Video recording: 平沙落雁 Ping Sha Luo Yan on Tobaya guqin silk strings

Recorded another piece: 
平沙落雁 Ping Sha Luo Yan (modern version). 

I self-learned this tune from this fun little Guqin book for kids. It took me about a month to leisurely memorize it. After watching my own video, I realized that the rhythm would sound better if I had slowed down further whenever I had any doubts about how to proceed. Sometimes, rushing when playing guqin may not sound good. haha (laughing at my silly self) *smile*



Recorded on Wednesday 24th July 2013 using my GoPro Hero2 headcam and my Sony audio recorder.

Silk strings used; Tobaya brand (www.tobaya.co.jp)

Banana-leaf shaped guqin was made by Zhang Yong (based in Sichuan province, China), purchased from Taobao via www.sgshop.com.sg I received this guqin in Singapore on 16th May 2013, after it journeyed for 3 weeks from Sichuan China. You may read about my experience of receiving it at this other webpage,

You can compare my poorly played version with the same tune played by real guqin masters at this other webpage.

A German couple also played Ping Sha Luo Yan using Indian Bansuri flute and Guqin. Impressive! You can watch their video at this other webpage.

There's also someone else who played Ping Sha Luo Yan using silk strings. You can listen to it at this other webpage.

Previously in 2012, I had learned a more ancient 1634 version of this tune, called Yan Luo Ping Sha (dapu by Mr. John Thompson. You can watch the video recording of me playing it at this other webpage. 

If you wish to write a research paper comparing the modern version of Ping Sha Luo Yan vis-a-vis the more ancient 1634 version of Luo Yan Ping Sha, please feel free to use my videos for non-profit research purposes. They are Creative Commons compliant. 

How to walk to SgShop.com.sg's office for self-collection

Click here to see the location map and address of SgShop.com.sg's office at Singapore UB One.

Instead of sitting at home waiting for the delivery person from Taobao agent www.sgshop.com.sg to bring the items to your home, why not self-collect at their warehouse at UB One which is located near Tai Seng mrt station?

After you alight, you can use Exit B of Tai Seng mrt station.

At Exit B of Tai Seng mrt station, you should see a building with Sakae Sushi's logo.

Immediately next to Exit B of Tai Seng mrt station is 'Executive Living' at No. 5 Harper Road.

After crossing the cross junction, you will see this building with BreadTalk, ToastBox and DingTaiFung inside. Continue to cross the road using the pedestrian crossing.

After using the pedestrian crossing, you can walk along this tree-lined path....

until you see the UB One building.

Head toward the middle of the building where the elevator lobby is located and go to Level 3.

Make a left turn after emerging from the elevator on Level 3 and you will see SgShop's office. Your goodies await you inside. *smile*

Video recording: 忆故人 (pinyin: yi gu ren)

Monday night on 22nd July 2013. Strapped on my GoPro headcam and made this video recording of me playing this guqin piece which I just self-learned from the 'Guqin for Kids' book. *smile*

Guqin tune: 忆故人 (pinyin: yi gu ren).

Note: This is not a musical performance. This is merely a raw video recording to spot my own mistakes.

After watching my own video, I realized that I was hesitant in many instances, probably because I was trying to remember the guqin tablature symbols as I was playing this long piece. You could see me fudging --almost making up-- some parts, and turned my head to the right to look at my right hand in the moments that I was unsure of myself.

You may wish to compare my lousy version here with those played by the experts at this other webpage. haha



Note:
If you wish to use this videorecording for analysis or, better yet, criticism for your own research purposes, you have my permission to do so. Please just reference this videorecording as: How, M.L. (2013) A learner's playing of guqin piece 忆故人 Yi Gu Ren, retrieved from http://guqinlearner.blogspot.sg/2013/07/video-recording-pinyin-yi-gu-ren.html

Singapore National Day - Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition (14-22 Aug 2013)

To celebrate Singapore's National Day, Ngee Ann Cultural Center organized a Chinese calligraphy exhibition from 14th - 22nd August 2013.

Details can be perused below in their poster (click on it to zoom in):

Guqin mini concert at Tea Chapter (Sat 27th July 2013)

Today (Tuesday 2nd July 2013), there is a guqin 古琴 mini concert at this address. Please do join them if you are free. ^_^ (Disclosure: No, I am not affiliated with the Han Cultural Society.) 

The students of Guqin master / teacher Mr. Zhong Zhiyue will be playing at the event. You only need to pay a S$5 cover charge for the tea.

You can register for the free event at their webpage at: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/177016295804653/

Venue:
茶渊 Tea Chapter@Neil Road 9-11 Neil Road, Singapore 088808

Time: 
7:30pm onwards


screenshot of their facebook webpage:





(PS. Alas, I won't be able to make it to this event as I have a work deadline to meet. Enjoy yourselves!)

Tried to memorize new guqin tune while watching tv

Sunday night of 21st July 2013, I watched China matchmaking TV show 非诚勿扰 (pinyin: fei1 cheng2 wu4 rao3) on Singapore's Starhub channel 830 while trying to memorize a new tune on guqin. Hahaha *smile*

The ladies ridiculed him....

In case you're wondering, yes he did manage to leave the show with a young lady who professed that she liked him. *smile*

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[Just to document this for myself for later reference.....]

Tonight I managed to memorize section 1 of this new tune. I played through section 2 just to 'get a feel' of the melody line.

I used the stethoscope to listen to the guqin as the TV was a little loud. *smile*

荡漾 (pinyin: dang yang) vibrato on guqin

Saturday night on 20th July 2013. Playing guqin while watching popular China matchmaking tv show 非诚勿扰 (pinyin: fei cheng wu rao) on Singapore's Starhub channel 830. ^_^

My guqin silk strings were tuned relative to B-flat on the thickest 1st string. In the pictures below, you can see the wired clip of the tuner connected to the bridge of the guqin.

I encountered a very unfamiliar symbol (circled in red color) in the score of the piece which I am teaching myself: 流水 Liu Shui. This symbol can be seen near the end of section 2. After posting a request for help, the most probable answer was: it should be 荡漾 (pinyin: dang yang), like ripples, it sort of feels like a 'nao' vibrato but is exerted toward the left. (Special thanks to Miss 黎励 a guqin maestro in China for her help!)

I only managed to work through until the end of section 2 of this piece. At this point, I have not memorized until the end of section 2 yet.I have only memorized the 1st line of the entire piece. *smile*

Playing guqin's silk strings on lazy humid Saturday afternoon

Playing guqin at home on humid sunny late afternoon in tropical Singapore. My 4 year old daughter practiced on her own these simple techniques: Mo 抹 (see picture 1 and picture 2), Tiao 挑 (see picture 3), Harmonics 泛音 (see picture 4), and finally Double-handed GunFu 滚拂 (see picture 5 to picture 7) by drawing ABC-Z with both fingers on both hands. Hahaha That was her ABC guqin song, she told me. There's actually probably no Double-handed GunFu in guqin music scores. She made that up, just for pure fun! Haha ^_^ *smile*

I did not 'instruct' her to practice these techniques at all. She told me she was doing them as I very casually took these pictures of her. haha *smile* I have only shown her these techniques once several weeks ago, just for fun.

Guqin is suitable for little children as they are not loud and hence won't disturb the neighbors. I also changed the guqin strings to Tobaya brand silk strings so that the smooth super-slinky silk strings will be easy for her tiny weak fingers to play.

Yeah, the 'henna' she got on her arm on Racial Harmony Day is still there.

picture 1: Mo 抹 (right hand fore finger moved inward, toward the player)

picture 2: Mo 抹 (right hand fore finger moved inward, toward the player)

picture 3: Tiao 挑 (right hand fore finger flicked outward away from the player, with right hand's thumb as support)

picture 4: Harmonics  泛音 (lightly touching on a position of silk string, aligned to any of the 13 white hui markers, while simultaneously striking on silk string with a finger on the right hand)

picture 5: GunFu 滚拂 (making circular motions on the silk strings)

picture 6: GunFu 滚拂 (making circular motions on the silk strings)

picture 7: GunFu 滚拂 (making circular motions on the silk strings)

picture 8: just some regular playing for fun. Improvisation, no particular tune was played by her.

昙花 tan2 hua1

Last night on Friday 19th July 2013, when I was playing the qin, this flower was also blossoming so it was harvested into a small vase since it will blossom fully at night and wither by next morning anyway. *smile*

Thanks to friends on Facebook for telling me what kind of flower it was! *smile*


Chen Ruixi: Epiphyllum oxypetalum

Yuan Rong: 昙花 tan2 hua1

Shuengit Chow: Queen of the night


I have learned something new from all of you! Thank you! ^_^

I had gone to bed before it fully bloomed. You can see from this youtube video what is supposed to look like when it's fully bloomed. Much more magnificent! (thanks to Shuengit Chow for sharing this video with me!)



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At this point, I have only sight-read from the score and tried to play and figure out the tablature symbols/musical notations on the 1st and 2nd sections of this new tune I am self-learning. I have not memorized sections 1 or 2 yet. *smile*

Racial Harmony Day in my 4 year old daughter's Singapore kindergarten

Today was Racial Harmony Day in my 4 year old daughter's kindergarten in Singapore so she wore her Chinese Lunar New Year clothes to school. She ate lots of goodies brought by her Korean, Japanese, Eurasian, Malay, Indian, and Chinese friends and also got a 'hanna' on her arm. *smile* World Peace starts with the kids. Haha