Wu Fei's Music Daily

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today, I had a wonderful meeting with a dear friend and musicologist, Professor Isidoira Miranda of Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, and the production team at Ingram Hall to prepare for my upcoming concert on February 15th. I also got to watch the jazz students’ rehearsal led by Professor Ryan Middagh, the director of Jazz Studies at Blair. They...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this Chinese folk song today. It’s called “Thirty-mile Village” (三十里铺) from Shaanxi province—a well-known love song in China. I’ve known it since elementary school. My parents used to sing it a lot at home, and my father would change the lyrics to sound funny. We laughed so much whenever everyone sang together in our house. I’ve always thought t...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I recorded this two-track piece for prepared guzheng today, thinking of my hike next to a frozen creek this morning. I tapped my fingers on the ice: some parts sounded like a deep drum, others like gongs. I can imagine playing this piece with other string players, percussionists, and electronic musicians at Colorado’s Red Rock Amphitheater under the Milky Way—...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I have returned to my quiet Nashville home from a whirlwind and productive trip to New York City, where I gave a showcase performance two days ago. My guzheng made me feel grounded even from the 25th floor up in the air during my stay in the heart of Times Square (photo below). I got to see old friends and made new friends during the APAP conference for the pe...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today’s solo guzheng piece is a tribute to my first solfège and ear training teacher—Professor Sun Hong (孙虹). She passed away yesterday in Beijing at the age of 90. When I was five, I began attending the weekend solfège and ear training program at the China Conservatory of Music. I was placed in Professor Sun’s class, where I remained for the next six years,...

Happy New Year! I am super excited to kick off 2026 showcasing my music at APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals ) in New York City on Jan 10th , Saturday evening. If you are in Nashville , I will be giving a concert in Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music on February 15 , Sunday as part of the Music Unbound Artist Residency to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Horse! Concert...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I just read a post on social media before I recorded this three-track guzheng piece today: “Asked the guy on the airplane if he’d switch seats since I was flying with my family. He refused. So I had to sit with my family.” -buechlersteven on Thread. Hope this song brings you calmness from all the stress you’ve been through during the holiday season. Wu Fei 吴...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, Today is the last day of Hanukkah. All the candles are lit up like in the photo below. Wishing you all a peaceful and healthy year. Peace and health are the foundation of a good life. Hope this three-track guzheng night song takes you to a peaceful place tonight. Wu Fei 吴非 Wufeimusic.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subs...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, First of all, thank you all for another year of supporting my music! It’s not the end of the year yet, but I just want to share my gratitude to you - old listeners from the beginning of my Substack (started in May 2020) and new paid supporters today. Sometimes when we feel powerless towards the world’s craziness, music can be medicine for our heart. I hope my...

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, I’ve missed you all. Last week’s concert at Bellevue College was wonderful! I’m especially grateful for the hospitality of Professor Naeim Rahmani, who leads the college’s International Guitar Series. Before I arrived, he arranged for a beautiful guzheng from the Seattle Guzheng Studio to be delivered to my hotel room so I could have plenty of time to warm up....

Good morning, afternoon, and evening, In today’s solo guzheng improvisation, I focused on using the traditional bending technique with my left hand. Bending the strings on the left side of the bridges is a signature sound in much of the classic guzheng repertoire. When these bent pitches form melodies, they sounds like many local Chinese dialects to my ears. There are old stories held within the r...

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...