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Post by Vi An on Oct 10, 2005 2:12:26 GMT
I sat by the big fern plant I have in the corner of my tiny appartment with my guzheng standing up right and me kneeling beside it, caressing the guzheng like a pipa. I looked out to a very cloudy, wet and cold day. I began to tap and slap the sides as if it were a percussion instrument while creating a really great rhythmic pattern. I stopped that for a few seconds just listening to the last of the lingering sounds from inside the sound chamber! Ahh it was blissful.. I then picked at only one string with my bare finger nail of my pinkie finger and let the note ring itself completely out. I sighed and the beautiful, bright and warm sun emerged to light up my day!!!
I had a sip of Iron Kuan Yin oolong tea to accompany this delightful moment..
Inspiration to all,
THE GREAT MASTER OF GUZHENG to be: Vi An
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Post by Vi An on Oct 10, 2005 2:16:54 GMT
*Haahahaa* GREAT MASTER OF GUZHENG! I do think I'd ever want to have such a title. It would be most pretentious and unlike my nature! I wouldn't mind the title of the greatest lover of guzheng. Or else the great love-fool of the guzheng. The "mistress" of guzheng.  Oooooh I like the sound of the latter, Vi An |
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Post by Vi An on Oct 10, 2005 2:45:14 GMT
I have another story to share:
I recently went back to busking (street performing in public places) again this weekend at the local market place. The best experiences and moments when I busk are when children show their BIGGEST interest in what I am doing. They are my favorite people, the little people of the world! These kids would giggle, smile and dance around me, they would drag their parents from a distance to come and see me play! They would sit right down and become fixated at the guzheng, staring into space and totally so into it.
Then there are those children who are so inquisitive and so wise beyond their years.. These little people would ask me the most well thought out and best put together questions. I remember this little guy 3 years ago, he was walking around the market with his dad, in his hand was a Chinese toy which was made of spirling ribbon paper around a stick. He had glasses on and they were a pretty heavy perscription and magnified his beautiful eyes more!
This little guy who was only 8, came walking up toward me like he knew me and said "hi.. you have a really beautiful instrument" while his fingers strummed the air as if to mimic my fingers strumming the guzheng strings! I said to him "oh I see you have natural talent I can see it in your finger movements". He smiled and popped a question on me right away "how much does one of these cost?" In the distance I noticed his father patiently observing and smiling as I replied "oh this one is not very expensive I brought it for only five hundred dollars". His eyes widened and jaw dropped "that is a lot of money!" There was silence all around me as I watched his small fingers trace the guzheng. I asked if he'd like to try it. Instantly he strummed away before he knodded yes!! His father was concerned and stepped forward to advise his son to be careful and I assured that it was quite alright, that his son is quite the inquisitive and the father agreed. He stopped and looked at me with the sweetest smile, he blinked, touched my hand and said I have to go now! Before he left he asked if I'd like to see his new toy! With a whipping motion of the arm his ribbon toy flew across the front of the guzheng in a rainbow of colors like a dragon, the ribbons swiftly brushed against the strings and I felt like I was in heaven. It was such a joyous moment and it made what I was doing there so worth while. Up until this little boy visited me I was feeling very down and no one was leaving any tips in my guzheng beg. I was going to pack up and go home and be a little bitter about my day.
When I perform in public with my guzheng it validates what I am doing is appreciated by people who would have not had an opportunity to hear and see the instrument being performed. So many people say they have either heard it or known of it but have not actually experienced it in person and that makes me feel so good about what I do! My observation about the guzheng community is that it has been a very closed one for me. It wasn't as easy then to accquire a guzheng like it is now..
I was not a very disciplined person when it came to learning guzheng, I only had a few short sessions with a local instructor and she noticed my lack of concentration but stuck with me anyways. She saw something in me and has always been there when ever I needed something. I am grateful to her, Paula Pang!
I do not enjoy "learning" music.. I enjoy to create music and then instantly to share that music to perform that music. I have a great appreciation for composed music and have taught myself by ear a few loved pieces but they would always come out sounding completely my own way. People would notice this and actually do enjoy my renditions. So I continued sharing more. Until it became a career path and a choice to make this love for performing guzheng an independent profession for the past 11 years..
Theres the "Lone Ranger" and then there's the "Lone Guzheng Performer".. I like to think that in time I will have helped the beauty of the guzheng live on and its legacy remains in the hearts of children who have asked their parents to buy my CDs!
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Post by Bryan on Oct 10, 2005 7:52:25 GMT
Aw...haha that's so kewl =D
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 10, 2005 9:57:15 GMT
Oh God, that brought a tear to my eye!
There are at least some people out there who can appreciate fine music (probably not in my neck of the woods)! I'll try and go out and play my qin in the public park of my city centre one day and see if "old and young stop and listen, cranes and horse pause and observe"... That would truly make my day! Worth a try.
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Post by Vi An on Oct 10, 2005 16:51:59 GMT
Laughs out loud! *Haaahahahaaa*.. Yes I encourage you to take a step all by yourself and simply enjoy the moment of sharing what it is you love so much! People will respond to it. Besides -- the qin is already a loved symbol of Chinese ancient culture to a lot of westerners, thanks to films like HERO. I mean I understand they had depicted it and represented the qin extremely poorly -- however, people connect with that moment in the film and you will make a lot of people very impressed and happy to hear you play qin in person. GO FOR IT!
Vi An
(If you played it here where I was I'd be there every single time you played!)
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Post by davidmdahl on Oct 10, 2005 18:36:54 GMT
The characterization of the qin in Hero was positively reverential compared to its treatment in Kung Fu Hustle, but even bad publicity is not so bad. What sort of imagination does it take to come up with using a qin as a sort of a bow to shoot magical arrows?
As a monochord player, I find one string to be quite sufficient. In fact it is pretty amazing how much can be done with one string. I think that it is good training for a musician to practice making the most out of very little. Take one string and make a few notes sound interesting. If we can do that, what more can be accomplished when we have even more to work with?
I love playing music for children. They are so fascinated with beautiful sounds, and a lot less inhibited and more open-minded. It is a wonderful experience being so connected with others through music.
Best wishes,
David
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Post by carol on Oct 10, 2005 21:53:29 GMT
Bravo to you, Vi An.
Improvising and playing in the crowd is exactly the traditional way of Chinese music. (maybe not for qin, but any other instruments. Qin music also has lots of improvisation, but not so much playing in the crowd.)
To bad that guzheng music is heavily influenced by Western music for the last half century. But there is defenitely a revival on the traditional music now.
My first guzheng teacher was a really old lady. She fled to U.S. in 1950 when the communist took over China. Her background allows her to retain the traditional way without getting influenced by all the guzheng movement in China and Taiwan.
When I took lesson with her, she provided me these simple music notes that don't have any tempo or beats on it. I couldn't figure out how long I should play a note. It was a big trouble, cause I was trained by Yamaha music shool for 6-7 years back then.
Later, I realized that I can play as long or as short as I want with my mood of the time. Each time, the song came out different.
Later, I quit piano and stick on guzheng. I've enjoyed so much freedom on this instrument. It's a great experience every time you play a song.
Luckily, my current teacher, who also gives me completely freedom in expressing the music, as long as it makes music sense to her. She doesn't care how different I play from her, even the song is written by her.
I heard it some where saying: "Chinese music expresses the feeling of the player, while western classics expresses the feeling of the composer."
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Post by Vi An on Oct 10, 2005 23:27:09 GMT
Thanks Carol!!!
I always had a sense that music, before it was ever written or performed by any great virtuoso, that it was simply a person who loved expressing and discovering with a musical instrument. Some ancient person sitting on top of a mountain cliff or under a tree, would have first had to "improvise" through "intuition and feelings" which inspired them to play a certain way. Putting these notes and sounds together and memorizing how to play it again for their own enjoyment! Until someone came along and heard the music and wanted to hear more..
Music is for the moment and it is definitely for the sharing. Music is for playing and for learning too. It is wonderful to have a light-hearted and free-spirit approach to music, performing it or learning it, or even simply enjoying it!
I have learned to become "one" with the guzheng. It is my teacher! Every moment of everyday I search for treasures within the sounds and discover new beauties about the guzhzeng.
Sometimes the lack of sound, with the simplest and minimalist of plucking will generate the most gorgeous and inspiring new horizons of possibilities to work with!
The guzheng is one of those instruments that help you to become free with your expressive self as it is such a naturally expressive sounding instrument. The "written music and study of music" alone will not lead you to emotional territories, you need to have intuition and freedom of expression to get there!
Discover, discover, discover! There is no "right" or "wrong" way. There is only the "feeling" way~!
Vi An
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 11, 2005 9:32:27 GMT
The characterization of the qin in Hero was positively reverential compared to its treatment in Kung Fu Hustle, but even bad publicity is not so bad. What sort of imagination does it take to come up with using a qin as a sort of a bow to shoot magical arrows? As a monochord player, I find one string to be quite sufficient. In fact it is pretty amazing how much can be done with one string. I think that it is good training for a musician to practice making the most out of very little. Take one string and make a few notes sound interesting. If we can do that, what more can be accomplished when we have even more to work with? I love playing music for children. They are so fascinated with beautiful sounds, and a lot less inhibited and more open-minded. It is a wonderful experience being so connected with others through music. Best wishes, David The qin in HERO was a replica of a qin unearthed at Marquis Yi's tomb, so there was some research done into it. Plus, they had the intelligence to call a proper qin player to compose a piece (which is rather good) and another qin player to play it in the film (techniques were rather strange, but then again, history tells us that old qins like this one were played mostly using open string notes and sliding was immpossible). Nevertheless, I find it rather good. |
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Post by twilight on Oct 11, 2005 16:04:12 GMT
Wow! reading these are really inspirational!! it's so great to have the chance to read your "moments" Please post more.
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Post by Vi An on Oct 11, 2005 16:19:34 GMT
Good good -- I'm very happy to hear that twilight! Thanks Charlie for that info and insight. Thanks David for your input.
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Post by Bryan on Oct 12, 2005 11:54:18 GMT
True, children are really interested in guzheng. Just like the american family who stopped to watch me play when ii was playing Li yang river and Fishingboats in the twilight of the evening. Haha we even took photos n.n
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Post by Vi An on Oct 12, 2005 16:38:55 GMT
Ahhhh -- yes photographs with perfect strangers! It is great because you become a small part of their lives -- captured moment in the lense of time..
When you think spiritually about how we connect with people on a musical level, its incredibily fascinating because music speaks directly to the heart and soul of people. Music makes people feel better about themselves, their surroundings and life itself.
I stress, always, that LIVE performed music is what directly connects people on a more spiritual level. Recorded music is just played for a moment in time and then you may forget about it, loose interest and may play that CD again some other time. However, with live performed music -- that performance (if it touched you) remains special in your heart and soul for a long, long time and you will be repeating your experience in words to everyone all of the time!!
There have been instances where people, in the audience during my more intimate performances, become quite tearful and after the show they would talk to me about how my performance has made them feel.. I really, really appreciate and admire that of people when they come up to show their feelings towards your creative sharings. I always do that when ever circumstances allow, go up to the artist and pour out my appreciation.
I am glad that I have chosen the route of "independent musician" still after 10 years, instead of wishing all the time to be approached by huge contracts for recording and possible fame! It is in this "independent" path thus far that I have met and connected with so, so many individuals who continue to support and praise me. Everyone of these people have always reminded me to keep a level head and always encouraged me, motivated me and kept me inspired!
To anyone here who has a dream and music or performance is involved, just do it -- just be it. It involves a lot of risks and sacrifice at first to feel you have gone a distance with your creativity. It is worth it and if you stick to your dreams and passion, you will know what is needed to be done and how you will get to anywhere you want to be. As it has been quoted "it is not the destination", it is the "journey".
*Cheers* to a lovely and joyful journey,
Vi An
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 12, 2005 17:23:53 GMT
I mentioned this in the Summer School thread. Christopher Evans was playing a qin in Regent's Park and I saw that two Indian people had stopped to ask about the qin.
Also, during the SS, a concert by Etsuko Takezawa on the koto, she played a composing about the London bombings and that nearly brought a tear to my eye.
*sigh*
I hope that soon others in my neck of the woods can do the same with my music.
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Post by Vi An on Oct 12, 2005 22:24:47 GMT
Thats a great story.. Thank you Charlie.
It is so emotional for people to watch and hear a performance by a musician who is so passionate and skilled on a musical instrument. They are fascinated by the amount of emotion the artist is able to convey and bring up out of them. They are in a moment of great creative presense and it captivates and moves them. It is exciting to see and hear something totally unusual.
I become very moved and emotional when I watch and listen to Yo Yo Ma!
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