Sheng complete beginner

[shengdaz]

Hi, my name's Darren and ive recently ( it only arrived today ) bought a 17 note sheng. I'd seen and heard of it online and fancied giving it a try. I play Native American flutes, and can get a few tunes out of penny whistles, so the idea of something else blown appealed.

Obviously there's a few more holes than i'm used to, so i guess it's going to take some annoying of the wife and children while i get to grips with it.

So far i've downloaded a finger chart, had a couple of notes out of it, and that's it.

I'm guessing that players, teachers and info are pretty sparse here in the UK, but i guess that's also part of the appeal of learning - eventually being able to play a tune on something you don't often see.

I'm in Cambridgeshire, near Peterborough, so if there does happen to be a shang player in this area ( even if your a newbie too ) it would be cool to get together and maybe pick up a few hints and tips etc.

[edcat7]

Hi Darren and welcome,

Now why couldn't you take up something simple like the hulusi? I'm in London so finding a Chinese music teacher wasn't that difficult. My teacher knows of a professional sheng player but my guess is he's based in or around London too.

But please you are welcome to share any tips you might discover from teaching yourself.

Best wishes,

Ed

[shengdaz]

Hi Ed.

I very nearly bought a hulusi, and still might. My learning to play sheng might actually be over before it really starts. I've got a recurring wrist injury, and unfortunately it looks like playing the sheng affects it. It's annoying as I never know, until I start playing, if it'll show up or not ( I can play penny whistle fine, but can't go near a low d whistle without it hurting ). I'm going to give the sheng a few more gentle tries over the next few days, but might end up with a hulusi in the end. Will see how it goes

[edcat7]

When I first started on the dizi my wrists would hurt too. It took a long time to relax my grip and now it doesn't bother me at all. The hulusi is an excellent instrument to start a musical journey.

[sanmenxia]

Hello,

I bought a sheng a couple of years and have taught myself to play at a very basic level.

Was your sheng playable when you got it? Mine wasn't, a lot of the reeds needed adjusting and pitch was about a quarter of a semitone too high.

The sheng is actually an easy instrument to get started on, you just blow into the mouthpiece and cover a finger hole!