Post by svvin on Jan 24, 2014 21:48:06 GMT
After watching guqin performances on YT I wonder how well the guqin lends itself to improvisation in the style of traditional Chinese music. Or is it against tradition to improvise in the traditional Chinese style? Most of the traditional Chinese music is pentatonic and music played on guqin is usually slow and thoughtful.
It's actually quite easy to get into improvising in a certain style of music unless it's very complicated like Jazz (even Jazz can be improvised though). Kidding of course :-)
For instance I've been recently listening to a lot of the Baroque period music and when I took out my recorder I could easily invent some baroque-like phrases. Most people don't even differentiate that music. That's how similar it sounds to them - because it's in the style of Baroque!
With the simpler music forms like Chinese traditional music I understand the musical expression and imagination of the musician are more important than the technical aspect while the latter is of course a necessary prerequisite. However I haven't seen yet a single guqin performance on YT that was up to speed of Paco de Lucia.
It's interesting that when I was practicing pentatonis scales on a guitar in the blues idiom (but actually they were simply pentatonic scales) couple years ago my relatives frequently asked me if I was playing... - guess what? - Chinese music! :-)
So, all jokes aside - what do you think about it?
I see where my question might be contradictory: traditional and improvisation. However recently I found an interesting book titled 'Improvising classical music on piano'. Contradictory? Yes - for most people who think classical is only played from scores but it can be done.
It's actually quite easy to get into improvising in a certain style of music unless it's very complicated like Jazz (even Jazz can be improvised though). Kidding of course :-)
For instance I've been recently listening to a lot of the Baroque period music and when I took out my recorder I could easily invent some baroque-like phrases. Most people don't even differentiate that music. That's how similar it sounds to them - because it's in the style of Baroque!
With the simpler music forms like Chinese traditional music I understand the musical expression and imagination of the musician are more important than the technical aspect while the latter is of course a necessary prerequisite. However I haven't seen yet a single guqin performance on YT that was up to speed of Paco de Lucia.
It's interesting that when I was practicing pentatonis scales on a guitar in the blues idiom (but actually they were simply pentatonic scales) couple years ago my relatives frequently asked me if I was playing... - guess what? - Chinese music! :-)
So, all jokes aside - what do you think about it?
I see where my question might be contradictory: traditional and improvisation. However recently I found an interesting book titled 'Improvising classical music on piano'. Contradictory? Yes - for most people who think classical is only played from scores but it can be done.
