finding a playable crappy Qin

[lumry]

i just wanted to know what i should look for , when looking at playable crappy guqins...since i have looked nearly everywhere for a professional guqin player to help me acquire a guqin....since i cannot find any professional made guqins in Toronto , i guess i will be purchasing one from a Chinese music store, which has seven guqins... so i just wanted to know how to pick a playable crappy guqin, and what to look for when choosing....this is very urgent!!! need help!

[ghotie]

Hello there fellow frustrated guqin Torontonian. I also have been looking for an guqin instructor. If you are a Uof T student there is a guqin club you can join. guqin.sa.utoronto.ca/ What chinese music store have you been looking at in Toronto?

[YouLanFengChune]

Hi!

<This sounds commercial again>
try
www.cadenzamusic.biz/guqin.htm

[blueharp]

Here's my opinion:

Take a look at the instrument. Does it look well made? If it looks crudely made - pass

Look for:

Nicely made joints

Smooth lacquer - play each string repeatedly while pressing a string and slowly sliding up and down from hui 13 up to about hui 4 and back. There shouldn't be any buzzing. The lacquer should be hard too. If after playing stopped notes for a few minutes there are marks on the surface, you might want to move on.

Feet that evenly contact the table. The qin shouldn't rock when you play it. A tiny bit can be compensated for by using a non-skid rubber pad under the feet and at the head of the qin, but a lot... not worth it

Check the hui position by lightly touching the string with the left finger at all the hui positions (one at a time )while playing the same string with the right hand. You should get a nice clear harmonic. Positions 1,2 and 12, 13 can be a bit tough, but if the others are correct, chances are they are too.

Make sure the pegs turn relatively easily and are well made. Believe me this is *really* apparent. You can spot really crudely made pegs just by looking at them. They can be replaced though - I had to do it on both of my guqins.

Look at the hui - are they under the 1st string or parallel to it? Not a show stopper, but it indicates how carefully the instrument was made.

Look at the wood inside the soundholes. It should be nicely worked. You shouldn't see any gouges or chip to the wood from careless workmanship. Hopefully there will be nayin (like bumps the size of the sound hole). Don't worry if there is lacquer spattered inside, it happens.

Above all make sure the strings aren't too high. If it feels like it takes a lot of effort to push the string down, move on.

Sound quality is a tough one - it is so subjective. That said try to find one that has an even response, no one note or strings jumps out as louder/softer/harsher/smoother than the others.

Check out Cadenza's guqin website as well as www.chineseculture.net/guqin/instruments/guqinlist.htm to familiarize yourself with what is available and what prices are like.

Guqins are like violins. They are tricky to make and to make them really well is an art. You can get decent factory made violins and guqins that will work. In fact you might like them. However once you play a really fine instrument you will know what the difference is immediately.

Buy an inexpensive guqin. It is someplace to start and you will gain valuable experience. Just be prepared to fix and or replace a few things as well as upgrade to a better instrument when you can afford it.

Let us know if we can help.

Steve

[lumry]

ghotie said:

Hello there fellow frustrated guqin Torontonian. I also have been looking for an guqin instructor. If you are a Uof T student there is a guqin club you can join. guqin.sa.utoronto.ca/ What chinese music store have you been looking at in Toronto?

theres one in kensington market...its beside the parking lot or a couple of stores down...if you play could you go and check it out and tell me what you think thanks....the stop for that street is nassa, take the 510 spadia streetcar

[Charlie Huang]

What Blueharp-san said.

Also, a decent qin should look good. If it looks badly made, it probably is. Also, avoid 'fake antique qins'. Have a rumage over the crappy qin threads to see examples. CCN is often a safe bet when getting a qin.

[lumry]

anyone know any places in toronto, where i purchase a guqin?...ohh and i dont buy stuff over the web

[Charlie Huang]

I hardly think qins are sold in most cities. Only specialist qin suppliers (like CCN, et al) offer qins. If you are looking for erhus, dizis, etc, you would be able to probably find a place somewhere in the country, but for qins, no.

[ghotie]

I checked it out at Kensington market. I only saw three guqin. One of them was in tune but the rest weren't so it was hard to compare. The store owner did say that one client told him there was another store in Scarborough that also sold guqins but at a much higher price. The store also sold a lixiating vcd teaching you how to play guqin. I bought the vcd and it was pretty helpful I highly recommend it. I think your best bet would be to bring jonathan leung the guqin club instructor at U of T to help you choose a guqin.

[lumry]

ghotie said:

I checked it out at Kensington market. I only saw three guqin. One of them was in tune but the rest weren't so it was hard to compare. The store owner did say that one client told him there was another store in Scarborough that also sold guqins but at a much higher price. The store also sold a lixiating vcd teaching you how to play guqin. I bought the vcd and it was pretty helpful I highly recommend it. I think your best bet would be to bring jonathan leung the guqin club instructor at U of T to help you choose a guqin.

lol! i was the one that told him about the other store in scarbrough...hey was the sound quality good in ur opinion?...and which one were u looking at at, was it the one with the good tassels?need reply...urgent!

[lumry]

does anyone have a picture of a crappy made guqin?