Zeng Chengwei

Prof. Zeng Chengwei is a musician of the guqin, born in the Sichuan province of China. He is a sixth-generation transmitter of the Shu school of qin music, having studied with his maternal grandfather, Yu Shaoze. Zeng is also a gifted maker of the instrument.

Style

Zeng's style is fluid and yet restraint, focusing on simplicity and roundness. His melodies are often meditative and removed. Very little ornamentation is used or used sparingly to add to the flavour of the pieces he plays. On the other hand, his rendition of Liu Shui is very vigorous and intensive unlike modern renditions as he imitates the sound of full bodied water churning.

Qin making

Zeng is an experienced qin maker with many years of experience. The instruments he makes are notable for the easiness of playing and consistency. The strings are close to the surface yet there is no buzzing . The slope towards the bridge is more steeper than general qins and the instrument is more loud. The tone is more sweet and rounded.

His qins are mostly made in the standard ''zhongni'' shape and are unadorned. The main focus on his qins are playability and sound above appearance.

His patronage is Prof. Li Xiangting, who praised his qin making skills, comparing them to the Tang dynasty maker, Lei Wei. He is quoted in Zeng's CD : " are of top quality, with antique form based on a high standard."

Recordings

Zeng has one recording on an album published by HUGO; ''Shu Qin Music ''. It contains most of his repertoire and includes pieces transmitted to him as well as his own transcriptions. In the sleeve notes, Yip Mingmei describes his playing as "smooth but not decorated, energetic but not forced, his touch is firm and the tone color emitted is full and bright. His harmonious and balanced playing inclines toward the Confucian ideal of the middle way. His fingerings are clean and pure, and his rhythm clear and precise."