Wu Fei's Music Daily

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...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed this two-track guzheng lullaby today, inspired by my experience of watching the shooting stars in Shamrock Ranch last week in California (photo by Dimmi Zhang below). The only light pollution there was our headlight and car lights. I envied the trees and the grapes. They get to sleep, wake up and be nurtured by the sky and the stars. The grapes tast...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Thank you all for your patience while I was traveling in Northern California. I've returned to the green forests of Middle Tennessee feeling deeply inspired. That inspiration led to this solo improvisation, which I created while reconnecting to the memory of the incredible night sky I witnessed near the Shamrock Ranch. With very little light pollution, the vie...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today’s new song was inspired by a magical summer night I spent at the Alcazaba of Málaga last month. Exactly one month ago, I gave my debut solo concert in Spain at that breathtaking castle (photo below). My green room overlooked the city, offering a stunning view of Málaga glowing under the night sky. The concert began around 10:30 PM—later than I’m used to—...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Last month in Mojácar, Spain, I was deeply moved by the words engraved on the door of the house where I stayed. Hosted by my dear friends who are the owners. They organized an amazing concert for me (sold-out) within those very walls—a space that embodied wisdom, art, and kinship (photo below). What an honor to receive such a hospitality! Hope this piece bring...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Inspired by a moment last month in the tiny Spanish mountain village of El Villar—watching an old shepherd with his flock (photo below)—I composed and recorded this three-track guzheng piece today. It explores structure through ostinato and non-strict pitch-reversed canon. What does that mean? 🎵 Ostinato: A recurring motif or phrase (rhythmic, melodic, or bot...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I just finished composing this four-track guzheng piece today. As I walked to my studio, seven wild turkeys lined my driveway like a feathered procession. They foraged beneath our bird feeder, cleaning up every spilled seed – a determined, hungry crew. It's good to see them return. Last spring they looked robust; now their bellies seem leaner. Time to help the...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today’s prepared-guzheng piece was inspired by my visit to Portugal’s medieval town of Óbidos last month. I attended their annual summer festival where the streets filled with people in period costumes—imagine sweltering heat rivaling Nashville’s, complete with cicadas (you’ll hear them in the recording!). For those new to prepared instruments: They’re traditi...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this guzheng solo piece today. The music flowed naturally as soon as I started playing. Later, I came across this old photo in my Google Photos. It captured me standing next to a silo in The Nations neighborhood of Nashville – an abandoned site back then. It struck me how much has changed. That same silo now has a large mural visible from the nearby...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, How have you been? I’ve missed you. I’ve missed creating my daily music. After an intense summer travel in Spain and Portugal with my family and for concerts, I am back in the calm Tennessee forest. There is so much I have absorbed from the Iberian Peninsula — the nature, the people, the languages, the cultures, the food, the castles, the history etc. In the c...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, This solo guzheng piece was recorded today, inspired by the iconic mural on a grain silo in Nashville’s The Nations neighborhood. My family and I lived there after moving from Beijing (2015–2016). I still remember the bare silo, and how I longed to climb inside — to see Nashville through its highest window. Time moves irreversibly, yet art bends memory. This c...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed this 3-track guzheng waltz today. Hummingbirds have returned to our Tennessee forest. I have a couple of bird feeders outside of my window. They have been coming to drink the sugar water multiple times a day. This adult male ruby-throated hummingbird has become less afraid of me. Now, he drinks the sugar water even if I stand in front of the feeder...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I just composed this 3-track guzheng piece with half of strings muted. (Guzheng has 21 strings.) I was inspired by a cute little frog that was not afraid of the heat of Nashville’s mid-summer (photo below). Hope this song brings you a moment of fun energy :) Wu Fei 吴非 wufeimusic.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribe...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this two-track upbeat guzheng étude a few minutes ago. The mid-register of the strings are half muted by a piece of thin cloth to stop the long lingering sound. If you play the piano, the cloth functions as the damper on the guzheng. When the guzheng is played in a fast tempo, the sound has much more clarity. I like to play études this way on the gu...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, This solo guzheng piece, recorded just moments ago, is dedicated to all navigating health struggles. A dear friend’s illness recently reminded me of life’s fragility — and how much we must treasure time with those we love. Yesterday in the park, I spotted a single bee on a purple American bellflower (photo below). I wish this captured moment of nurturing and t...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening everyone, I composed and recorded this new song with voice and on the valiha today. The valiha is 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 from Madagascar to Nashville. The valiha is made from a species of bamboo and is considered the national instrumen...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Last night, I recorded this 2-track guzheng piece quite late. It’s been a stressful few days helping my parents renew their passports – dealing with family administration can be very challenging. When I took my father grocery shopping at our local international market earlier in the day, the old owner, Mr. Kim from Korea, greeted him as usual with a sweet smil...

Good afternoon, evening, and morning, This 3-track guzheng composition was created today. I was inspired by a bright pink flower that I saw in the town of Dötlingen, Germany a month ago when I was on tour with my new band-semble House of Wu Fei . We had a day off in Germany. Dötlingen was a lovely town full of beautiful gardens with flowers. I walked by a hot pink blossom (photo). However, I didn’...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, This guzheng piece was filmed by my dear friend Lely who is also a guzheng musician and violinist. Lely is visiting me from Yale University where she founded and has been running the New Haven Chinese Cultural Cooperative since 2023. They promote traditional Chinese and Taiwanese music and give concerts in the greater New Haven area. Check out their website fo...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, This meditative guzheng improvisation was recorded today, inspired by the warm color of the summer sunset in the forest near my home in Nashville, Tennessee (photo below). The short-lived sunset behind the dark green pine forest is always breathtaking. Shall I never take it for granted. Hope this song brings you joy and peace. Wu Fei 吴非 Wufeimusic.com This i...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this solo guzheng night song today. Yesterday, I saw a baby kingsnake in Edwin Warner Park in Nashville (photo below). It was scrawling on the hiking trail trying to get to the other side of the road. This summer has been much cooler than the previous years in Nashville. It also has been an exceptionally rainy year, with one of the wettest starts to...

Happy Friday everyone, I recorded this solo guzheng composition today with the memory of passing by the windmills in Hamburg two weeks ago. I was on tour in Europe with my new ensemble — House of Wu Fei. There were a lot of solar panels and windmills all over Europe. Using clean and renewable energy was in people’s life everywhere. It is quite different than where I live in Tennessee. On the tour,...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I composed this slow two-voice counterpoint waltz today. In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin punctus contra punctum meaning "point against point", i.e. "not...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this solo guzheng improvisation today with the memory of a horse sculpture I saw in Mechelen, Belgium two weeks ago. I was having dinner in the square of St. Rumbold’s Cathedral. I noticed this horse head above me. It had a subtle smile (photo below). How cute it is! Hope this piece brings you joy today. Wu Fei 吴非 Wufeimusic.com Wu Fei's Music Dai...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this étude today inspired by my encounter with a northern black racer snake during my hike in the forest yesterday (photo below). This kind of snake is common in the state of Ohio. In fact, the northern black racer is the state reptile of Ohio. Seeing it near my home makes me happy that our economy system must be good for the black racers. This snak...