found a quiet moment to practice before yaji started.
Guest Juni from Toronto played 流觴, 古風操 and 招隱 (on silk string)
Juni talked about her background and her PHD study -- modern history of Chinese Hanfu. So she and Jiawei did a little demonstration of Juni's hand made Hanfu.
Jiawei from Binghamton, played 平沙落雁 (metal string), 流水(partial) demo on silk string and metal string to see how her finger strength on both strings. 普庵咒(silk string). After her playing Henry Chan, the archery instructor said his feeling -- and I like his opinion about the metal string and silk string sound to him. He made two kinds of hand gesture to explain, one is like many big circles coming out and back (silk string) and one is like many straight lines shooting out (metal string).
Yixuan from Ithaca played 神人暢 (silk string)
Peiyou played 列子御風 (silk string)
Thanks Henry took this photo.
Thanks Henry took this photo.
Archery time.
Looks like many arrows hit the target.
This qin yaji was very special to me. Meeting different qin players and hearing their opinions or stories can be very encouraging and very inspiring. And after seeing Jiawei's qin playing, and we all feel that her finger strength is pretty strong. Therefore a question come out of my mind...
指力可以練出來嗎？或是它是與生俱來的？是一種能練得出來的內勁還是必須如嬰兒至柔般的單純才存乎？是否當人們開始有了價值觀,有要求,有顧慮時這與生俱來的本能就自動消失了？然後彈琴就變成了一種刻意？Can the inner strength occur by practicing? or it only happen when one is "soft and pure" like a baby without thinking or worry or pretend to or trying to, then it comes out naturally? a question in my mind about qin playing fingering strength.
虛無至柔，則無所不通 -- 王弼
天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅 -- 老子
Juni says: Having taught a dozen new people, I am convinced that playing the strings with the right strength is NOT innate, and must be nurtured.
I think: Yes, how to play with right strength need to be taught but Jiawei is the person whose playing convinced me that she has the nature and so plus nurtured she will become even amazing. I will say people like her is rare, but there are some.
And Qin is like a mirror that the qin player's personality shows on it when playing it.
