In Where Winds Meet, instruments are unlocked through rhythm mini-games with musician NPCs marked by black instrument icons on the zoomed-in world map. The Guqin - a plucked seven stringed Chinese musical instrument - is one of the first instruments that you can acquire, play, and unlock. Here's how to go about it.

Location

1. Gu Le in Battlecrest Slope, Verdant Wilds (Qinghe)

You will find the Guqin player in Battlecrest Slope, Verdant Wilds, Qinghe. Look for the black instrument icon while there in your zoomed-in map (top left corner).

At the top of the hill, next to a small abandoned hut, will be the Guqin player. His name is Gu Le.

The song you'll be playing for him is called "Three Steps of Yangguan".

2. Shu Zhou in Crimson Cliff, Verdant Wilds (Qinghe)

In the same Verdant Wilds region, you will also find Shu Zhou. The location is very close to the teleport waypoints, near Crimson Cliff.

She will be playing the Guqin seated on the rocks, with her robot standing behind her.

The song you'll be playing is called "Recalling an Old Friend".

How to play and unlock Guqin

Once you're at their location, interact with the NPC. You can choose either to 'Converse' or 'Play Music'.

Converse with them to know what they're playing and a little of their back story.

Select Play Music to start playing the instrument. You can either play Solo or as a Duet.

The notes will start falling, requiring precise key presses when the circles overlap (like Guitar Hero).

Get the combo going to get a high score.

And that's it! Get good enough playing the Guqin and you'll unlock musical scores. And once you unlock the musical scores, you'll get a chance to receive the Guqin as a gift as well.

Once you unlock the Guqin, it becomes available as an emote that you can trigger any time to play a learned song or play freely.