This page is where I stick all my projects and archives, Wikipedia or otherwise. They may end up not used in Wikipedia, in which case they will be filed here for my personal use, or the use of those who will find it useful.
I first 'discovered' qin music in 2001 or slightly earlier on a website. Before that, I was interested in it as I had an interest in Chinese culture. At the time, I had no means or thoughts of learning qin, so I basically forgot about it. That was until 2003; I had been engaged with qin discussions in a forum and had money from my university loan to buy a qin! So, I made the decsion to go and buy it. Thus, my musical awakening began. I progressed rather rapidly in the few years that I have had up to this point with the qin, and am getting better. Of course, it is important to note that my parents/family do not approve of my musical activities; they think it is a waste of time if it does not bring you material profit at the end of the day. But that is another issue to discuss later.
Ever since my musical awakening, I have been actively studying to progress myself on the qin arts. This include reading an amount of material on the net as well as books, listening to CDs, et al. I've also refreshed myself in terms of listening to other musical genres. It was only in 2005 did I realise my destiny was in music and the spread of qin music. I made the discovery that Chinese music (or any other music from other cultures) and greatly undervalued by Western tastes. Either Western Classical or Western Popular music is held up high. Of course, that is not the problem in itself, the problem lies in that certain people fail to appreciate other musics because they refuse to listen to anything but pop music, etc. This has riled and irritated me. I want to re-educate people on what true objective musical appreciation is. So, it is my goal to train myself to a high standard before embarking on this mini-quest of mine.
Since I have discovered this rather too late, I did not recieve any formal training in music. I have attended Chinese Music Summer Schools (Gong Yi told me that I was one of the better players in the class, which means I must be doing something right), but I am mostly a self-taught amateur in qin arts and music, and my music skills leave a lot to be desired. So, the next phase is to study music at a high level. I could not start from GCSE, work through A level, redo my BA and then to MMus or whatever. That will be basically starting from scratch, and that is time and money I don't have. Plus, they will be training me in Western music only. This has caused a dilemma and I have been stuck in tangent ever since, for two years after I graduated in Philosophy.
The supposed big breakthrough came when I discovered the Open University courses. They would have allowed me to study music at university level and I would have been able to gain the necessary skills to do so-called 'proper' music so people can take me seriously. So that's why I planned on taking a Diploma in Music these coming two years, to get me up to standard. However, though I wanted to study at SOAS for an MMus in Performance, it now seems very unlikely because I have been told that my music skills aren't high enough and my performance experience is slim. Unfortunately, due to my financial situation, lack of funding and family disapproval and problems, I cannot do the Dip Mus anymore. The other option now is to wait until I have enough money to fund it, then hope after that they will be acceptable in my application to the universities. I have more chance of getting into Sheffield University than SOAS but at this point in time, anything could happen. I'm currently at stalemate and am waiting for someone or something to throw me a lifeline and end my cycle misery.
I've become so depressed these days at my situation that I almost feel like giving up...
Other than playing and performing music, I also take an interest in researching it. One of my first successful projects is the expansion of the guqin article in this Wikipedia site. The original size when I discovered it was less that 5% of what it is now, and through my research and help from fellow qin players and Wikipedians, expanded it considerably. It has been promoted to featured article status, appeared on the front page, and now it has been selected to go on the CD-ROM format, etc. It is one of the best articles on wiki and one that I'm very proud of. It also spawned a bunch of sister articles which are constantly being updated, but probably won't go as far as the qin article.
As I currently have a good chance of getting into Sheffield, I am going to apply there. The thing to do now is to decide which degree programme to do; either MA Ethnomusicology or MMus by research.
I'm thinking of doing the MMus coz it sounds simple and more specialised than the MA (which is a degree that trains you to do doctoral research), the MMus assumes you can carry out research to a certain degree. In the MMus, you do two of the following; dissertation, folio, performance, composition. I'm thinking od doing the dissertation (20,000 words) and the 45 min performance/recital. Here's my watered-down research proposal:
The research will be on the styles/schools of qin music. I will be trying to discover what are the differences between the various styles, what consitutes as a difference in style, can the style of qin music be divided into Northern and Southern style or is it really better to distinguish them further into schools. For my main area of research, I will use mainly the primary source of qinpu (qin tablature collections) from various schools and analysing a selection of melodies, especially the same melodies that exist in different qinpu but are a different version to one another, so examining the differences and similarities of structure, phrasing, unique passages. Further to that will be examining of actual performance recordings of interperatation of these scores as well as transcription and how accurate they are and whether it is the player that defines style or the original score. The practical side of the submission will be a recital of several of versions from different schools of the said piece(s) to demonstrate my thesis, including a delivery on the recital, etc.
Also, in between the Masters degree and doctoral research, I'll go to the Shanghai Conservatory to train in guqin as an advance student to get my qin skills up a few notches as well as make necessary connections and learn Mandarin before I go back to Blighty to register a plan for the PhD. I don't know what insititution I will do my PhD in, probably SOAS or back at Sheffield (I'd prefer SOAS because it's close to where the action and resources are). Oxford is another option (because they got a copy of Yugu Zhai QP there) but it might be too much work there (you have to do examinations regularly there).
My other plans for research include my yet to come PhD in the distant future, which will be on the construction of the qin. This will involve a field trip to China to watch and record information from various qin makers throughout China, exploring the history of their craft, their differences in construction, the logic behind certain methods, how differences in construction can affect sound and quality, etc. There would be analysis of primary sources such as the Yugu Zhai Qinpu manual of qin construction and to compare it to the modern methods employed and how they improve or not improve the general quality of sound and workmanship. Eventually, the result will be a detailed account of ancient and modern methods of qin construction, why certain things are done in a certain way, the affect of certain construction methods on sound quality and playability, and the approximation of how to create a good qin. The research will be of use to qin makers and players in knowing the organology of the instrument in much more detail than before, and to pave the way to discovering the ideal methods and ways to produce a 'prefect' instrument. But of course, that will not bear fruit if I still get stuck in my current limbo. So many dreams and plans yet no where near to achieving them! *sigh*
After bouts of depression and being a tad manic, I've decided to quit as editor de facto and contributor bona fide roles to the guqin articles and totally focus on self-cultivation and pure music. This has done me a lot of good and has turned me more 'sane'. I now have a rather more romantic view of the qin and a more pessemistic view of life in general. I'll be focusing less on outer influences and more on internal goals. So there you have it.
Will attend a special yaji in London on 2006/05/27. Huang Shuzhi will be there to talk about his silk strings, etc. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 11:36, 26 May 2006 (UTC)
Location: Cheng Yu's house
I spoke to Fred Wong yesterday at the London yaji! He gave a long talk about silk strings and the whole process he went through to make the taiko strings. Blood and sweat! I only understood bits of it as he spoke Mandarin (he can speak Cantonese and English).
I'll point out the important info I mangaed to prise out:
When applying the 'string gum' on the strings, you should so the whole playing length of the string and not just the bit where it needs patching up.
Do not use the new tuning device on silk strings. Never ever ever! You should string traditionally, and you must wrap on the goose feet very quickly (I think he said he uses his bare hands without a cloth...)
You do not need to tune it to 'standard' tuning (i.e. 5th string at A, etc) as there is no standard. It must be tuned in accordance with the qin you have. Tune it to the point it sounds good, then that is the pitch you keep.
When playing with silk strings, you must pluck lightly and not like the way you play metal-nylon. If you play like m-n, then the strings will buzz and slap on the surface. This also stops it from breaking often. It must be played gently.
The bridge should not be too high, the inner edge of the bridge should not be too sharp, and the knot should be in the center and not too much to the right edge. it will break more easier if it is.
The Huqiu strings are not good. They break very easily and the quality does not match the Taigu ones which can be strung to higher tension. It is the reason why may people turned to m-n strings because Huqiu couldn't meet the high standard of previous dynasties. But as soon as the Taigu ones came out, almost all players in Taiwan switched back to silk! The mainland didn't because the main players (e.g. LXT, GY, etc) still advocated m-n.
When you finished playing, always loosen strings 5 to 7. This will avoid them breaking.
Always hang your qin up vertically. This stops it from warping.
Some qins are more suitable for silk, mostly antique qins.
The vacuum packing allows you to keep the strings fresh for over a century! You really need five sets to last a life time!
4th strings is second string to break because its core is the same as the thickness of the 7th string.
Buy the gauge that suits your qin, then only buy that gauge, otherwise you'll have to buy multiple sets (you mustn't mix zhongqing strings with jiazhong strings, etc).
Those are the main points you should know when using silk.
He talked a lot about the difficult process of making them as well. He had to gather a lot people in the know and had to do research on making the strings (a lot of research). One of the main difficulties is getting the best quality silk. The best is AAAAAA and it costs a bomb in some countries. I think he went to Canada because good quality silk was cheaper there! Also, it is difficult to keep consistancy in the batch as the quality is sometimes mixed. The next difficulty is manufacture, half is done by hand and half is done by machine. Then there is the element of the weather as well! Third is quality as it is difficult to get the thicknesses of strings 1 and 7 adequate so 7 won't break and 1 won't be too coarse.
At first he gave out his silk strings to promote them and make people try them out and hopefully use them. At the end of the day, it has to make some money or it won't be worthwhile anymore! So he hopes many people will used or switch to silk strings. Then there will be an adequate market and demand, then more silk string makers would emerge and try to get a better quality string so that there will be more study and reasearch, therefore, resulting in even better quality strings. He said that some players don't like m-n because it cannot replace the distinctive sound of silk, so they continue to use them. They consider m-n to be 'bu gaoya' (not high elegance). To Fred Wong, m-n is for concerts and stuff like that, but if you are not a pro who continuously do gigs like such, then you really should use silk.
For me, I think that if you can play well on silk, then you are a better player/person coz it is hard to get a good sound out of silk strings. If you can play good on m-n and good on silk, then you are playing well, as for silk, you need to be extra relaxed and smooth on your playing. Silk strings can highlight your weaknesses in playing (namely, plucking too hard, wrong angle, etc).
I also heard some ancedotes about Wu Wenguang's (and to a lesser extent, Wu Jinglue) playing style. Since he is trained in Western music which tends for the musician to devote their life and soul to the instrument (i.e. play like your life depended on it), his playing is very lively and vivid. But Fred said that you easily get health problems by doing this continuiosly, you get RSI, etc. He exampled this by describing a DVD which WWG made himself in an amateur sort-of way where he played like if it was his last performance. Understandably, he said that was the last time he will every play like that, to the brink! For normal qin players, such is too excessive and is not really the Chinese idea of what music is about. Of course, this contrasts different sides of qin study, or what the qin is capable of.
At the end of the talk, he and his wife both played a piece. His wife played a melody which she didn't name on Fred's (silk string) antique qin. I think he said it survived a fire (I could see some fire scars). Had a nice finish to the qin as well, smooth but not glossy. Fred then played "Yuqiao Wenda" [Dialogue Between Fisherman and Woodcutter] on Dannong's Qing dynasty qin (also silk). He said it had a nice sound, to the delight of Dan! Afterwards, there was no time for other players to play, but some tested out the qins.
I've decided to re-string my qin using Taigu silk strings I bought some time ago to try them out. So far, they are better than the Huqiu brand. Less buzzing, not as sticky and the sound is much better than the troublesome Huqiu. I might have to change them back to metal-nylon for the Summer School though. I doubt they will be suitable for that purpose (it will be too quiet for me to hear myself play). After the Summer School, I might return them back to silk, it depends. I've recorded Pei Lan on the silk strings. They may need adjusting since the knots of strings 1 to 3 are over the yueshan. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 18:14, 28 May 2006 (UTC)
I quite like silk strings now that I've tried them for a while. They make you play more softer, and I think it shows how good you can play if you can play without buzzing, etc. I will keep this qin silk when I get a new qin as it does sound good with silk (more better than with metal-nylon!). Of course, I will change back to metal-nylon for the summer school, then after, change it back to silk. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 13:41, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
I've decided to repair some bits of my qin by re-applying lacquer. I've already order clear urushi and tsunoko powder from Japan. The main repair I must do (before the summer school) is a dent/hole on the path of string 5 at the 11th hui. It is beginning to impede preformance as whenever I play a note at the position, my ring fingernail sometimes gets caught in it and it digs into the hole further. The wood is exposed, so I must patch that up asap. Other repair work are the cracks at the back of my qin due to natural faults in the wood. They have stabilised, so I can patch them up without them cracking further. Of course, using lacquer is not a walk in the park as there are safety and curing issues involved. But I hope to select the best day when it is hot and humid enough for the lacquer to cure quickly. Will keep you posted. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 08:36, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
Today was the day to begin re-lacquering the qin! I took my table outside into the garden and began to start the work. First, the strings and tuning pegs were removed before hand, then I took the qin to the garden workspace. I then tried to finish off planing the bridge. It is more or less free of sharp edges, but at a cost to tidiness. I left it at that. The lacquer I used was from an online Japanese katana repair shop called Namikawa. The type I bought was called clear urushi (gloss type). There were other types like pure, black, colored, etc, but from the information from Jim Binkley, I chose clear (if your qin is black, then I suppose black urushi is your bet, other than that, use clear). You can get cashew (artificial lacquer) but I heard that it doesn't last as long as urushi, and i don't know if it would stand up to the fingering. Gloss type was because matt maybe difficult to polish to a smooth degree. It came in a tube form. I squeezed (or rather, poured) a bit out and used an urushi brush to apply it to the bridge to seal it. The colour was brown and it matched the colour of the lacquered part of the yueshan, so it was the right choice! I applied it slightly thick, so I removed some.
Next was the main body. I poured some more lacquer into the container, and I used a toothpick as a spatula and scooped out some tsunoko or deer horn powder. This was a white powder. I used the toothpick to stir and blend it together. It turned into a chocolaty colour. After it was more or less blended together, I used the brush to apply it thinly on the dent of the qin. I also applied it to the areas where there was xingyun wen or running-cloud markings, a type of duanwen caused by continuous sliding on the string, waring out the lacquer (you can keep these markings if you are using silk strings, but you must repair them if you are using metal-nylon strings). This especially happens on qins with metal-nylon strings. Without the strings in the way, you can see them visibly as lighter areas, as well as feel a depression on the surface. other points of repair include a crack at the back (which is too wide to seal up), the yintuo, and cracks at the joints of the peg protectors, etc.
After this initial lacquering, I carefully removed hairs that came from the brush from the lacquer, and carefully brushed the lacquer thinner. I then re-hung the qin in my room for it to cure. One point of note about the lacquer is that it stinks! Also, even though I did not have an allergic reaction to it, some other people might, so be aware. Lacquer requires high humidity to cure, so make sure you select a day when it is hot and humid, preferably after a thunderstorm. You can also get a humidifier, or place a bowl of hot water in your room to speed up the process. The temperature ideally should be around 24°C, and the humidity should be around 60% or higher.
The next stage after the lacquer is cured is to polish it, then re-apply a layer of clear lacquer (without the tsunoko), wait for it to cure, then re-polish to a fine finish. More on that process when I get to it. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 13:33, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
Well, after being in LA for two weeks, you'd expect the lacquer to have cured by now... Not even close! Some bits are dry, and you can touch it without it coming onto your fingers, but it is slightly stick. It is starting to bond, like half dried paint that you can't wipe off easily. I estimate I need at least a month! Then there is the polishing and adding another layer to do... I think I know what I may have done wrong, and that is I forgot to add some water to the mixture to thin it down so it will cure quicker! There are several things I can consider:
1. Forget it and wait for it to cure as it is; 2. Spray some water or a light mist on the qin every day to try to speed up the curing process; 3. Get a humidifier with the depleted funds I have; 4. Try and remove the undried lacquer off and start over again, this time, adding water/solvent to the mixture to thin it down.
1 seems to be a gamble that it won't dry. It may without me jumping in. But it looks like it will take ages, plus the humidity is really shitty in the UK. 2 is a better option, but I do not no if it would work, and I'm scared it might do damage rather than help the lacquer dry. 3 is good, but I hardly have enough money to get to the Summer School after my JSA was so stupidly stopped because nobody said that they do that if you go on holiday for more than 14 days! 4 is the ultimate measure that may solve everything, but it would depend if I pin pointed the correct problem in the first place. Also, since the lacquer is sort of bonding to the qin, it may be very difficult to remove, like rubbing sticky half dried jam off.
Either way, I don't think my qin will be ready for the Summer School, which means I'll have to borrow one off Cheng Yu. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 02:08, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Currently trying out spraying water over it. Re-doing the lacquer is too much of a risky option. At any case, I think it sort of increased the humidity in my room to around 70%! Good thing. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 17:41, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
OK, screw the waiting. Onto plan C; strip the half-cured lacquer and start over. I used English Distilled Turpentine (the stuff used in oil paintings) to strip back the lacquer (or rather wipe off). Worked like a charm, but requires some elbow grease. After that, I mixed a new lacquer mixture. It was water, lacquer plus some turpentine. I did not use deer horn powder as it is mostly a overcoat rather than a base coat. I mixed it very well and it turned into a chocolate colour. The colour was light brown but changes to a darker brown after a while. When applied, it was more thinner than my previous attempt, and much easier to brush on. It blended well. With it being rather thin, it should dry/cure much much faster; and because I added some water and a solvent base, it should cure in about a week or two, if not in days. Hopefully it will be successful. If it is, I have to decide to add another layer or not. Either way, I will polish it a bit once it's hardened. If all goes to plan, I don't have to borrow a qin from Cheng Yu for the Summer School. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 15:15, 16 July 2006 (UTC)
After having a heart attack after the qin made a loud cracking sound, due to the wood moving because the humidity fell to the dangerous levels around 20%, I have bought a humidifier. One, it will protect my qin from damage and two, it will speed up the curing of the lacquer (hopefully). *crosses fingers* Somehow, I doubt that my qin will be ready for the Summer School (literally next week!), so I'd have to borrow one from Cheng Yu. I'm still waiting for confirmation from AMC so I can book the hotel! --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 14:42, 20 July 2006 (UTC)
The lacquer is starting to cure, but it won't cure in time for the summer school. I have to also try and teach my sister how to use it so she can operate it during my time at the summer school. God knows how dry it would be; I don't want my qin to get damaged in the hands of my sister! --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 13:24, 26 July 2006 (UTC)
Yes! The lacquer is almost there! Just a few more days, and then I can start with the second layer! --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 17:52, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
The lacquer was more or less cured, so I decided to take the qin down and polish it with a stone. It is more or less done, but since the dent is still evident, I decided to use some of the left over lacquer from last time and cover it fully. I will now wait for those little bits to cure, which is around a week and a half to be safe. Then, I'll decide whether or not to apply another layer of lacquer. Either way, I will need to buy a fine grade sandpaper to make the surface as smooth as possible, because the stone polishing is patchy in places. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 13:49, 8 August 2006 (UTC)
Next stage. I used a thick deer horn powder mixture with some lacquer, solvent and water to patch up the cracks at the back of the qin. Dunno if it will cure fully since it is sorta thick to cover the holes... I also used the mixture on the dent on the surface since multiple layers of clear lacquer doesn't seem to fully patch it. I discovered that lacquer with a high water content cures very quickly, in a matter of days. Basically, I poured water over leftover lacquer about a month ago, covering it completely. It formed a hard layer, then inside, the lacquer is still soft and you can re-use it. The lacquer cures faster with high water content because it cures through evaporation of the moisture inside the lacquer. The more water there is, the faster it would cure. Less water content means not much water to evaporate, therefore it just sits there, slowly curing, if ever.
Polishing. You can use a stone, for rough work, but it can create lines on the surface. Best use a very fine grit sandpaper (P2500 grit) with water and it will come out very shiny and smooth! --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 12:14, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
Polished the deer horn powder mixture and applied another layer of clear lacquer mix. Ran out halfway! Hopefully, it is thick enough. Another week of so until it is ready for the final polishing and then finish! Outcome might not be master quality, but as if I got enough money to send the thing to China for repairs (probably cost as much as a new qin with the shipping back and forth)... --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 11:20, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
Article on qin lacquer repairs that I wrote is here. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 14:23, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
Finished! I've finally done repairing the lacquer on the qin after two and a half months of work! I used P1200 sandpaper in the end (couldn't find a place that sells a finer paper) so the finish was slightly matt finish rather than glossy. However, the dent is more or less repaired. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 16:35, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
I'll be (hopefully if I get the funds) studying at the RAM in London from 29th July to the 2nd August 2006. The player teaching qin will be Gong Yi. I'll also be learning pipa from Cheng Yu. It is for five days now, instead of last year's eight, which pisses me off slightly. It means a loss of three days that could have been beneficial. This sqeezes the timetable very tight, leading me to want to spend most of my time in the guqin class. I'm on a roll with the qin and musn't be hampered. It'll have to be at least three days on qin, 2 or 1 and a half days on pipa (probably only on ensemble work for the yet to be known informal concert)... We'll know when thje the timetable is drawn up and sent to me once I booked it. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 10:24, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
Tut! Since the stupid Jobcentre stopped my payments, I have been in a pickle as to the funding of my London trip. I have to overdraw my account I'm afraid. Another thing is that I'm scared that my sign in day will fall on a day when I'm there! It has to be on a Wednesday! If it was on Friday, I don't need to tell the JC! I'll have to see if my sign in day changes or not, but I'd rather it doesn't fall on SS week... --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 22:44, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Good! My new sign in date does not fall on the week! Yippee! Now I can start booking the Summer School and hotel. I'll have to use my overdraft and hope that will repelish itself in time, plus hope that I get a good lump sum from my birthday like last year! *crosses fingers* --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 17:43, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
I have sent the form for the Summer School. The next thing to do is book the accom. Will do so when I recieve confirmation of my place in the SS. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 15:16, 16 July 2006 (UTC)
I've been and will do a report shortly. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 14:11, 8 August 2006 (UTC)
After a read of my frequent forum, one of my forum buddies had finished one course at the Open University. I thought, "if only I could study music there". I then checked out the website and after a few minutes of browsing, I could in fact, study a Diploma in Music (Dip Mus (Open)) there, with a full grant, et al.! This would probably pave the way to my eventual MMus study at SOAS. Currently, I probably have to do a Foundation Diploma for Postgraduate Studies (FDPS) for a year there before I could do the Masters as I did not study music for my BA, plus, my class was a 2:2 rather than the 2:1 they are asking for. The FDPS won't be funded, so I have to fork out £7,360 for the course, plus over £10,000 for maintenace; money which I don't have. Of course, it could potentially be a waste of time if SOAS doesn't accept the Dip Mus (Open) and I have to do the FDPS anyways. I'll have to ask properly what my position is, or I'd have wasted my time and money if I get it wrong. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 21:24, 15 July 2006 (UTC)
OK, finally decided to go for an OU course!
I'll be studying for a Diploma in Music; Dip Mus (Open), which will hopefully help me get into SOAS for an MMus in Performance!
The timing of the courses is a bit shitty. I wanted to do the Level 1 Start listening to music, but it starts on Feb 2007. If I did that, then there will be a big gap of over 9 months before the next course for me to do starts. So I'll have to do some other course, before fitting in a level 2 course that starts on the Feb 2007 date. I will do a science course rather than an arts course coz the only interesting arts course at Level 1 is the Start listening to music one.
So my plan is as follows (need 120pts):
S180 - Life in the oceans: exploring our blue planet [Sept 2006] Lv1 10pt (not counted towards dip.)
TA212 - The technology of music [Feb 2007] Lv2 60pt (not counted towards dip.)
A179 - Start listening to music [Nov 2007] Lv1 10pt (not counted towards dip.)
A214 - Understanding music: elements, techniques and styles [Feb 2008] Lv2 60pt (with one week residental school)
Another science course to kill time during 2008 winter (not counted towards dip.)
AA314 - Music and words (prov. title) [circa. Feb 2009] Lv3 60pt
I'll have the diploma by the autumn of 2009! Long time till then, but I'd need more time if I didn't do it to get enough funds for SOAS's shittyly expensive FDPS course that I will have to do as my degree class is lower than asked for in a subject not in music... --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 21:58, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
I've changed my study plan to save a year in light of my confusion with the point system:
S194 - Introducing Astronomy [Sept 2006] Lv1 10pt (for Cert Cont Sci)
A214 - Understanding music: elements, techniques and styles [Feb 2007] Lv2 60pt (with one week residental school in Durham University)
S180 - Life in the oceans: exploring our blue planet [Nov 2007] Lv1 10pt (for Cert Cont Sci)
AA314 - Music and words (prov. title) [circa. Feb 2008] Lv3 60pt (or something else)
I can get into SOAS by Sept 2008 if I'm lucky enough.
TA212 - The technology of music course would be done some other time (and I will want to do it as it has stuff to do with acoustics, etc that will be useful for me in future when I do my PhD on qin construction). --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 13:33, 11 August 2006 (UTC)
Apparently, I can be recommended for admission to SOAS if I have evidence of my musical abilities and skills... and performance experience. Well, performance experience defo, but as for evidence of my musical abilities and skills, ziltch maybe... Looks like I have to do the diploma (or part of it) anyways, but it looks like i can skip the dreaded FDPS shit. I'll need the diploma to gain necessary skills in music myself, but I'd rather do things sooner rather than later coz my time is running out... --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 08:30, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
OK, shortcut to MMus program is now very unlikely. I apparently do not have the skills to do it... Anyhoo, that is not gonna put me off! I'm still gonna do the Dip Mus, and it also means I have to do a Postgraduate Diploma in Music; PGDip (Mus), as well! But it might lead me onto doing the full MA Music degree; might as well (only a dissertation between the PGDip and the MA), plus, they can't dish me off then since that is a Masters degree rather than the Bachelor 2:2 class they frown upon! But if I do do the MA, then doing the MMus would be slightly redundant then, wouldn't it? In fact, it would be like doing the bloody degree again and since my time is not particularly liberal, it would be rather taxing and silly, just to get the letters "MMus" at the back of my name. I want to learn Chinese music and the MMus at SOAS is the only specialist place to do it. But they are asking a lot from me, and I want to specialise in Performance, and not Ethnomusicology as such... Oh well, screw the MMus! MA in Music it will be! Then I can do a PhD there and show them! God, if only I discovered music sooner and then I would have been through all this shit already! *sigh*
The diploma in music plan will stay the same, but after I got it, the timetable for the MA Music will be something like this:
S193 - Fossils and the History of Life [Nov 2008] Lv1 10pt (for Cert Cont Sci)
A870 - Postgraduate Foundation Module in Music [Jan 2009] 60pt
S??? - A science course [Nov 2009] Lv1 10pt (for Cert Cont Sci)
A871 - Performances and Repertories [Feb 2010] 60pt
S??? - A science course [Nov 2010] Lv1 10pt (for Cert Cont Sci)
A877 - The Music Dissertation [Feb 2011] 60pt
S??? - A science course [Nov 2011] Lv1 10pt (for Cert Cont Sci)
Plus, might as well get a Certificate of Contemporary Science; Cert Cont Sci, whilst I'm at it... LOL --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 16:15, 14 August 2006 (UTC)
Well, just discovered that I can't apply for financial help for postgraduate studies. Bugger. That means I have to save up for the MA, or PGDip. Why does there always have to be obstacles in the way of my plans? *groan* Oh well, must try and get a part-time job. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 11:03, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
Oh great! I just found out that I can't apply for financial award for a large course if I am in arrears to the SLC and hold a degree! Just great, throws a spanner in the works, doesn't it?! How am I gonna cough up £900? An option ios to postpone the Dip Mus and just go for the Cert Con Sci until I get enough money but that will further push the time... Always have to be shitty obstacles in the way! Hmph!
OK, I don't think I can save up to that much in time. I'll have to do the Cert Con Sci next year until I get enough money for the higher courses. My new timetable is as follows:
S194 - Introducing Astronomy [Sept 2006] Lv1 10pt
S196 - Planets: An Introduction [Nov 2006] Lv1 10pt
S197 - How the Universe Works [Feb 2007] Lv1 10pt
S180 - Life In The Oceans: Exploring Our Blue Planet [May 2007] Lv1 10pt
S193 - Fossils and the History of Life [Sept 2007] Lv1 10pt
A199 - Modelling the climate [Nov 2007] Lv1 10pt
Then, hopefully, I'd have gotten a job and money by then so I can go onto the next phase (if successful):
A214 - Understanding music: elements, techniques and styles [Feb 2008] Lv2 60pt
A179 - Start listening to music [Nov 2008] Lv1 10pt
AA314 - Music and words (prov. title) [circa. Feb 2009] Lv3 60pt (or something else)
From then on, I'll see if I can do the MA. But as far as it is for now, my main aim is to get the Cert Con Sci. I'll worry about the Dip Mus at a later date. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 10:49, 24 August 2006 (UTC)
The course materials for S194 Introducing Astronomy has arrived through the post! Looks pretty straight forward. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 15:45, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
There could be a way of doing the Dip Mus. I would have to pay the fees in installments rather than up front. This would require me saving up at least half the money before mid-January next year in order for me to have a good chance of paying the fee in time. If that is the case, then I might abandon the Cert Con Sci and follow my original plan. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 21:42, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
Oh FFS! Another shitty problem has arisen! My father told me that I must now pay the Council Tax bills from now on, meaning an automatic deduction of £72 from my income! Now that makes a HUGE difference, because it means I cannot save anything (in fact, I will make losses each month even if I don't touch my bank account) so that's good-bye to Dip Mus or anything at all! So, what now? Well, I'm sick and tired of all this blatant smack in the face. That is why I am cooking yet another plan of action to get me into postgraduate study! After I've done my astronomy OU course, I'll quit the OU and then study to pass the ABRSM music theory exams to at least grade 5. After which, it automatically leads to...
Enough delays. I'm hoping that either of them will accept me if I pass the ABRSM exams. Surely they can. Otherwise, I will have lost complete faith in the system. I've got more of a chance to get into Sheffield than SOAS, but I'd rather take my chances and apply for both. But most importantly, I must get funding approved by the funding bodies, otherwise, it's the end for me. It is beginning to be an extremely hard struggle with my parents not supporting my music, and all this pussyfooting just takes the biscuit. I don't care, I'm going to fight until the very last breath! This means war! --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 12:05, 19 September 2006 (UTC)
There maybe a chance for me to do the Dip Mus afterall, I have a job interview today! It all boils down to whether I get it or not. If I do, then it's on the books, if not, then back to square one... Fingers crossed. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 08:26, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
Let's not beat around the bush.... back to square one! Grrrrrr... --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 08:31, 30 September 2006 (UTC)
Just got an e-mail from Sheffield Uni saying that there is a good chance I can get into their Masters degree program! I got the necessary musical skills, plus my philosophy degree could be appropriate! I just need to choose the program I want to do (if it is a research program, I have to submit a research proposal) and select the references that are appropriate! Great! I can begin to set in motion my application for the degree and funding! --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 20:26, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
The degree I chose was to do the MMus by research. Details at the Research section at the top of this page. It allows me to pursue a specialised study on the qin (MA Ethnomusicology is mostly training) and is much suited to my plans about researching qin schools and a springboard to PhD level. Will begin application process in due course. --Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 10:46, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
Tut! Too late now! After my family disapproval, the chances of me going to Sheffield now looks bleak... --Charlie Huang【正矗昊】 14:57, 21 January 2007 (UTC)
After over fifteen years, I've managed to do an MA in Traditional and World Music at Sheffield (2019-21), and am on course to do a PhD in a few years time (from 2027-30). I did not need family approval, I just needed to use my own initiative to pursue it. Charlie Huang【遯卋山人】 19:16, 1 March 2024 (UTC)
I've decided that I'm slightly out of my depth here, so I am abandoning my university plans until later in life. From now on, I'm concerntrating on qin playing and self-cultivation. In terms of scholarly work, I'll be focusing my attention on obtaining a fellowship from the Burgon Society. In terms of life, after my near mid-life crisis, I honestly do not know what to do but to hope things will turn for the better for me. --Charlie Huang【遯卋山人】 10:46, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
In respect of Dannong's remarks at the yaji, I will now outline the academic dress of the society if in all possibility that the society should obtain learned society status and will need it:
Gown: A black stuff gown of the London BA shape [b4] (i.e. long open sleeves, gathered at the forearm and held together with a cord and button); a light blue silk London BMus (Conv.) [m9] (i.e. long closed sleeves with a double ogee curve at the boot of the sleeve) or a black stuff London MA gown [m4] (i.e. long closed sleeves with a gentle S-shaped curve at the boot of the sleeve) for officers; or any suitable black bachelor's gown to which the member is entitled to. Non-members may wear the Oxford Commoner's gown [u5].
Hood: A cream corded stuff or silk simple-shape hood of the Burgon shape [s2] (or a new design; "Youlan" simple-shape, i.e. similar to the Burgon but with square instead of curved edges) fully lined and bound in vermillion red silk; or a cream damask full-shape hood of the London full-shape [f3] (i.e. Cambridge full-shape but with rounded corners on the cape) fully lined in vermillion red silk satin and bound ½" on the cape and 1" on the cowl in light blue silk for officers.
Cap: A simple single-panelled soft black stuff or black hem/gauze stuff Chinese scholar's cap (si-fang pingding jin) with two streamers; a full double-panelled and stiff-boarded black velveteen Chinese scholar's cap with two streamers and a small white rectangular jade tablet on the forehead portion of the cap for officers; or an ordinary square cap [h1] (i.e. mortarboard).
The rationale behind the scheme is that since the society is primarily based in London and that it has London in its name, it would be fitting to use academic dress of the University of London; that and because the founding president (i.e. Cheng Yu) is an alumnus of SOAS. Most of the members would probably be London graduates as well. The London BA gown would be most suitable. As for the gown for the officers, the London BMus/MMus would be appropriate since this is a music society. The colour of the hoods are based on the OxbridgeDMus colours of cream and cherry silk; vermillion red is used because it is a Chinese colour. The simple shape hood of Burgon is preferred for ordinary members as it is less costly than a full shaped one as well as pleasing to look at. The full shape London hood would be reserved for the officers, in which case, they should be made in expensive fabric (as if it is meant to be passed on to successors instead of keeping them). They are also bound with an inch of light blue silk which comes from the fact that light blue is the London faculty colour for music. The Chinese scholar's cap is the important element (and unique quality) which distingushes this society from the rest.
This scheme may change in future and is only drawn up for amusement. It has not been approved by the society or by robemakers.
For more infromation on academic dress (and know what I'm on about), read: Shaw, George W. (1995), Academical Dress of British and Irish Universities. Chicester: Philmore & Co. Ltd. ISBN0-85033974-X; read the wiki article the Academic dress of the University of London; or visit the Burgon Society website.
Was planned to be included in the article when someone planned for its deletion (probably because it contained mostly Chinese). Ended up having to whisk it here to save all the hard work of editing it! It might end up in Wikisource, who knows. The translation is merely for fun; I don't think I have the time and effort to finish it (or correct it), but hey.
Lay the (left) middle finger on 10th (hui) down/up half an inch [1] on the shang string. The (right) index and middle fingers pluck strings gong and shang in succession. The middle finger quickly moves down and hooks onto (hui) 13 down one inch, then picks up the shang string. The (right) index finger plays open notes slowly by plucking inwards strings gong and shang, then plucks outward on shang. Then again plucks inward on gong and shang. Lay flat the (left) ring finger on the 13th (hui) outside it one inch on both shang and jiao strings, then pluck inwards (with right index finger) on these strings twice, with an outward pluck on shang in between. That is one phrase.
Very very slowly; press the (left) middle finger on the 10th hui on shang; very very slowly, play open notes with the (right) index finger plucking outwards without pause on the yu and zhi strings. The (right) ring finger plucks the shang string inwards, the index plucks the zhi string outwards. This is one phrase.
"Precious knowledge must not be distributed indiscriminatly, for the ancients and learned did bestow them upon us for our benefit to understand ourselves and the world around us; to let them be un-used, or abused is disrespectful to their work. But if a gentle man or woman shall traverse the seven seas, climb the five mountains, journey through the dangers of the world and surpass all obstacles in their way, that they truly wish to obtain these jewels and gems of world, using all their sincerity and might; then let them have the knowledge they seek, for they are worthy of nothing less for their efforts and struggles. That is why the Emperor fails to find the elixir because he sends others to do his work, whilst the poor monk finds it because he knows what true elixir is and that he must personally go and find it."
"The educated know no more about themselves than the village idiot does about themselves."
"What is happiness? It is to not forget those we love the most."
"If you listen to popular music and nothing else, then you fail to appreciate anything else."
"If a penny fell from the sky and landed in front of me, then it was sent by demons. If it landed behind me, it was sent by Heaven. If it landed on my head, someone must have dropped it..."
"You know you are deranged if you start fanastising about being in love with a bald-patched man with a goatee who calls himself 'Derren'..."
"Laughing makes us weak, crying makes us strong."
"If two men were to fall in love with each other, then let that be; for the greatest regret is to be lonely, to not be true to oneself, to stop caring for those we love because of others' discrimination. Thus it is said, true love is not hedonistic, for true love must have restraint. To cherish others, to respect others, to be with others forever. To deny others of that love, is that not the greatest crime we can inflict on others?"
"It is better to die knowing you did something than to die with regret knowing you didn't."
"The fact remains, Sirs; that petty men rule the world because they focus on nothing but their gain. If it were me, I'll make sure that our humanity is placed first before profit; for what use is money if it is in the hands of petty men?"
"Petty men destroy the work of gentlemen and others. It is no wonder they look like religious fanatics, hell-bent on hate. They should look in the mirror to see what they look like (or if they don't have a mirror, pee in a bucket and use that instead)..."
"I feel like a bird in a cage; the cage door is open for me to fly out, but a string is tied to my leg and the cage."
Here is my current abridged autobiography in a pseudo-Classical Chinese "official biography" form; an idea borrowed from a fellow Wikipedian. It may not be well written as my Classic Chinese expertise is rather limited (i.e. near non-existant!!!), but I hope you enjoy deciphering it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've wikified most terms, names and metaphors that maybe difficult to understand, since some are my own conceptions as they either don't exist or are translated terribly by others (especially names of Western people and places, which sound like a string of gobbledy-gook). I've made the characters big so you can read them clearly. Mind you, some bits are not meant to be taken too seriously! It is continuously updated whenever a major event in my life takes place, or what I deem to be important information that you should know...
I hereby award this slash symbol for the order of chivalry of Commander of Slash 《龍陽砍文揮官》 (CSl) by The Order of Rites and Music 【禮樂勳章】 to Mrs Tina-pin for contributions to the genre of Slash fiction. Awarded by: Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 10:16, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
Domine, ego auctoritate mea et totius Vicipædia do tibi, Miborovsky, licentiam incipiendi honoris causa in facultate Juris legendi, disputandi, et caetera omnia faciendi quae ad statum Doctoris in eadem facultate pertinent, cum ea completa sint quae per statuta requiruntur. Charlie Huang 【正矗昊】 13:00, 24 February 2008 (UTC)
T'was the 22nd of July and the Summer School (SS) was to begin on Saturday 23rd! Arrived in London during the afternoon. The thing that pissed me off was that Marnix who said that he'll let me stay at his place is out of the country and won't be back until later in the week! Que panic of last night in trying to book accomadation at Marylebone Hall (student accom.), forking out £139 at the door, zapping away half of my birthday money and my spending funds... Anyways, with nothing to do, I sat in my room, strumming the qin as I tried to fill in 6 hours plus of borem (I hardly think the shops in Chinatown will be open around this time...). Difficult to get to sleep as the roaring traffic kept it's pace, even 12 floors above the street...
Next day, registration at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM). So off I went with my qin, meeting everyone at the reception, obtaining the folder with maps and timetables etc. At the David Josewitz (could never learn how to spell or prounounce that name) Hall for the opening ceremony. After that lardy dar, off to our classrooms. It was the same as last years, G46 for qin. And so, arranged the tables and set out or qins. Zeng Chengwei then had us all tune our qins to the standard pitch (mines didn't need to coz it was spot on). Then, he told us that he teaches face to face rather than go around pointing out individually. And he doesn't want to teach pieces that are not Shu school. So, we sat at the head of the room and listened to his playing of several Shu pieces. We then had to choose which one to learn, then every session we take it in turns to learn face to face with him. Unfortunately, the material and tablature that he sent over from China was not to be seen. It was passed onto someone to photocopy but they didn't do it, so we had to wait until the afternoon session. So after lunch, we collected all the scores and chose our pieces. I chose Liu Shui coz I have dabbled in it. After the session was over, we went our seperate ways, some stayed behind to practice. But we were to meet up around 6 to make our way to the concert venue at LSO St. Luke's. Because of the London bombings, several tube lines were out of action, those ones that go straight to the venue, so we had to meander our selves somehow to get there.
The time arrived and we all gathered at the RAM entrance. Talk of taking a cab or somehow tubing it. We split up; several of us were to try to flag down a taxi, several of us (including me) were to go to the hotel where Zeng Chengwei was staying and get on a pre-booked taxi. So, after we arrived at the hotel, Ginger (AMC staff) phoned the taxi company but they said that they'll be there at 7 (concert starts at half past), so she cancels it (big mistake) and attempts to flag one down outside. After failure, she tried to retract her cancelation, but no said taxi company, so with the concert time looming at but 15 mins time, we eventually decided to tube it to the Barbican, which is the second nearest tube station and 10 min walk to the venue. We got there with seconds to spare! The other group did not turn up until the second performance. At the break, they said that they took a bus, missed their stop and had to taxi it back to the venue! Anyways, the concert of Cheng Yu and Wang Ciheng went great. The second half was Indian music. I find this setup better since you get to hear different kinds of music rather than one, and you get a bigger crowd. People who wouldn't have seen other types of music will have to in order to hear their own tastes. Afterwards, homeward bound.
Next day, I got up early, but found out that the RAM was shut! Coz it was a Sunday, they don't open up until 10. So, with nothing to do, I walked around Regent's Park (behind the RAM). Killed all my time, plus met Christopher Evan's practicing his qin on a bench! Some curious Indian people were talking to him about the qin! Then, I got a call from Marnix, then he had a chat with Chris, then off to the RAM.
Today, was my pipa sessions (I'm taking both qin and pipa) with Cheng Yu. It was my first real lesson on pipa and I learnt to correct a lot of bad techniques, etc. So afterwards, there was the dizi seminar (or lecture) with Wang Ciheng at the DJH. After, another pipa session. For the concert that evening, we was prepared at how to get their, by tube! The concert was for Zeng Chengwei and Hu Bin. Afterwards, we went to a noodle bar near Cheng Yu's house at King's Cross.
Next day, I had qin in the morning and pipa in the afternoon. Between that, I joined the ensemble class during lunch. It was more bigger than last year which had around four people plus Hu Bin on erhu. Now, we had over 10 people on various instruments (5 on pipa, 2 on dizi, 2 on erhu, one yangqin played by Colin and a guzheng played by Brian). After our initial introductions (during which I discovered that Max the rather good dizi player came from my hometown) we began to learn to play Moli Hua (Jasmine Flower), two versions of it put together and addapted by Cheng Yu.
Then the seminar in the evening was by Professor Jonathan Stock from Sheffield on contemporary Chinese music. A lot of intriguing CDs were sampled. Interesting.
The evening concert was Japanese c/w Indian. We heard the koto music which was excellent (sadly, the Shinobue player couldn't make it for some reason), and the very fast Sitar performance. Afterwards, dinner at the noodle bar (you haven't heard the last of it).
The next day was pretty much the same, alternation of sessions, ensemble (given a new piece to learn). There was no seminar or concert, but we had a yaji. So far, I've spent nearly all my funds on qinpu, CDs and a dizi... I had to take money out of the AMT... Anyways, after the yaji, we went to a rather expensive Chinese restaurant called Fenghuang Ge.
Next day, similar, but we had the seminar on guqin making in the evening. Plus, we had a photo session (see above) at the Duke's Hall. Back to noodle bar for dinner, but not until we zoomed pass the station because of a security alert, meaning turning back and walking to the noodle bar from Euston Square station.
Thursday we had seminar on erhu by Hu Bin. Plus during the afternoon, we saw the Taiko performance (t'was the last day for the Japanese SS). Then, another seminar on the koto (the qin session was delayed so we could see it). Chinatown for dinner, plus failed attempt at obtaining a seal stone coz the shops were closed (tried earlier in the week in the morning, but it was closed so wasted trip!).
This was the day Zeng Chengwei sort of fixed my yue shan on my qin (see full account in the guqin forum), which made us late for Cheng Yu's seminar. Max had to go back to Brum for a gig before returning next morning! Got his contact in the end. Had to move to Sarah's house for the night as I discovered I booked one night less (and I was skint by now).
Saturday, and final day of the SS :'( . After the final session, there was the SS concerts. Chinese was up first followed by Indian. We set up the ensemble positions. Then, qin came first (didn't play coz I was asked at the last minute), followed by pipa, erhu and dizi (Max played a wonderful piece on the hulusi). Then ensemble time. Skipped Moli Hua coz there wasn't enough time, and went straight onto Caiyun Zhuiyue. Some stayed behind for Indian concert, and afterwards, we all went home!!!
From Birmingham, got on the train at around 7pm to London. Arrived in London at around half 9 and went to Cheng Yu's house. Unfortunately, she wasn't in! I waited for a long time and started to wonder whether she forgot I was staying at her's for the night (the hotel only had places from the 29th... so must stay at her's for the night). Waited for about half an hour, still hadn't shown up. I was having thoughts of whether I waill be sleeping on the streets tonight. I thought, "she couldn't have forgotten". E-mails was read properly et al. Then two hours of standing, she appeared! She said she thought I wasn't coming coz I didn't send her a confirmation that I was coming to stay at her's for the night! Oh well... It could have been a lot worse...
[Sat 29th July]
Summer school day! Helped Cheng Yu and Sun Zhuo take the instruments to the RAM via taxi. 3 qins, 3 pipas, 2 erhus, my luggage, etc. Fare: £8.
Took all the instruments to appropriate rooms, then waited for registration at 10. Finished registration, then went to the Recital Room (rather stuffy, use to be the taiko room) for the welcome. With no windows, the electric fans were at full blast. The room began filling up, but not before I had to run around the place devilering different instruments to different rooms (the RAM is split into two buildings, main and York Gate, so there is a lot of running around, plus the lifts were broken as well...). The room filled up to the point of no more seats, so many had to stand up. Most teachers came and sat, then the welcome began with Ginger introducting the teachers, etc.
After all the formalities, everyone made their way to their workshops. We stayed out since the qin workshop was in the recital room. After moving the tables around and the qins were set up and an initial chat, the workshop began. This year, we had Gong Yi. There was about 8 players, two of which were beginners. Gong Yi then explaining about the qin, going through basic technqiues. He handed us simple drills, mostly to do with correcting posture and technique.
The room wasn't perfect, we'd prefer the one we was in last year, so the AMC people began to make arrangements for the move.
We then went to lunch. I had to take go to Marylebone High St for a sandwich as I had an ensemble class at 1 and the qin class sort of ran longer. At the ensemble class, we began to do the same pieces as last year, since we only had three days! The dizi people wasn't here coz the dizi classes don't start until the next day. I discovered that the dizi class almost got cancelled because there was not many people taking it! The erhu class has increased its stock to eight. Pipa is much higher than last year. Unfortunately for me, I didn't do much practice on the pipa before hand. Anyways, there's plenty of time to work on it in the coming days. Since the SS is shorter this year, I had to do without any pipa lessons.
After that, we went to the seminar by Gong Yi. Gong Yi's seminar was mostly about his discoveries he made about qin music. Controversial in tone, he began to systematically discuss some views on the aspect and nature of qin music from a scientific point of view. He disagrees with some traditionalists perception that the qin is not a musical instrument, and sets out to demonstrate the qin in an objective light. He said that people actually went up to him and said he was wrong, but he say's that he's not saying that the qin can't be viewed in traditional light, but that they can also be viewed from a scientific view as well. He talked about the need to progress the qin's development or it will become stagnant. There was too much said to be written here, so that was a brief summary.
After a tea break, we were back at the workshop until the end of the first day. After the workshop, we walked (the tube line was closed) to Kings Cross for dinner at the noodle bar.
[Sun 30th July]
Next day, had breakfast with my leftover sandwich. Then went to Regent's Park for a walk before the Academy opened its doors.
At the RAM, went straight to practicing my pipa pieces for the ensemble (Moli Hua and Caiyun Zhuiyue). Afterwards, went to the qin workshop, which has now moved back to last year's venue, G46. There had been some renovation since last year, and a shop had appeared (no stock in yet). Handouts were given and the piece was Shenren Chang. GY played it to show us and then described it's history. After which, we all attempted it. The beginners were given the Kangding Love Song to practice on.
After, we went to lunch. Since I had the ensemble class, I had to do a takeaway. At the ensemble class, still no dizi people turned up, so we went along as plannned. After the ensemble class, we went to Wang Ciheng's seminar. I was wondering where Max was, so I texted him last night (Hua Ping said he was in China). Not the case in his reply text; he was coming on Monday but only for a day because of family reasons. WCH's seminar discussed the various styles and compositions of the dizi, including modern ones. It was very interesting to discover that some players can tell which part of China you are from just by the way you play. WCH said he was a southerner and when he tried to play a northern piece, northeners immediately said he was a southerner! He said he had to learn the way northeners spoke and their way of living before he can play in the northern style without northerners distinguishing him from them!
We then went for a tea break, before going to the last workshop of the day. After the ws, we went to Chinatown for dinner.
[Mon 31st July]
After another visit to Regent's Park, I got back to the RAM for early pipa practice. I also saw Max after one year. Then to the qin workshop. GY gave us further scores for various pieces from his green book. He also bought some stuff from China to sell. These included his green book, VCDs, metal-nylon and silk strings, LXT's impro CDs, his own new CDs, etc. He worked mostly on techniques we had difficulty with.
For lunch, we went to Marco Polo. Then, I was off to ensemble class. This time, there was three dizi players from the children's music summer school. Complicated to describe the situation but at least we had some players, even though this was basically our last full day for ensemble practice!
Then, the seminar with Cheng Yu began. She talked about the AMC's recent trip to China to record music from various regions and styles. We were shown recordings of these. After a tea break, it was the next workshop, then the yaji started.
I, was in my tuxedos for this! GY first gave a short talk, then the qin playing began. Afterwards, it was dinner at Fenghuang Ge near Baker Street.
[Tues 1st August]
Back to pipa practice in the morning. Almost cracked the scores!Then to the workshops. Afterwards, we went for lunch at the same place again. This time, there was no more ensemble class, so I took my time. Since the GY and CY had a concert this night, there was no afternoon classes. We mainly wondered about and did qin practice. Then, after tea, we went to the taiko seminar with Motofuji-san at the Duke's Hall.
After that, we went our ways to prepare for the night's concert.
At the concert, it was at the David Josewitz Hall. The programme is as follows:
1. Liu Shui (GY)
2. Zhuiyu Changye (GY)
3. Tsubasa ni notte, Hashiru, Tadayou, Soshite Odoru (Etsuko Takezawa, koto)
4. Midare (ET) on the programme it says Rokudan, but she played Midare instead by accident...
5. Zhaojun Chusai (CY)
6. Yizu Wuqu (CY)
Afterwards, I bought some CDs, then it was off back to hotel.
[Wed 2nd August]
Last day!!! Early start at the RAM to do pipa, and cracked most of it. Then to the final worshop with GY. After lunch at the usual place, it was time for the CMSS and the JMSS student concert!
At the concert, I played Kongzi Duyi. Many of us have imrproved our skills! After that, there was the group photos of the SS participants. There was no guqin class because GY had to prepare to go back to Shanghai the next morning.
At night, we went to the last concert, but not before dinner at a buffet restaurant down the road. The concert programme is as follows:
1. Deep autumn (WCH, with yangqin)
2. The dove takes wing (WCH)
3. Pastoral song (WCH, with yangqin)
4. The story of Lan huahua (Hu Bin)
5. another piece that isn't listed on the programme (HB)
Break
6. A variety of compositions by Motofuji-san.
7. Umi - koete (erhu and taiko duet) (M and HB)!
The taiko and erhu duet was probably the highlight of the evening and a perfect end to the summer school! Then, the artists and musicians went to Fenghuang Ge for dinner (we went along as well).
[Thurs 3rd August]
Checked out and went to the train station before boarding the train back to Brum!
After arriving the previous day, registration began at 9:20. I arrived early (as always) and began to check out the place. I met Julian at the Indian YMCA where we were staying on my way to breakfast but I decided to head off to the RAM since it is about 15 mins walk unlike the previous year coz Marylebone Hall is closed for refurbishment would you believe it...
Slightly different this year in that we start later than the Indian SS. The Japanese proper one starts later even. They wanted the last day to be when all the participant's concerts are to be held.
After unloading my qin at the good ol' room G46, I began to wander about the place, meeting Ginger et al. I managed to Joshua Wickerham as well as Jim Binkley. We all ended up back at the qin room and that was wear the welcome was going to be held. It was gonna be held at the David Whatshisface Hall but it had been double booked! Ho hum...
This year, dizi was axed and pipa was in hiatus leaving guqin and erhu. No ensemble classes to worry about then... That meant there wasn't really much 'extra-curricula' activities to join. Oh well...
We had around 12 participant's this year, which is up from last year. Zeng Chengwei has returned to teach us, much to my pleasure. He is a very good teacher IMHO. The three beginners were placed to the front of the class to receive preliminary instruction from him whilst the rest of us prepare and practice pieces. The structure was essentially the same as two years back, 15 - 20 mins face-to-face tuition each.
For lunch, this year is different in that the AMC offers an Indian lunch should you choose to pay for it. Everyone seems to have except for me (not much of a fan of Indian food...). So, no group trip to Marylebone High Street this year. I had to go by myself!
After workshop 2, it was tea break before the 'Short Demo from Taiko Course'. He also began to repair the lacquer on some qins whilst people watched.
At this point, I had to run all the way back to my hotel to get into my Hanfu for the yaji. You should have guessed that I completely missed the Taiko... tsk!
The yaji was held, in Dannong's words, 'in examination conditions'. Because ZCW gave two talks two years ago (one on Shu school style qin and one on guqin making) so there was nothing much to talk about. Everyone took turns to play a piece and it was over before you know it.
After the group photo, some of us (including me and the Prof) decided to go to dinner. Six of us when to the Phoenix place like last year. Big mistake, coz we ordered a set meal that wasn't really good and the bill came to £170 (or £36 per person)!!! Good Lordi, too expensive.
Dissatisfied with the quick yaji, Cheng Yu et al. decided to hold a 'secret yaji' at Chinwee's place on Friday.
[1st August]
There was nothing special this day. We did see the fruits of ZCW's labouring over the qin lacquer. Apparently, the lacquer was reluctant to cure because the English climate wasn't humid enough! He had to re do some of them and put a damp cloth over them to help them cure overnight. He said that in ideal conditions, the lacquer should dry in three hours! We all took some tips from him, especially Jim Binkley.
The highlight was the seminar where ZCW and Hu Bin gave a pre-concert talk about the pieces they were going to play tomorrow night. The 'official' translator de facto was our own Joshua Wickerham-sama.
For tonight's dinner, Dannong took us to a Malaysian place. Food was good and, thankfully, cheap.
[2nd August]
There were two workshops plus a 6 hour gap between the end of lessons and the concert.
We all 'messed around' and practiced. Me and Josh was at the classroom practicing and dueting before we was joined by Julian. We then had a 'teeny yaji' of playing bits of music and improvising on the qin whilst some of us rested and laid down for a nap.
Afterwards, me and Josh went for a walk in Regent's Park.
At the concert, Hu Bin perfromed four pieces and ZCW performed about five pieces:
ZCW
1. Zhuiyu Changwan
2. Liu Shui
3. Shenren Chang
4. Kongzi Du Yi
5. Aoai
---interval---
HB
1. Xinghong Bie
2. Lan Huahua
3. Jianghe Shui
{encore} Sai Ma
After that, all us Cantonese ones went back to Dannong's Malay place for dinner.
[3rd August]
Today was group photo day as well as the day of the 'secret yaji'.
After the last workshop was over, we went to Dannong's and Chinwee's cars and were whisked off to Hammersmith. At Chinwee's pad, food was laid in the garden and we had some snacks and drinks before dinner. I took my Hanfu along on Dan's and Chinwee's requests and wore them. Dinner was served and we all ate and chatted about qin and qin making. ZCW inspected Dan's antique qin and thought it was good.
As dusk drew in we finished dinner then receeded into Chinwee's chambers. Some good traditional furniature and a qin table awaited us. After preparation, each of us began playing Chinwee's Ma Weiheng qin starting with ZCW who played about three pieces. Unfortunately, ZCW had to be back at the RAM by a certain time as Ginger was waiting for him. Not all of us played but it was more satisfying than the last one at the RAM.
[4th August]
Last day and it went oh so quickly. After the last workshop, ZCW 'graduated' us all. Then it was the participant's concert which took over two hours.
After that, lunch, followed by the 10 year anniversary party in the canteen where most of us stayed until 4 or 5. After saying our goodbyes, we all went our separate ways. Awww.
This template is up for deletion because it was removed from the guqin article so not used anymore. I've put the whole thing on here to preserve the work I did.
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