Dimo, Need to rub (crush) before use or not? Wet/Dry?

[manunart]

Dimo, Need to rub (crush) before use or not?



I found that "Professional Ming Gui Dimo" it thicker and more elastic than my previous Dimo.


It's give a duller sound, lower volume and, lower resonance (I feel less vibration on my finger tip).


But after I rub the Dimo (dry, without water) its get much better.


Then I need to rub the Dimo before use? And which is the correct method (wet or dry)



Thank you

[Blue]

You're supposed to create slight wrinkles on the dimo when you apply it on the mokong. After applying the dimo on the moking, it is advisable to apply a small amount of water on the dimo if you feel that you need to adjust it. This will allow the adhesive to return to its wet state so that it becomes easier to move the dimo. When the adhesive is in the dry state, it becomes much more difficult to move the dimo.

[Blue]

According to the Di Mo entry on the wikipedia

The di mo is applied to the membrane hole (or Mo kong) of the dizi using a special, traditional glue called Ejiao. One of the advantages of ar jiao is that the glue is water-soluble, so that it can be wetted again to re-adjust the di mo.

After applying the glue around the mo kong, the di mo is applied, and then adjusted while the glue is still wet so that many creases form in a sequence along the length of the hole. Each crease should be parallel to the one before, crossing the hole horizontally, so that together they form a sort of pleat or corrugation

We can also talk about the glue:


Which is not vegetarian and is derived from this:


Which is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat menstrual issues. (I can see many people rolling their eyes when I made this statement). Is there an alternative vegan solution for a water-soluble adhesive for dimo? Yes, but crushed dry garlic isn't appealing.

[thebamboogrove]

1. Chiba is right. You need to create some lines, in my opinion, perpendicular to the dimo natural grains. Instead of crushing it, i message it by wriggling it left and right.
2. Instead of Erjiao, my vegetarian friends use water glue available in all book stores. The regular watery glue for paper works well.
3. Pleats... please ensure that you did not create little pipes outwards of the dimo.
4. like all lazy dizi players, this sound gross, the amount of water used on erjiao is as much as a lick on it with your tongue. Hey, you'll know the value of saliva when your solo is about to start in 1 minute and the entire orchestra is underway, and your dimo is torn.....

[Blue]

Deliberately didn't want to bring the fourth point out even if yours truly is also guilty of doing it!

[edcat7]

The above dimo is variable in quality, however that's the best that's commonly available to us Westerners via the internet. I've got some excellent dimo that my teacher has given me.

[thebamboogrove]

Truth of the matter: Dimo varies with age, and season as well as source. Ming Gui, so far has the most consistent quality, but one should look out for the finesse in dimo, the clarity and its pliability are good tell-tale signs. Mine are usually freshly delivered in early May or Late April from Hefei, Anhui. A standard order of 300 packets last me and my students a whole year.

I have bought Dimo of top quality from USD 0.20 to USD $14 a packet. Its almost all on luck, if you can't be at the source.

[manunart]

Hi 尺八, thebamboogrove and edcat7.
Thank you for all advice

I am using the liquid Ejiao for adhesive the Dimo.
What do you think about the liquid Ejiao? better than the solid Ejiao?

[edcat7]

I was once given a stick of liquid erjiao from Eason and I'm afraid to say I've never used it. A friend dissolves his erjiao in a tiny dish of water. I use the traditional method of licking my solid erjiao. Whatever works for you my friend.

[Flolei]

Liquid erjiao is very practical, but I only got one to Europe (from Eason), Taobao agents don't allow people to order liquids. So, I mainly use "chocolate-like" erjiao with some drops of water.

[thebamboogrove]

Liquid erjiao is not just erjiao, as erjiao tends to solidify and settle, so there must be a stabilizer inside.

Any safe adhesive may be used, long as it moves when water touches it.

Water glue is actually good. When in distress or emergency, a crushed cooked rice, cracked fresh garlic juice are traditional glues to Dimo

[jock]

You can directly buy Dimo from English Taobao as follow:
<a href="http://www.shopitchina.com/item/16481079582">Dimo in english Taobao</a>