Addressing Cipher Notation Issues in Guzheng Music: A Practice-Led Study of Manqin Zhao’s Notational Method

Accurate music notation is essential to the transmission and preservation of Chinese guzheng music. However, the existing cipher notation method is limited in adequately capturing important nuances and ornamentations of a guzheng music piece. This study examined some of the issues of cipher notation in guzheng music by comparing the music scores in the existing cipher notation method with that in Manqin Zhao’s notational method in Henan regional guzheng repertoire. The study aimed to identify what key musical elements have been lost in the representation of bending using the existing cipher notation method and explore how Manqin Zhao’s notational method addressed the issues. The study highlighted the need for further standardization and improvement of the existing cipher notation system