Get into the wood as you want, play like a broken string

—— On the playing techniques of guqin. Qingshan Xu, an important representative of Yushan School, a pianist in Ming Dynasty, once introduced the traditional playing theory of "going into the wood according to one's desire, playing like a broken string" in his book "The Situation of Xishan Qinxue", and pointed out: "Although pointing the finger is like hitting a stone, there is no guilt of just killing." It is the basic requirement for piano learners to lay a foundation. However, as a guqin performance skill, this is not enough. Its requirement for monochrome should be pure and sweet, and it must be "rigid but not dry, weak but not empty, combining rigidity with softness, and full of sound and emotion" in performance. Let's talk about a few humble opinions. (a) "according to the desire to enter the wood" refers to the left hand of the pianist who presses the string. I don't think there will be any objection to the explanation of "according to the sound" "according to the desire" means that the sound is practical and meticulous; But on the other hand, according to the content of different music, we should pay attention to being natural, relaxed, agile and flexible. In guqin performance, the basic techniques of the left hand are: chanting, stirring, plucking, noting, going up, down, advancing and repeating. This is a way to express thoughts and feelings in Qin music. Proper and moderate use is an important key to success. In guqin performance, the fingers of the left hand are the same as those of the calligraphy art. Different fingering techniques will produce different effects, which is very important in playing. As far as the general rule is concerned, the upward sound is mostly taken with a long sound, and the fingers are moved from bottom to top (from low to high), from light to heavy. This kind of sound is rich and mellow, and its charm is unique. The basic method of reciting refers to the bottom-up, which is first plucked and then recited, and the frequency is faster; The basic method is top-down, note first and then pour. The similarities between the two are moving from light to heavy, but because the direction and frequency of the center of gravity are different, the effect is also different. In the left-handed fingering method, there is also a "back-peak fingering method", which is similar to the "hidden front" brushwork in calligraphy art. It was Mr. Wang Yanqing, a modern pianist of Zhucheng School in Shandong Province, who discovered it from practice and applied it to music performance, and achieved good results. The sound obtained by playing with the "back-to-the-front fingering" is soft, mellow and lyrical, and there is no sense of being blunt and obscure. All fingering skills must be practiced repeatedly, so that practice makes perfect. According to the basic requirement of "according to one's desire", all kinds of techniques cooperate with each other and complement each other, so as to complement each other. (2) The word "playing like a broken string" refers to the right hand of the pianist, which means that the right hand should be vigorous and forceful, such as resolute. In timbre, the sound of the stone and the light and long rhyme are important features of guqin. In a sense, the use of right-handed fingering skills plays a decisive role in the purity of timbre. The main fingering methods of the right hand are: supporting, chopping, wiping, picking, hooking, beating, picking, pinching, turning, poking and stabbing. In the process of using these fingering methods, the position, angle and intensity of finger touching strings are closely related to the sound quality and timbre of guqin music. 1. The position where the finger touches the string. Finger in with the right hand (pointing out the string), and cut the string with the armor and the flesh, and the sound played is relatively pure; When more nails are used, the pronunciation is crisp, bright and penetrating, but the sound often lacks thickness and roundness; When there is a lot of meat, the timbre is often generous, round and has a certain hazy color, but the disadvantage is the lack of penetration. Generally speaking, when playing "on-pitch" (high-pitched area), nails are used to enhance the brightness and penetration of timbre; When playing "lower pitch" (bass area), more fingers are used to increase the thickness of the sound; When playing the "middle-accurate" (middle-range) sound, more attention should be paid to the half-tone sound, so that the sound can keep the purity and fullness of the timbre without losing its brightness. When the right hand points out the string (the big finger enters the string), it is generally controlled by the depth of the nail eating the string. 2. The angle at which the finger cuts the string. Due to the different angles of finger cutting strings, the timbre produced is also different. Generally speaking, when thinking about cutting a string at an obtuse angle to the string, the timbre is easy to disperse and float, and it is easy to produce noise; When the nail is perpendicular to the string, the pronunciation is crisp and bright when cutting the string; When the nail and the string are cut at an acute angle, the monochrome is rich and full. Beginners are prone to make noise when playing, which is mostly related to the direction and angle of cutting strings when playing, except for uneven force. 3. The plot of touching the strings with fingers is also directly related to the tone color. As a general rule, when playing passionate and generous melodies (such as some music in Guangling San), the sound is solid and bright with the strength of "playing like a broken string"; When playing always in my heart's lyric music, in order to show its lingering and sad feelings, we should play it with weaker strength to make the tone soft. When playing ordinary music, you should use moderate dynamics, as long as the sound can be clear. Therefore, "playing like a broken string" can only be said to be one aspect of the basic requirements for playing with the right hand. It is often inseparable from the position, angle and strength of touching the string. Only when the method is correct and combined properly can the best timbre be obtained. Otherwise, there will be noise, which will affect the normal performance.