magazines last week, including Gourmet. In ad pages, the November issue of Gourmet was ranked No. 6 out of eight titles in the food category tracked by Mediaweek, down 37 percent from November 2008 (table below). Conde Nast will continue to publish Bon Appetit. The top online magazines -- those for news, business and entertainment -- draw upwards of two million visitors a month. By comparison, Cooking Light's Web site had 236,000 visitors in August, and Bon Appetit, 142,000. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of New York Times is the property of New York Times and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Evaluating the Electronic Textbook: Is It Time to Dispense With the Paper Text?

Authors:

Shepperd, James A.¹ shepperd@ufl.edu
Grace, Jodi L.²
Koch, Erika J.³

Source:

Teaching of Psychology; Feb2008, Vol. 35 Issue 1, p2-5, 4p

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*TEXTBOOKS
*ELECTRONIC books
*PSYCHOLOGY -- Study & teaching
*GRADING & marking (Students)
*READING
*BOOKS

Abstract:

We examined the perceptions and performance of students who used an electronic versus a traditional paper textbook. Introductory psychology students (N = 392) who chose between the 2 formats did not differ in course grades. However, students using the electronic text reported spending less time reading for class compared to students using the paper text and generally evaluated the electronic text unfavorably. No student who purchased an electronic text in a prior class chose to purchase it for introductory psychology. These findings suggest that it may be premature to abandon the paper text in favor of the electronic text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Teaching of Psychology is the property of Lawrence Erlbaum Associates and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Author Affiliations:

¹University of Florida
²St. Thomas University
³St. Francis Xavier University

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Electronic Readers Now on Sale in Japan, Still Don't Beat Paper.

Dvorak, Phred phred.dvorak@wsj.com

Source:

Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition; 7/15/2004, Vol. 244 Issue 10, pB1-B1, 0p, 1 color

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*ELECTRONIC books
*ELECTRONICS
*DIGITAL electronics
*ELECTRONIC publishing

Geographic Terms:

JAPAN

NAICS/Industry Codes:

334419 Other Electronic Component Manufacturing
811219 Other Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance

Abstract:

Focuses on the development of electronic readers that allow users to read books and other works digitally. Sale of electronic readers by Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial in Japan; Description of the Sony Librie and Panasonic SigmaBook electronic readers; Problems encountered with the readers.

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TAKING THE PAPER OUT OF NEWS.

Thurman, Neil
Myllylahti, Merja

Source:

Journalism Studies; Oct2009, Vol. 10 Issue 5, p691-708, 18p

Document Type:

Article

Subject Terms:

*ONLINE journalism
*ELECTRONIC newspapers
*NEWSPAPERS
*ELECTRONIC publishing
*NEWSPAPER publishing
FINNISH newspapers
FINANCE

Geographic Terms:

FINLAND

Author-Supplied Keywords:

advertising
business models
convergence
journalism
online-only newspapers

NAICS/Industry Codes :

511110 Newspaper Publishers

Abstract:

Using in-depth interviews, newsroom observation, and internal documents, this case study presents and analyses changes that have taken place at Finnish financial daily Taloussanomat since it stopped printing on 28 December 2007 to focus exclusively on digital delivery via the Web, email, and mobile. It reveals the savings that can be achieved when a newspaper no longer prints and distributes a physical product; but also the revenue lost from subscriptions and print advertising. The consequences of a newspaper's decision to go online-only are examined as they relate to its business model, website traffic, and editorial practice. The findings illustrate the extent to which the medium rather than the content it carries determines news consumption patterns, show the differing attention a newspaper and its online substitute command, and reveal the changes to working patterns journalists can expect in the online-only environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journalism Studies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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B. Thesis statement: under construction