Looking for a local teacher

[juliek]

I know this is likely to be an extremely long shot...

I live in Suffolk in the UK, does anyone on the forum know anyone in the Ipswich/Cambridge/Norwich area that would teach me to play the erhu in person? I have enquired with local Chinese culture societies but have not heard back.

Thank you 

J

[edcat7]

Check out Dr. Cheng Yu, UK Chinese Ensemble. The UK Chinese traditional music scene is very small and she knows every professional musician. She is very slow in responding to emails however.

I just read your post again. Li Ming, my erhu teacher's day job is in Ipswich and stays there during the week but as I understand it he is due to retire next month. He lives near Dartford, Kent. If you wish I could contact him to confirm his intention to retire from his day job.

Can you play the violin? because if you can the transition to erhu is not difficult. Only a few lessons would be required.

Best wishes,

Ed

[juliek]

Thank you very much for your reply and your offer Ed. If you wouldn't mind contacting your teacher that would be most appreciated, if he isn't available might he know another teacher in the area? I know there are a few in London but it is a bit too far. I shall also take a look at the UK Chinese Ensemble.

The erhu is my first string instrument, but I played flute and took exams up to grade 5 but could play pieces at a grade 6-7 level. Falling apart in exams due to stress and poor working memory meant I just couldn't pass them over a certain level - this is why I am happy to play grade syllabus work but not worried about the exam itself. I can read stave music and am picking up Jianpu quite quickly. I have noticed when learning the D scale on the Erhu I am remembering what the scales should sound like and learning the finger positions much quicker than I expected I would.

So as you said, just a couple of lessons to help with bowing techniques, vibrato, sliding etc. would likely be enough to get me started with good habits. I could then use the online video courses as a reminder.

Thanks

Julie

[juliek]

P.S.

Ipswich is easy driving distance for me.

J

[edcat7]

I've just spoke to my teacher: his last and only day at work is this Saturday and he will be too tired to teach a one off lesson after work.

Try contacting Dr Cheng Yu. Give her some time to respond and get back to me if there is no response. I may be able to help.

Best wishes,

Ed

[juliek]

Thank you for asking. I shall contact Dr Chang Yu. I think it is the Ipswich English Chinese Cultural Exchange I have contacted, they organise some of the Chinese music festivals/shows in Ipswich but I hadn't heard.

I did hear back from the Chinese Orchestra Society at Cambridge Uni but they don't have a tutor for erhu and the students have broken up for the summer and gone home instead of staying in Cambridge.

Thanks

J

[juliek]

Unfortunately I had little luck with Dr Chang Yu, although they did let me know their weren't currently any teachers they knew of in the area.

I have however had lots of luck with the Cambridge University Chinese Orchestra this year - they are taking me under their wing in the new term. They have kindly let me join their orchestra and the other players will help me during rehearsals. They have also offered me the odd hours one to one tuition after some rehearsals too.

Very excited and nervous at the same time. I have seen a lot of improvement in the last few months (I no longer sound like a tortured animal), but three hours of rehearsals a week with some lessons is really going to push it to the next level. Its been 12 years since I have played in an orchestra (flute) and they only had 1 hour for rehearsals.

J

[edcat7]

Nov 26, 2018 11:02:14 GMT juliek said:

Unfortunately I had little luck with Dr Chang Yu, although they did let me know their weren't currently any teachers they knew of in the area.

I have however had lots of luck with the Cambridge University Chinese Orchestra this year - they are taking me under their wing in the new term. They have kindly let me join their orchestra and the other players will help me during rehearsals. They have also offered me the odd hours one to one tuition after some rehearsals too.

Very excited and nervous at the same time. I have seen a lot of improvement in the last few months (I no longer sound like a tortured animal), but three hours of rehearsals a week with some lessons is really going to push it to the next level. Its been 12 years since I have played in an orchestra (flute) and they only had 1 hour for rehearsals.

J

Congratulations on finding a whole bunch of students to teach you. I am surprised that there are so many Chinese students of traditional instruments in such a small area. Photos please.

I played my erhu, dizi and hulusi when I wasn't working in Mykonos and quite frankly I was ignored by the many Chinese tourists.

[juliek]

It's luck really. Cambridge university have a large amount of Asian students and they happen to have a society to get together and play

I haven't got photos but they do have a you tube channel of previous performances. I expect the most recent ones will be up soon.

www.youtube.com/user/CUCOSmusic/videos

I had my first rehearsal on Saturday. It was nice to be back in a social group playing again - but felt really odd being in the strings instead of the woodwind. I can play one song they have set at least! The speed at which the folk songs are played is incredible really - or at least it feels it, I expect if I still played flute I would probably not think too much of the speed.

They were very kind and corrected a few things I hadn't switched on to when teaching myself. Just little things so didn't feel like I had done too badly teaching myself for just over six months (to be fair half of that was learning to bow!). They have picked me some position changing exercises out of my CCOM grade book to work on next so I will no longer be limited to position 1 I think they would find it much harder to teach me if I didn't have an understanding of music theory etc. so it is a matter of applying what I know to a new instrument - had I been completely new to music I am not sure they would have agreed to have me.

This is the first song I have learned with them: 彩雲追月

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTIbP8rhK08&list=PLLqdgbx_YWtVNwWsN-NBDly9_1pCVbWfd&index=2&t=0s

Julie