Xu Shangying (Zi Qingshan), an important representative of the Yushan school of the Ming Dynasty pianist, once introduced the traditional performance theory of "entering the wood according to the desire, playing like a broken string" in his book on theology of the violin, and pointed out: "Although the fingers are like pan stones, there is no guilt of just killing and cutting down.".
"Entering the wood according to the desire, playing like a broken string" is the basic requirement for beginners to lay the foundation. But as a guqin playing technique, only this is not enough, its requirements for the tone should be pure and sweet, in the performance must also be "rigid but not dry, weak and not weak, rigid and soft, and the voice is lush". Here are a few brief remarks. Rigid but not dry, weak but not vain, rigid and soft, and full of emotion
(1) "Entering the wood according to desire" refers to the left hand of the player pressing the string. Today I will do "according to the sound" to explain, I think there will be no objections.
"Entering the wood according to the desire" means that the tone is steady and meticulous; but on the other hand, according to the content of different songs, attention should be paid to being natural, relaxed, agile and flexible.
In guqin performance, the basic techniques of the left hand are: chanting, hedging, nickname, note, up, down, forward, compound and so on. This is a way of expressing thoughts and feelings in piano music. Proper and moderate robbery is an important key to success. In guqin performance, the fingers of the left hand are like the pens in the art of calligraphy. Different fingering techniques produce different effects, which is crucial in playing. As far as the general law is concerned, the upward tone is mostly used in the nickname, and the transport refers to the bottom up (from low to high), from light to heavy.
This kind of pronunciation is thick and round, and the charm is unique. The basic method of chanting is from top to bottom, first chanting and then chanting, the frequency is faster; the basic method of chanting is from top to bottom, first bet and then cunning, the frequency is slower. The two have the same idea of moving back and forth from light to heavy, but the effect is different due to the different directions and frequencies of the center of gravity.
In the left-handed fingering method, there is also a "Huifeng fingering", which is similar to the "Tibetan Peak" brushwork in the art of calligraphy. It was Mr. Wang Yanqing, a modern pianist of the Zhucheng School in Shandong Province, who discovered and applied it to the performance of music from practice, and achieved good results. The resulting sound obtained by playing with the "Huifeng Fingering Method" is soft, rounded, lyrical, and there is no sense of rigidity and obscurity. All fingering techniques must be practiced repeatedly, and practice can be practiced. In accordance with the basic requirements of "entering the wood according to the desire", various techniques cooperate with each other and complement each other, and can achieve complementarity.
(2) The four words "playing like a broken string" refer to the right hand of the player. This means that the right hand should be strong and powerful, such as cutting nails. The sound of gold and stone in the timbre and the gentle rhyme are important features of the guqin. In a sense, the use of the technique of the right hand to indicate the fa plays a decisive role in the purity of the timbre, and the right hand mainly indicates the methods: support, splitting, wiping, picking, hooking, picking, hitting, picking, picking, plucking, wheeling, plucking, stabbing, etc. In the process of using these notation methods, the position, angle and strength of the fingers touching the strings are closely related to the sound quality and timbre of guqin music.
1. The position of the finger touching the string. The right hand indicates the string (large pointing out the string), with the nail, flesh half cut the string, the sound is more pure; when there are more nails, the pronunciation is more crisp, bright, and penetrating, but unintentionally often lack thickness and roundness; when the meat is more, the tone is often more wide, round, and has a certain hazy color, but the disadvantage is the lack of penetration.
Generally speaking, when playing the tone of "upper precision" (treble area), more nails are used to strengthen the brightness and penetration of the timbre; when playing the "lower accuracy" (bass area), more finger meat is used to increase the thickness of the sound; when playing the "middle precision" (midrange area), more than half of the nail flesh is used, so that the sound played can maintain the purity and fullness of the timbre, without losing its brightness. When the right hand indicates the string (the large indicates the string), it is generally controlled by the depth of the fingernail eating the string.
2. The angle at which the fingers cut the strings. Due to the different angles at which the fingers cut the strings, the resulting timbre is also different. Generally speaking, when the nail and the string are cut in the direction of obtuse angle, the sound is easy to disperse, and it is easy to drift, and it is easy to produce dry tones; the pronunciation is crisp and bright when the nail and the string are vertically cut; when the nail and the string are sharply angled, the sound is thicker and fuller. Beginners are prone to dry tones when playing weakly, in addition to uneven force, most of them are related to the direction and angle of the strings cut when playing.
3. The strength of the finger touching the string. The right hand indicates that the strength of the touch string is also directly related to the timbre. As far as the general law is concerned, when playing an exciting and generous melody (such as some of the music of "Guangling San"), the force of "playing like a broken string" is used to play, and the sound is solid and bright; when playing lyrical music with a grudge theme, in order to express its lingering and compassionate feelings, more weaker strength is used to play to seek the softness of the timbre; when playing general music, it is advisable to use medium strength to achieve clear sound.
Therefore, "playing like a broken string" can only be said to be an aspect of the basic requirements of right-handed playing. It is often inseparable from the part, angle and force of the string. The right method and the right combination can achieve the best sound. Otherwise, there will be noise, affecting the normal performance effect.
(3) Guqin performance is a comprehensive art. "The sound should be ancient and light, and the festival should be clear". The loud and bell-like scattered tones, clear and transparent overtones and elegant and soft portamento are based on the skillful mastery of various playing techniques, relying on the harmonious and rhythmic coordination of the left and right hands and a high degree of artistic accomplishment.
The sound should be ancient and light, and the festival should be clear
When the right hand is plucked, the arm is naturally relaxed, with medium strength, plucking the string at the center point of YueShan and a hui, pronouncing the rigid key, the timbre is bright, and the organic cooperation of the left hand chanting and sliding technique can play a rich and varied, simple and elegant sound according to the tone. In particular, the combination of the left hand chanting technique, with rhymes to complement the sound, enriches the timbre change of guqin music and beautifies the aftersound, thus reflecting the sparse, ethereal, flowing and elegant artistic style of guqin music. Therefore, there is a saying that "the guqin is really interesting, half in the chanting".
When playing overtones, the right hand touches the strings at the same touch point (the center point between Yue Shan and Yi Hui), and the best overtone sound is not played; while when touching the strings closer to Yue Shan (farther away from Yi Hui), the overtones played are clear, transparent and pure. If you take the overtone theme tone of "Plum Blossom Three Alleys" and experiment with two different touch points, even the average listener can clearly distinguish the different timbre effects.
The key to playing the first time to know the sound, and then playing to know the great feelings, and practicing it for a long time in the performance, lies in relaxation, first of all, spiritual relaxation. Only when there is natural relaxation in the spirit, can the person devote himself fully to the musical performance; followed by the shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists and even the knuckles, they must relax naturally. Throughout the performance, wrist relaxation is key because it controls and transforms the direction of the strings in and out.
Only the wrist is relaxed, the pronunciation is elastic, and the hand is not easy to fatigue. Only on the basis that each joint is naturally relaxed, the sound played from the fingertips will be loose and rounded. The left hand also needs to relax when stroking the strings, but only at the moment of pressing the moan.
In the art of playing, "playing like a broken string" is only a basic requirement for beginners to lay the foundation. Guqin performance is a complex science, in addition to the player's personal temperament cultivation, the key is on the basis of natural relaxation, the skillful use of left and right hand techniques and harmonious and rhythmic cooperation, relying on the shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist, finger coordination, and concentrate on the hard kung fu of the fingertips, can play a more ideal timbre effect that maintains a certain degree of relaxation and is elastic.
According to the desire to enter the wooden side, the bullet is as strange as a broken string. "The first bullet knows the sound, then plays the great feeling, and practices it for a long time" This is the same as the law of Chinese painting from brushwork to freehand.