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Post by Si on Apr 10, 2007 16:56:48 GMT
Yeah, i noticed that i sort of have this whole end of dry skin on the end of my ring finger where i slide up and down. It looks a bit horrible, with cracks in it and yellowy dry colour.
First i though it should be sanded off like dry skin on feet, but then i thought, no i'll moisturise it and keep it as a nice hard surface to press strings with.
Am i a semi-zombie or is this normal in the guqin fraternity?
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Post by Charlie Huang on Apr 10, 2007 17:34:10 GMT
Do not moisturise!
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Post by SCWGuqin on Apr 10, 2007 18:13:15 GMT
as the callus hardens it will become more "alive"--i.e. it will be freakin hard, insensitive skin, but still smooth and flesh-colored. This takes a while. Don't moisturize, abrade, or do anything else.
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Post by guzhenglover on Jul 12, 2007 4:35:04 GMT
A couple of quick questions: (1) when sliding the ring finger, should only the fleshy part of the finger be in contact with the string, or should it be part flesh, part nail? And (2) when sliding on two strings using the ring finger (say, in preparation for the next note in order to make the whole phrase sound smooth), what should the contact points be on the ring finger? Thanks guys.
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Post by SCWGuqin on Jul 12, 2007 5:30:32 GMT
All flesh.
Aside from the fingertip-side (you know what I mean), the main contact point on the ring finger is the knuckle. You should probably harden it up a bit.
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Jul 12, 2007 6:51:50 GMT
If it's any help, I had a similar problem when I started learning qin, but it gradually disappeared as the sub-surface layers of skin adapted to the pressure. I also learned not to press too hard: all you need is enough pressure to keep the string under control on the top-board. The old motto about "pressing as if to penetrate the top-board" goes too far.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jul 12, 2007 17:48:19 GMT
"pressing as if to penetrate the top-board" [an ling ru mu] means to press as though it seems you are trying to penetrate the board yet you are not (i.e. regulating without regulating) and that you press hard enough for the string to connect to the surface solidly. It does not mean it in the literal sense. Same with the phrase "pluck as if to break the strings" [tan yu duan xian], pluck with enough force to sound the string.
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Post by Si on Jul 16, 2007 2:30:19 GMT
Thats nice of them to write with such ambiguity - seems like they really want people to clearly understand them!!!
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Post by Charlie Huang on Jul 16, 2007 17:27:00 GMT
It's meant to be metaphoric. If you thought that was ambiguous, you should read the likes of Laozi et al!
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Post by guzhenglover on Sept 7, 2007 8:39:38 GMT
Yeah - my skin seems to be hardening where it should!
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Post by Si on Sept 27, 2007 16:44:13 GMT
my hard skin gets rough and then catches on fabric etc. its then that i cant seem to resist biting it off - yes i know - so gross blah blah, but it tastes so good.....
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Post by thienthu on Oct 13, 2007 2:57:18 GMT
From syburn's original remarks, it sounds like he was referring to the side of L ring finger. Is everyone talking about the bent L ring finger thing with the pressure on the knuckle closest to the nail? I am just starting to learn this and I certainly cannot slide with it. It simply hurts too much. Does anyone have any information to impart? That would be much appreciated.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 13, 2007 15:12:22 GMT
We are talking about the end of the finger, not dead center but to the side of it at the point at the corner of the nail.
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Post by Si on Oct 13, 2007 15:59:04 GMT
its the side of L hand finger where it joins the nail. cos your finger touches the string a bit diagonal not straight on.
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Post by thienthu on Oct 15, 2007 19:14:37 GMT
Can anyone help with any insight into helping the ring finger knuckle? It hurts so much.
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Post by SCWGuqin on Oct 15, 2007 19:36:45 GMT
Hurt it more! Eventually it will stop hurting. This can take months. Once you have a solid blister, LEAVE OFF for a few days until it heals into a callus.
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Post by Si on Oct 16, 2007 2:42:16 GMT
ring finger knuckle - are you doing the gui zi?
i never seem to develop a sold callus cos all my gui zi bits are small sections within the tune, but at least it does not hurt as much as before. My teacher used her nail instead - with is acceptable in the annals of guqin lore i do believe.
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Post by Si on Oct 19, 2007 16:16:35 GMT
this callus on the end of the L finger - its impossile to keep it - they get dry and get chipped off......
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 22, 2007 9:47:58 GMT
I wouldn't go to the extent of hurting it and forming a callus for guizhi. I usually play guizhi until it hurts, rest it for one or two days and then then it doesn't hurt afterwards when I do guizhi. I think the trick is to have it in small doses after the initial and it will be fine.
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Post by charliecharlieecho on Oct 22, 2007 12:00:28 GMT
this callus on the end of the L finger - its impossile to keep it - they get dry and get chipped off...... If you mean the one on the little finger side of the tip of the left ring finger, the problem may be that you're pressing too hard. Try easing off a little, and in the short term rubbing the callus with pumice stone may ease things. |
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Post by guzhenglover on Sept 23, 2008 4:29:47 GMT
I wouldn't go to the extent of hurting it and forming a callus for guizhi. I usually play guizhi until it hurts, rest it for one or two days and then then it doesn't hurt afterwards when I do guizhi. I think the trick is to have it in small doses after the initial and it will be fine. I am beginning to get a grip on guizhi technique; however it's still not the easiest technique to master on the guqin by any means, is it. To me I think the guizhi problem gets worse when qiaqi is involved, like in YQWD. It can be pretty difficult preparing for it esp. if guizhi appears in a rather fast passage. What I am still not happy about in my guizhi playing is the lack of sound clarity or the struggle to produce a good sound. I realise that sounds produced by guizhi are, by their very nature, not as transluscent as other guqin sounds; however, that doesn't mean that one can't do better. Oh, the other problem is that sometimes the string on which guizhi is being executed can easily slip off esp. when qiaoqi is involved. BTW, it appears that it's easier to execute guizhi on certain guqins than others (due to the distance between the strings and the sound board, or the tension of the strings etc.). What do you think out there? |
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Post by Charlie Huang on Sept 23, 2008 18:47:49 GMT
Yes, on some guqin, it is easier to use guizhi. It depends on the tension and distance between the string and the surface board.
You should try out different positions on the guizhi so that you can find out the correct spot and pressure to apply for the string to not slip and yet sound. The trick is that the weight of the hand keeps the string firmly connected to the surface, not intentional force of pushing down on the string with guizhi.
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