Post by SCWGuqin on Jun 18, 2007 4:38:00 GMT
Yes, I'm feelin it.
I just started serious work on Liu Shui recently. For a long time I've steered clear of it because it seemed so difficult, but one-by-one I'm getting control over the techniques involved. (Still can't do much with one particular gimmick--and some of you probably know which one I mean...)
The "72 gunfu" section is marvelous. Some players have argued that this section is too "literal", that it oversimplifies the topic of "knowing another's heart through his music" by making the music obvious. I don't care if that's true or not, because to actually play it provides a one-of-a-kind experience. It's kaleidoscopic and (for those so inclined) literally mystical, with its slow ascent and descent of fifth-chords, and by turning the "72 gunfu" into, say "200 gunfu", you can really explore a lot of patterns and timbral changes etc. I think maybe a personal challenge for me will be to play this section for as long as I can, going through the ascent and descent multiple times to see how long I can keep it interesting.
But anyway, I'm really here to ask a question. To my understanding, the standard traditional way to execute gunfu is to roll the hand in a kind of ellipse. Gun rolls to the left and fu rolls rightward, and this involves tilting the hand (with fingertips leading) as well as moving it laterally across the strings. (Charlie: doesn't Zeng Chengwei preserve a different, "authentic Zhang Kongshan" execution that makes it straight up-and-down instead of elliptical?) Well after playing probably ten thousand gunfu today, I've discovered that my hand "likes" to move in more of a figure 8 pattern. It's hard to explain what I mean in more detail than this, but play gunfu for a while and maybe you'll notice it yourselves. The figure 8 gives me more control and is also easier on my muscles (measured by fatigue) than the ellipse.
Thoughts anyone?
I just started serious work on Liu Shui recently. For a long time I've steered clear of it because it seemed so difficult, but one-by-one I'm getting control over the techniques involved. (Still can't do much with one particular gimmick--and some of you probably know which one I mean...)
The "72 gunfu" section is marvelous. Some players have argued that this section is too "literal", that it oversimplifies the topic of "knowing another's heart through his music" by making the music obvious. I don't care if that's true or not, because to actually play it provides a one-of-a-kind experience. It's kaleidoscopic and (for those so inclined) literally mystical, with its slow ascent and descent of fifth-chords, and by turning the "72 gunfu" into, say "200 gunfu", you can really explore a lot of patterns and timbral changes etc. I think maybe a personal challenge for me will be to play this section for as long as I can, going through the ascent and descent multiple times to see how long I can keep it interesting.
But anyway, I'm really here to ask a question. To my understanding, the standard traditional way to execute gunfu is to roll the hand in a kind of ellipse. Gun rolls to the left and fu rolls rightward, and this involves tilting the hand (with fingertips leading) as well as moving it laterally across the strings. (Charlie: doesn't Zeng Chengwei preserve a different, "authentic Zhang Kongshan" execution that makes it straight up-and-down instead of elliptical?) Well after playing probably ten thousand gunfu today, I've discovered that my hand "likes" to move in more of a figure 8 pattern. It's hard to explain what I mean in more detail than this, but play gunfu for a while and maybe you'll notice it yourselves. The figure 8 gives me more control and is also easier on my muscles (measured by fatigue) than the ellipse.
Thoughts anyone?
