Link 1.6MB mp3 128kbps
Friday, 29 August 2008
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
Children of the Chinese Circus
Another off-topic post.
Link, 261MB, avi video, 80 min
Alternative links:
92MB
92MB
83MB
All parts are needed, use WinRar to extract.
Unfortunately the first 2 minutes are missing. Also, quite a lot of the programme is in Shanghai dialect and there are only sub-titles in English, so Chinese people who are not from Shanghai and the surrounding region will probably not understand most of the film.
More info:
www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/yoursay/chinese-circus.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007m47h
Link, 261MB, avi video, 80 min
Alternative links:
92MB
92MB
83MB
All parts are needed, use WinRar to extract.
Unfortunately the first 2 minutes are missing. Also, quite a lot of the programme is in Shanghai dialect and there are only sub-titles in English, so Chinese people who are not from Shanghai and the surrounding region will probably not understand most of the film.
More info:
www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/yoursay/chinese-circus.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007m47h
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Chun Shi (spring poem) 春诗
Note: this post has dead links which have to be up-dated.
春诗 chūn shī
Chun Shi - erhu: Jiang Jianhua
Link, 7.8MB
This is from a LP recorded whilst she was still a student in 1982.
Chun Shi - erhu: Wang Yijie
Link, 9.3MB
春诗 chūn shī
Chun Shi - erhu: Jiang Jianhua
Link, 7.8MB
This is from a LP recorded whilst she was still a student in 1982.
Chun Shi - erhu: Wang Yijie
Link, 9.3MB
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Qianjin: how to fit it without a knot, and no loose ends
千斤 or 千金, qiānjīn or qianjin, sometimes mispelt as "qianjing" or "qian jing" (without tones)
The photo should make it clear how you do it, you then pull the end of the string on the left. Obviously when you actually do it, you wrap the string tightly around the neck without any spaces in between the windings. The photo shows a 150cm string, with 8 windings around the neck, then 3 around the neck and strings, then finally 8 around the neck again. The string is the string used to seal 10kg and 25kg bags of rice!
In my opinion, you should not have too many windings around the neck and erhu strings. In theory, if you had a unbreakable qianjin string, you would only have 1 winding because the contact area where the qianjin and erhu strings meet should be clear and sharp as possible, at least on the vibrating side of the strings. I use 3 and it seems to be strong enough.
A variation of this method is to use 2 pieces of string: the main length and a separate short elongated "U" bit. Actually this is better because both ends of the string on the finished qianjin will be completely hidden under the windings, whereas if you use the 1 string method in the photo, you have to cut off the last bit of string.
A further refinement maybe is to dampen the string, when it's dried it should end up tighter on the neck, although I haven't tried it.
The photo is not a square on side view of the neck, so the erhu strings appear to be closer to the neck than they actually are.
The photo should make it clear how you do it, you then pull the end of the string on the left. Obviously when you actually do it, you wrap the string tightly around the neck without any spaces in between the windings. The photo shows a 150cm string, with 8 windings around the neck, then 3 around the neck and strings, then finally 8 around the neck again. The string is the string used to seal 10kg and 25kg bags of rice!
In my opinion, you should not have too many windings around the neck and erhu strings. In theory, if you had a unbreakable qianjin string, you would only have 1 winding because the contact area where the qianjin and erhu strings meet should be clear and sharp as possible, at least on the vibrating side of the strings. I use 3 and it seems to be strong enough.
A variation of this method is to use 2 pieces of string: the main length and a separate short elongated "U" bit. Actually this is better because both ends of the string on the finished qianjin will be completely hidden under the windings, whereas if you use the 1 string method in the photo, you have to cut off the last bit of string.
A further refinement maybe is to dampen the string, when it's dried it should end up tighter on the neck, although I haven't tried it.
The photo is not a square on side view of the neck, so the erhu strings appear to be closer to the neck than they actually are.
Monday, 21 July 2008
Tan Yue by Sun Wenming
弹乐
This is called "Tán Yuè", literally "playing music" or "plucked string music", but apparently actually means pingtan music or a tune of pingtan. Pingtan is a type of storytelling music from Suzhou in Jiangsu province in China.
This erhu piece is composed and played by Sun Wenming (孙文明, 1928-1962).
This piece is unique in the erhu reportoire, as it is played, apparently, on an erhu without a qianjin (a loop of string which acts as a nut). According to a CD liner notes, it's influenced by the playing style of the sanxian (3 string lute) used in Pingtan.
Link: http://flameupload.com/files/BNZNXLZT/t__n_yu__________A_Tune_of_Pingtan_-_S__n_W__nm__ng__________.mp3
tán yuè 弹乐 A Tune of Pingtan - Sūn Wénmíng 孙文明.mp3, 4MB mp3 file
Videos
Played by Sun Huang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqW37xoq8js
Played by Song Fei:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMhVTtzlgJE
This erhu piece is composed and played by Sun Wenming (孙文明, 1928-1962).
This piece is unique in the erhu reportoire, as it is played, apparently, on an erhu without a qianjin (a loop of string which acts as a nut). According to a CD liner notes, it's influenced by the playing style of the sanxian (3 string lute) used in Pingtan.
Link: http://flameupload.com/files/BNZNXLZT/t__n_yu__________A_Tune_of_Pingtan_-_S__n_W__nm__ng__________.mp3
tán yuè 弹乐 A Tune of Pingtan - Sūn Wénmíng 孙文明.mp3, 4MB mp3 file
Videos
Played by Sun Huang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqW37xoq8js
Played by Song Fei:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMhVTtzlgJE
Han Gong Qiu Yue (Han palace autumn moon)
汉宫秋月
Note: this post has dead links which have to be up-dated.
This is the "Han4 Gong1 Qiu1 Yue4" from Guangdong Yinyue, not the solo erhu piece of the same name arranged by Jiang Fengzhi(蔣风之).
Hangong Qiuyue, gaohu:Yu Qiwei, and ensemble
Link
This recording has a non-traditional accompiment to the gaohu solo. I mean "non-traditional" in the sense they are not all playing variations of the same tune together. Maybe because of this, the sound of the gaohu seems to stand out in front.
Han Gong Qiu Yue - huqin: Lu Wencheng, & unknown guzheng player
Link
Lu Wencheng (吕文成 Lǚ Wénchéng) is the musician who "invented" the gaohu in the 1920s, the lead instrument in Guangdong Music, and the composer of many, many of the pieces in the reportoire. This is a transfer from LP to wav then compressed to mp3, I think the recording is from the 50s but I am not sure. This version is more densely played than Yu Qiwei's recording.
Skip the next bit if you don't play huqin:
Most Guangdong Music pieces including this one are played in the key of C (1=C), with the gaohu tuned to G, D. The open strings would be sol, re (5 with dot under, 2). The version by Yu Qiwei above is in this standard tuning. However this recording by Lu Wencheng as transfered from the LP has the key of approx G sharp or A flat (assuming A=440hz).
For the convenience of playing along with the recording without having to re-tune your instrument, I have slowed down the recording and the pitch has dropped about a semitone to 1=G (assuming A=440hz):
Han gong Qiu Yue - huqin: Lu Wencheng, & unknown guzheng player, lower in pitch and slowed
Link
You can play along on the erhu in standard (gaohu) fingering (sol, re), or you can play along on the gaohu, yehu or zhonghu tuned to G, D, but with different fingering (open strings: do, sol).
This is the "Han4 Gong1 Qiu1 Yue4" from Guangdong Yinyue, not the solo erhu piece of the same name arranged by Jiang Fengzhi(蔣风之).
Hangong Qiuyue, gaohu:Yu Qiwei, and ensemble
Link
This recording has a non-traditional accompiment to the gaohu solo. I mean "non-traditional" in the sense they are not all playing variations of the same tune together. Maybe because of this, the sound of the gaohu seems to stand out in front.
Han Gong Qiu Yue - huqin: Lu Wencheng, & unknown guzheng player
Link
Lu Wencheng (吕文成 Lǚ Wénchéng) is the musician who "invented" the gaohu in the 1920s, the lead instrument in Guangdong Music, and the composer of many, many of the pieces in the reportoire. This is a transfer from LP to wav then compressed to mp3, I think the recording is from the 50s but I am not sure. This version is more densely played than Yu Qiwei's recording.
Skip the next bit if you don't play huqin:
Most Guangdong Music pieces including this one are played in the key of C (1=C), with the gaohu tuned to G, D. The open strings would be sol, re (5 with dot under, 2). The version by Yu Qiwei above is in this standard tuning. However this recording by Lu Wencheng as transfered from the LP has the key of approx G sharp or A flat (assuming A=440hz).
For the convenience of playing along with the recording without having to re-tune your instrument, I have slowed down the recording and the pitch has dropped about a semitone to 1=G (assuming A=440hz):
Han gong Qiu Yue - huqin: Lu Wencheng, & unknown guzheng player, lower in pitch and slowed
Link
You can play along on the erhu in standard (gaohu) fingering (sol, re), or you can play along on the gaohu, yehu or zhonghu tuned to G, D, but with different fingering (open strings: do, sol).
Liu Yao Jin 柳搖金
Note: this post has dead links which have to be up-dated.
Liu Yao Jin (柳搖金 liu3 yao2 jin1)
This is one of my favourite pieces of Guangdong Music (guangdong yinyue). "Guangdong Yinyue", literally Guangdong music, as a descriptive name is actually a misnomer, as there are many types of traditional music in Guangdong.
Recording of ensemble lead by the gaohu played by Yu Qiwei
Link, 8MB
Liu Yao Jin - erhu: Yu Qiwei
Link, 6.5MB
This is one is also played by Yu Qiwei, but on the erhu.
Liu Yao Jin (柳搖金 liu3 yao2 jin1)
This is one of my favourite pieces of Guangdong Music (guangdong yinyue). "Guangdong Yinyue", literally Guangdong music, as a descriptive name is actually a misnomer, as there are many types of traditional music in Guangdong.
Recording of ensemble lead by the gaohu played by Yu Qiwei
Link, 8MB
Liu Yao Jin - erhu: Yu Qiwei
Link, 6.5MB
This is one is also played by Yu Qiwei, but on the erhu.
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