Do you like to hear your favorite songs rendered in a cover?
For popular songs, that question has long been answered. We’ve heard blues covers of our favorite rock songs or an acoustic version for the warm mellow mood. We’ve also heard covers from a string quartet and a full-on arrangement for an orchestra.
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But what if it gets played by a traditional instrument? Can you imagine say an AC/DC song played on an East Asian instrument?
A Hong Kong-based musician wowed audiences with a cover they never expected.
Guzheng player Moyun started the video with a dexterous melody of a familiar rock anthem albeit in a slower tempo. As the song progresses, you’ll know exactly when you’ll cheer “thunder!”
Every rock fan knows that this is AC/DC’s Thunderstruck but not all of them know what the harp-like instrument is.
A guzheng is a traditional Chinese instrument.
It is one of the most enduring classical instruments because of pop culture and accessibility. The instrument is around 160×33 centimeters and has 21 or 22 strings.
It received an unexpected boon in popularity when it was used in movies and played by famous movie stars like Brigitte Lin and Gong Li.
The instrument first gained popularity during China’s Spring and Autumn Period which lasted from 770-476 BCE. It is one of the most used instruments by the rule of the Tang Dynasty in 618-907 with the first duet performance emerging during the Yuan rule in 1279-1368.
The sound is only as good as the player.
Moyun skillfully plays the melody through dexterous finger control while also maintaining a rhythm by striking the wood with the sole of her palms.
Just hearing it, it would be hard to believe that all of this is being done by only one person.
“There are many chromatic notes I can’t play on the guzheng. So I need to adapt it for the guzheng scale and use the right plucking techniques, but yet stick to the original chords.” She explained the process in one of her interviews.
Needless to say, people were beyond impressed with the amazing cover.
“I’ve never heard of this instrument before. And to hear Thunderstruck on it … awesome!” said one comment, “This was amazing. I can’t imagine the practice and skill it took to perform this. Excellence is all I can say about this.”
“This was truly amazing, not just because it’s a traditional musical instrument playing Western-style music, but the actual use of the instrument and its versatility. Never seen anything like this, and she’s extremely talented!” said another.
The popular song has since been covered in different instruments as well.
A Finnish band made a country rendition of the song using a banjo going as far as using spoon percussions. The duo 2Cellos also made their own version where they played as two virtuosos surprising the 17th-century nobility with such “vulgar” sounds.
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And while other versions already existed way before Moyun’s cover, we can all agree that her version is still novel and jaw-droppingly amazing.
Watch how this content creator turned a rock classic into a classical Chinese music piece.
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