Wu Fei's Music Daily

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I had fun making my first multi-window and multi-track video today! I’m not sure if it was luck, but the audio from the different tracks actually matched up. I did listen to the metronome click from GarageBand through my headphones, though it’s not always guaranteed that everything will line up perfectly. I just went with the flow and followed the click as clo...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, This two-track guzheng piece begins with the sound of birds chirping in the forest. It has been a peaceful Thanksgiving holiday for me. I hope yours hasn’t been too stressful if you had to travel. Getting from place to place has become less pleasant with more flight delays and cancellations. I walked up the hill near my home in Nashville. The view of downtown...

Friends in Seattle, Hope to see y’all at my concert! Wu Fei, Guzheng Bellevue College International Guitar Series Wed., Dec. 10, 2025 7:30 p.m. , Carlson Theatre Featuring: Bellevue College Guitar Ensemble Composer-in-residence: Tom Baker World Premiere: Shendo by Tom Baker Details and tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/bcguitarseries/1829326 This is a public episode. If you'd like to di...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this double-guzheng improvisation today thinking of my children threatening to eat each other’s sesame treats. Wu Fei 吴非 Wufeimusic.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wufeimusic.substack.com/subscribe

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I took a walk on the hills of West Nashville today. Leaves were blowing off the trees and dancing in the wind. It made me want to write music. Hope this multitrack high energy guzheng piece brings you some autumn attitude. Wu Fei 吴非 Wufeimusic.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I was inspired by a legendary jazz drummer and a new, dear friend I made this year—the maestro, Myron Cohen. I met him in California this summer, and he is such a fun and energetic musician. I have no idea how old he is. I’d guess he’s in his late 70s. Yet, he plays the drums with the energy of a 15-year-old. I hope I’m like that when I’m his age! Here’s a bit...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today’s composition was recorded on four-track guzheng. The inspiration came from a safari trip in South Africa (photo blow) about fifteen years ago. I was fascinated by the wild animals that we passed by, especially the goofy and cute zebras. They were the most chill and friendly to us, unlike the rhinos or the elephants. We got chased by an angry rhino and a...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed and recorded this three-track guzheng piece today while thinking of the wild deer in the forest near my home in West Nashville. Hunting season has begun in Tennessee, and I hope these deer escape the hunters’ arrows. I played all the tracks using harmonics and half-muted strings. My left hand lightly touched the strings with all five fingers while m...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today’s guzheng and vocal improvisation was inspired by an interesting discovery in my house. I was heating up lunch in the microwave while my husband was making an espresso with the coffee machine. The two machines were humming at the same time, and they were both at the same pitch—B flat. (By the way, I have perfect pitch, which is a blessing but can also be...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, In the world of AI, making mistakes has become more valuable. At least it is real. I took this photo yesterday near my home in Nashville. The colors are so intense under the sun that it looks almost like an oil painting. I was inspired. Today, I used all overtones on the guzheng to create this piece. Because it is a multi-track piece, sometimes my plucking doe...

Dear listeners, Today, I tuned my guzheng to a frequency of A4 = 432 Hz, which is also known as “cycles per second”. This term comes from the fact that sound waves have a frequency measurable as a number of oscillations, or cycles, per second. An intriguing comment from my last newsletter, “ 1220 Bamboo Shadow 竹影 ,” led to a discussion about the colored strings on my guzheng and their purpose. I...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, This guzheng improvisation was recorded earlier today, performed on two guzhengs (photo below). The instruments are tuned differently, though they share several common pitches. I’ve always been drawn to multi-tonality—to me, the world is heard in many colors of sound. The lighter-colored guzheng is crafted from nanmu wood (楠木), a precious timber native to Ch...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today, I sang and improvised this song on the valiha—a traditional 21-string tube zither from Madagascar (photo below). I want to thank my dear friends Tasha and David for bringing me this beautiful gift all the way from Madagascar to Nashville. Coincidentally, the valiha, the Chinese guzheng, and kora (or cora) from West Africa all have 21 strings. I need to...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed this four-track guzheng étude today. The tomatoes in my mom’s garden are ripe. They’re as beautiful as they are delicious (photo below). That sweet-and-sour taste awakens every nerve from my skull to my spine. It will be hard to return to store-bought tomatoes once fall ends. I hope you enjoy this piece! Wu Fei 吴非 Wufeimusic.com This is a public e...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, This four-track guzheng set was inspired by the Jack-o’-lantern mushrooms I saw on a hike today (photo below). They’re all over the hills in West Nashville, and it was my first time seeing these bright orange fungi. I just had to look them up. They grow in clusters on decaying stumps, buried roots, or at the base of hardwood trees in Europe and eastern North A...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed and recorded this three-track guzheng piece today. The entire piece is built on double and triple tremolos, played simultaneously by my right thumb, index, and middle fingers. I was inspired by a conversation with my 10-year-old about the universe—how everything will keep stretching until it bursts. The micro world can be as powerful as macro space,...

Happy Moon Festival! Also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, tonight brings the fullest and brightest moon of the year. The Mid-Autumn Festival—sometimes called the Mooncake Festival—is a traditional Chinese harvest celebration held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, under a full moon. This year, it falls on October 6th. For Chinese communities worldwide, it’s the second most important holiday...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, All the photos below are from my Lithuania debut concert with the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra. It was an honor to have my own work debuted along with my heroes - Tan Dun 谭盾whose concerto I played, Dr. Chen Yi 陈怡 and Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu 武满彻. I was moved by the audience’s warmth, including those who drove three hours from Vilnius. The response...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, How have you all been? Thank you for being patient with me this last week when I was away from home. I have returned home from a beautiful trip premiering guzheng concertos with the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra in Lithuania. It was a such a wonderful collaboration and a cultural experience for me. I’ll share more about this trip in the coming newsletters. I fell...

Shana Tova! Happy Rosh Hashanah if you celebrate the Jewish new year! It will be the year 5786 beginning at sundown on the eve of September 22, 2025. I thought the Chinese new year was old :) As I’m preparing my first trip to the Baltic coast to play with the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra in Lithuania, I just learned something absolutely amazing after googling “Lithuanian and Latvian folk music”. As...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Right now, the forests of Tennessee are becoming more colorful by the day. It is my favorite time of the year. Today’s improvisation was recorded on two guzhengs. The first time I premiered a double-guzheng concert was at Big Ears Festival in 2017 (photo below). It was in the St. John’s Cathedral in Knoxville, Tennessee. The acoustic was stunning. I am very ex...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed and recorded this guzheng étude today, inspired by the patterns of one of the ceilings in the National Palace of Sintra (photo below). I visited this historical place in July this year. Growing up in Beijing, I have always been fascinated by the architectural design and paintings of old palaces, like the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and the Summ...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I am excited to announce I'll be returning to perform at Big Ears Festival 2026, March 26-29 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Honored to be included in an AMAZING lineup including many of my heroes including Laurie Anderson and John Zorn. For more information or to purchase passes, please visit https://bigearsfestival.org #BigEarsKnox 很兴奋的与大家分享，我将于20...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I'm excited to share a new three-track guzheng piece I recorded today. It was inspired by a small Eastern Box Turtle I met on my driveway yesterday before a hike. I included a photo for scale. It's always a gift to see these fascinating turtles around my home in the summer. I hope this music brings a little calm to your weekend. Wu Fei 吴非 Wufeimusic.com This...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, My heart is heavy with the news of the passing of a family friend today. It is the Chinese Qixi festival, sometimes called Chinese Vaentine’s Day, which comes from a story of a family whose mother is imprisoned in the heavens. Every year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, according to the myth of Qixi, swallows fly toget...