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SongsGoing Home (Largo, New World Symphony)
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Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”, second movement, 1893. The melody is public domain; the later “Goin’ Home” lyric is not used here.

21 strings · D2–D6 · D pentatonic · The modern standard — four octaves of D-pentatonic plus a top D.

Tap a string, or sweep across them for a glissando, or drag down a string to bend it. On a keyboard the letters on the strings are the ones to press — they follow the strings left to right.

GuzhengFree · printable · plays in your browser

Going Home (New World Largo) — Guzheng Tabs

Going Home (Largo, New World Symphony) (the opening theme), written out for the guzheng as number tabs with the letter under every note. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the guzheng waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes22, 4 pitches
  • RangeD4–A4
  • Key hereD major
  • Tempo66 bpm · about 29 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a guzheng play Going Home (New World Largo)?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the guzheng, in D major from D4 to A4. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Going Home (New World Largo): guzheng tabs

The large line is the note’s number in the scale; the small line under it is the string to pluck. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

▶ Play it above

Going Home (Largo, New World Symphony) — guzheng tabs · tonalics.com

The 4 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 4 and you can play the whole tune.

  • 1str. 11×4
  • 2str. 10×6
  • 3str. 9×7
  • 5str. 8×5

What to expect on a guzheng

  • It runs from D4 to A4, a fifth, using 4 different notes. That leaves 24 semitones unused below and 17 above.
  • 71% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a minor third, F♯4 to A4, at note 2.
  • It is played on strings 8 to 11 of 21, 4 strings in all.

About the tune

This is the cor anglais melody that opens the slow movement of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, written in New York in 1893 while he was director of the National Conservatory. It sounds like a spiritual and is often taken for one, but the tune is Dvořák’s own.

Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”, second movement, 1893. The melody is public domain; the later “Goin’ Home” lyric is not used here. More about Going Home (New World Largo) →

Going Home (New World Largo) on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation.

More songs for the guzheng

All 7 guzheng songs · The online guzheng on its own

Playing it on a real guzheng?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The guzheng tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

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