guqin without a teacher

[akhlaur]

Hello, i am learning erhu at the moment but want to start with guqin. i teached erhu to myself after some lessons with my teacher. it goes very well because i have a lot of video learning material and books (i have also a chinese girlfriend if i have a question i can get it from one of the chinese sides).
in summer i can get my hand on a guqin because one of my friend goes back to china. i dont have a teacher but she can play guzheng very well. she said the techniks are very simmilar (tell me if i am wrong) so i could learn the basics from her.
the costs for the guqin are maybe 300 euro or a bit more. i have also a lot of chinese books and some videomaterial.
the questions are:

-is it possible to learn guqin alone with a bit help (i looked around but there are no theachern near me. the only possiblility would be to wait 1 and a half year and then go to china for a month and learn guqin every day in china => but i dont want to wait so long )?

-are 300 euro enough for a beginner instrument (in the internet they are like 300$+)?

- i am not sure if my friend comes back to germany, so i could buy some qin now i would have 3 month learning under guidiance (from the guzheng player), would it be better?

- if i want to buy a guqin now has somebody experience with the 380$ qin from www.shoppingchinanow.com/shop/guqin.html ?

thank you really muich for your help

[kyokuhon]

Dear akhlaur and all,

I may not be the best one to answer your questions, since I also taught myself to play guqin with books and listening, but here's my experience. At the very least, my answer might bring out information from those who really know!

Of course you can teach yourself to play, but you won't have the benefit of a teacher's experience. You will make mistakes, your technique will be unorthodox, you won't have a "classical" style, and you will find limitations in your playing habits that will be hard to correct.

It depends what you want to do with it. If, like me, you're just playing for your own pleasure, just give it a try! Better to play than not! If you're "serious" though I'd say wait until you go to China, then you won't spend the month unlearning all the bad habits you taught yourself. I don't know how old you are, but for me, at almost 59 years, 18 months isn't that long.

I don't play guzheng, but I suspect that while the right hand technique may be very similar, the technique of the left hand is quite different, since you need to change the length of the strings by pressing with your left-hand fingers; more like a guitar than a harp.

I've been happy enough with my cheap guqin, but I know a good one would be much better. Be careful of auctions unless you know what you're looking for. I haven't had experience with shoppingchinanow, but in general you're better off with an independently listed business like that than with online auctions. Again, unless you know what you're looking for.

Anyway, good luck, and welcome to a wonderful and unique musical tradition!

Best, and keep playing,
K.

[sanmenxia]

There's a 5 day guqin course held in London every July to August at the Royal Academy of Music. The teacher in 2010 was Dai Xiaolan (www.amc.org.uk/summer_schools/2010/chinese.htm They don't seem to have any details for this year yet.

I don't play the guqin or the guzheng...but I think they are completely different instruments to play. I would say the only thing they have in common is that you pluck the strings with your right hand fingers.

[Charlie Huang]

IMHO, guqin and guzheng techniques are completely different so unless the guzheng teacher knows how to play qin, do not get her to instruct you in it!

I must dash off to London now so can't give a full response at the mo. Will do when I get back this evening.

[Charlie Huang]

Feb 24, 2011 21:31:25 GMT sanmenxia said:

There's a 5 day guqin course held in London every July to August at the Royal Academy of Music. The teacher in 2010 was Dai Xiaolan (www.amc.org.uk/summer_schools/2010/chinese.htm They don't seem to have any details for this year yet.

I don't play the guqin or the guzheng...but I think they are completely different instruments to play. I would say the only thing they have in common is that you pluck the strings with your right hand fingers.

Actually, the LYQS is holding a 'rival' school in May this year at the British Museum and SOAS. Li Xianting will teach the advanced class and Cheng Yu (or I as the backup) will teach the beginners.

[sanmenxia]

That's very interesting!

I've found some info from ukchinesemusic.com/londonyoulanqin/qinupdates.htm
ukchinesemusic.com/projects.htm

Chinese Four Arts Summer School – British Museum and SOAS, University of London – 27th to 31st May 2011

The London Youlan Qin Society (LYQS) is excited to announce its new project – Chinese Four Arts Summer School 2011. It is a 5-full-days course enabling attendees to experience not only the music of the qin zither, but also the interrelationship between the four arts – qin (zither music), Qi (QWeiqi or Go, Chinese chess), shu (calligraphy) and hua (brush painting) – the four quintessential Chinese arts as practiced by traditional Chinese scholars, and the essential cultivation of the elite. This is the first time that such a summer school will be held in the UK to enable learners to study these four individual, yet cross-genre and interlinked art forms, systematically and gain a fuller picture of the traditional Chinese arts, their techniques and skills, theory and aesthetics.

The qin used to be an esoteric art in serious decline, but since gaining recognition by UNESCO as part of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, it has received increasing attention and public awareness both in China and internationally. The LYQS is proud that its project has obtained support from The Prince's Charities Foundation (princescharities.org/) and partnerships with the British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org/) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London (www.soas.ac.uk/). We are applying for additional funding from mainstream funders for this project.

The Summer School is to be held at the British Museum (BM) from 27-29 May and at SOAS from 30-31 May 2011, with a public concert to be held on 27th May at the BM and a lecture/seminar on the qin by Professor Li Xiangting at SOAS during the period 30-31 May.

Qin master Professor Li Xiangting of the Central Conservatory of Music, China) has been invited; other calligraphy, brush painting and Weiqi masters have also been invited. (a detailed schedule is being prepared).This project is intended to be the first of a series of such events, to be held annually.

As a part of this project, the LYQS will design and produce a booklet about the qin, containing articles contributed mainly by our members with content ranging from technique and notation, philosophy and aesthetics, qin stories and literati culture, and colour illustrations. The booklet will be in English and printed in good quality. The British Museum is considering publishing it. It will be a valuable resource for qin players and all who appreciate traditional Chinese arts.

I guess the qin classes will only take up a quarter of the above schedule. So there's some overlap with the AMC summer school, but not quite the same thing.

[Charlie Huang]

No, there will be 5 days guqin tuition. The weiqi, calligraphy and painting make up only a small part of it.

[Charlie Huang]

Re: learning by yourself. Can be done. I did so myself. The best VCD to get is Li Xiangting's one and his book. TBH, you could learn by yourself but the successfulness of it depends on your talent and ability. Very soon you must find a teacher to teach you (be it for a few sessions or whatever) as you need someone to show you certain things that you won't grasp if you learn by yourself (also, correcting any bad habits).

As for cost of a qin, IMHO, a good qin does not cost less than at least £1000 GBP. but the quality can vary. The thing, safest bet is to get a qin player to select the instrument for you, then you would be sure the instrument you are paying for is sound otherwise it is literally a stab in the dark.

If you really want websites, then I suggest this one: soundofasia.com/guqin.html

Carol plays guqin as well so the qins here you know will be decent and playable.

[Charlie Huang]

Note: just checked the AMC site.

www.amc.org.uk/summer_schools/2011/chinese/index.htm

No qin mentioned so this year they may have cut the qin because the LYQS will be holding one anyways. Good news for dizi players is that dizi has been reinstated.

[kyokuhon]

Dear Chancellor and all,
I completely agree about Li Xiangting's DVD. Thank you, also, for the Sound of Asia website. If you think gu qin is expensive, check out koto.
Best, and keep playing,
K.