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Post by tod on Apr 26, 2007 4:24:46 GMT
Greetings to all... by way of introduction, I am a beginning player who has recently discovered this wonderful instrument ;D I am wondering if anyone can give me some pointers about taking care of the Guqin. For example, I think I read somewhere that the Guqin should be kept in the vertical position when not in use to prevent warping over time? Is this really true .... I'd certainly appreciate any tips on how to maintain the instrument. Really glad to find this group.... Guqin players aren't the most common lifeforms in the universe. Thanks.... Tod Los Angeles, CA
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Post by guzhenglover on Apr 26, 2007 4:40:22 GMT
Hi Tod - welcome! I haven't played the guqin for long, either, and the kind of questions that going through your mind sound exactly like mine when I first started (and I guess also everyone else, for that matter). I believe that on most days when you are practising/playing the guqin, you can leave the qin out on a table. If you are not using it for a couple of days between practise sessions, then you should leave the guqin in a vertical position, either by hanging it on a hook against a wall or by leaving it standing against a wall (which is what I do). The reason is as you've said. I think you've got to watch out for really sudden and drastic changes in temperature/humidity as this doesn't do the instrument any good (which is why I tend to leave my qin in a room that's got constant termperature/humidity and I tend not to use air-con even though I get sweaty). Wipe the surface of the qin with a piece of microfibre cloth (or something similar and fine), but do not apply any cleaning agent. Do not use any cream/ointment on your hands. Sometimes some people apply some talc to their hands or part of their hands, but never apply talc to the instrument itself. Travelling with a qin takes some special care and for that someone needs to take over as it can be a pretty extended discussion. Others can correct me if I've said anything incorrect, but here you go, a bit of initial info from me and, above all, here's me saying hi!
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Post by tod on Apr 26, 2007 5:37:08 GMT
Thanks for the quick and enlightening response - very helpful, indeed. I have some familiarity with the care of wooden instruments, having played Irish flutes for a number of years and more recently dizis. But the qin is a whole new beast to me and I'd like to take good care of what I'm hoping will be a lifetime investment. Glad to meet you, guzhenglover!
Tod
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Post by guzhenglover on Apr 26, 2007 6:16:55 GMT
My pleasure. Let's continue to help each other on this learning curve! Hope you've got yourself a good teacher - if you are lucky enough to have one, since it's not always possible to find one in the neighbourhood!
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Post by Si on Apr 26, 2007 9:22:53 GMT
yes welcome tod, you have increased our number by about 1/5th.
Guzhenglover - do you have a teacher now?
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Post by tod on Apr 26, 2007 17:02:42 GMT
"yes welcome tod, you have increased our number by about 1/5th."
So I guess that means I'm already at least in the top ten player group on this forum? I have been fortunate in finding a well recommended teacher in my local area, and am taking weekly lessons that started 3 weeks ago. I'll be more than happy to pass along anything that might be helpful, and will surely have many questions I'd like to bounce off you. Greetings to you also, Syburn ....
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Post by SCWGuqin on Apr 26, 2007 23:12:16 GMT
Who's this teacher?
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Post by guzhenglover on Apr 27, 2007 2:27:32 GMT
I am happy to say that, in fact, I've had lessons for many months now with a good teacher.
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Post by Si on Apr 27, 2007 4:10:12 GMT
Guzhenglover - but last time u sed that they can only teach u once a month or something, and other than that you could not find a teacher.............. you kept all this a bit quiet
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Post by tod on Apr 27, 2007 6:24:01 GMT
My teacher is Pei Yuen Lui .... his brother, now fully retired, Tsun yuen Lui is actually more recorded on qin, but Pei Yuen is also a good player and teacher. He came well recommended by both Wang Fei and the ethnomusicology department at UCLA, where I work (though not in the music dept - I direct the quality activities for UCLA healthcare). Very fortunately, he lives quite close to me in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Probably no surprise to you, but even living in a predominately Asian community, there is very little awareness of the qin - the Guzheng is somewhat more commonly known here. And now, I must bid good night ....
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Post by guzhenglover on Apr 27, 2007 8:03:50 GMT
Guzhenglover - but last time u sed that they can only teach u once a month or something, and other than that you could not find a teacher.............. you kept all this a bit quiet Well I would've told someone had that someone contacted me like he said he would when he told me that he was going to be back in Singapore. I waited and I never even heard once from him after the supposed trip.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Apr 29, 2007 16:06:27 GMT
Can't really add much. I'm glad some of you have picked up some tips from previous posts!
Also, keeping the qin in your hardcase can held stablise the environment more as the outside can change rapidly, the air space inside the hardcase can change more slowly.
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Post by Si on Apr 30, 2007 12:50:17 GMT
oh, sorry about that - guzhenglover. Turned out that CNY was very busy and i could not be bothered bring my qin.
How is your Schedule for this week? I am rather free..........
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Post by guzhenglover on May 1, 2007 3:16:09 GMT
oh, sorry about that - guzhenglover. Turned out that CNY was very busy and i could not be bothered bring my qin. How is your Schedule for this week? I am rather free.......... OK, not to worry. Are you in Singapore this week?
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Post by Si on May 9, 2007 18:06:17 GMT
HI - GZL,
What type of qin are you using in terms of wood and maker etc. Just want to get a new qin for when i move back to singapore and want to make sure i dont have any problems
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Post by guzhenglover on May 10, 2007 3:34:15 GMT
HI - GZL, What type of qin are you using in terms of wood and maker etc. Just want to get a new qin for when i move back to singapore and want to make sure i dont have any problems Hi Back in China already? Hopefully we'll be able to meet up next time when you're back in town. Anyway my qin was made by Wang Peng, and I think it's made of paulownia but I am not absolutely certain. At first I was worried about getting a qin at all, since I was concerned about how my qin would fit in if/when I go back to my country in future where the climate's really dry. My teacher (whom I bought my qin from) told me that it'd be OK so long as I take certain important precautions - and what these are we've already discussed in previous posts - so now I feel a bit more relaxed about that prospect. Anyway from what I gather, some people reckon if your qin's going to be living (well for most of the time) in a dry country, then you should consider getting a northern qin e.g. from Beijing, etc. Or if you think your qin will be living mostly in a humid climate, then that might be reason enough why you should consider getting a qin from the south e.g. Szichuan, Yangzhou, etc. In my case, I bought the Wang Peng qin not only because of what I was told but also because a. there's a chance that my qin would one day go home with me to the dry country, and b. I understand that a northern qin adapts better to both a dry or wet climate (as opposed to a southern qin which I understand adapts to a wet climate but not so much to a dry climate). In other words, I am thinking ahead here. Anyway I've always preferred northern qins and don't ask me why I think that! Mind you, when I first got my qin, I didn't fall in love with it straightaway. My first impression was that the sound was a bit too tiny. But then my teacher told me that we are supposed to let the acoustics of a good qin "open up" gradually through time and through TLC. And surely enough, that's exactly what I think I am finding, and the more that I play it, the more I love it! I've since had qin friends study my qin and they all think that I've made a good investment. But this is just a personal experience, and I am not saying that Wang Peng qins are necessarily better or worse than any other qins by other good masters. And this reminds me of something else - that every qin is an individual and this is true even of qins by the same master, so really I think the best scenario would be if you could visit the master's studio or showroom, try out the qins and then decide what's best for you (and I would also enlist the help of my teacher or someone in the know). But I am sure you knew most of this stuff already as you've been playing the qin longer than me, syburn!
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Post by Si on May 10, 2007 5:25:22 GMT
What you said about the North/South qins was confirmed to me yesterday at my qin lesson studio. They also recomended Wang Pengs qins.
(I think the info I got from Karl Heng in Singapore is not so correct - anyway they dont sell qins so they probably dont have too much experience in that.)
But I think surely a Beijing wang peng will be fine in a dry country as beijing is dry too!
So GZL who is this mystery teacher??? Is it Mr Kee?
I might be back in Sinagpore in a few months so I need a new teacher. Shame realy cos my current teacher is very excellent in demonstationing all aspects.
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Post by guzhenglover on May 10, 2007 5:29:09 GMT
Well if you are coming back to Singapore (to live permanently?) then I'd be happy to recommend you my teacher. And that would be even more of a reason why you should let me know when you are back in town! It's not Mr Kee, but it's someone of the same calibre if not better.
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Post by Si on May 10, 2007 8:36:13 GMT
Can they speak English?
Should hopefuly be around 2 months.
By the way 15th/16th june 9 of the top china qin players will be converging in Shnaghai for a qin conference. They all will perform on this date too. Looking forward to that.
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Post by tod on May 10, 2007 15:59:03 GMT
Hello... just a few thoughts about the effect of humidity changes on a guqin - given that the wood was originally seasoned (dried) properly, a decent, high density wood is used, and there are no structural defects, then the age of the wood is probably the most critical factor in how well the instrument will handle humidity changes - if it's, say, 5 yr or more old wood that is used to make the qin, it should tolerate humidity/temperature change quite well as the wood has already fully, properly dried and further shrinkage/swelling is minimal compared to new wood. With wood instruments, the risk of cracking from contraction/expansion is typically greatest in the first few years - but, having said that, RAPID changes in humidity at any point can still be risky. As far as matching the climate where the instrument is made, while probably ideal, I believe it's really negligible if the qin is kept in an ongoing relatively stable environment, and especially with older wood. Enough of my ramblings.... as my lessons unfold, I'm really enjoying the whole new world of learning qin! - Best regards to all.
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Post by hezekiahpipstraw on Jun 14, 2007 18:50:19 GMT
HI - GZL, What type of qin are you using in terms of wood and maker etc. Just want to get a new qin for when i move back to singapore and want to make sure i dont have any problems Maybe you could talk to Kee Chee Koon at Three Tunes. He's based in Singapore and a pretty good player.
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Post by guzhenglover on Jun 15, 2007 3:04:13 GMT
HI - GZL, What type of qin are you using in terms of wood and maker etc. Just want to get a new qin for when i move back to singapore and want to make sure i dont have any problems Maybe you could talk to Kee Chee Koon at Three Tunes. He's based in Singapore and a pretty good player. We know him already.
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Post by Si on Jun 15, 2007 10:09:35 GMT
Is Mr. Kee Chee Koon back in Sinagpore already!
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Post by guzhenglover on Jun 25, 2007 5:59:27 GMT
Is Mr. Kee Chee Koon back in Sinagpore already! Not that I know...I don't think so...
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Post by Si on Jun 30, 2007 11:48:40 GMT
My teacher told me that one should always clean the qin after practice.
She said use a 100# Cotton cloth and a spray liquid. The product sounded something lke Bi Li zhuo. Any ideas what that might be.
I was a bit worried just now when she started to clean mine with medicated vasaline! Whats she doing??? Apart from maybe moisturising the qin I was lost as to why she would use that stuff.
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