LIFE LESSONS

I bought a new erhu. Below is some of the pictures I took.

Too bad I don’t know who is the erhu maker because I do not know how to read  chinese words in 小篆. The snake skin is very tight and the snake skin is not too thick or too thin.  I like the engravings on the erhu. I think it is better than other erhu in terms of design who have the pictures on plasitcs pasted on the erhu pole. Also, the casing is stylish as well. In terms of weight, it is very light as well. A comparsion with my 乌木erhu, it is 10 times lighter. Overall, good feel good sound.

一叶一菩提，一花一世界 音乐是需要顿悟的，那美妙音律里所包涵的深邃的思想，是 需要一星火光来点燃的。也许只在一瞬间，你便发现，一个短促的音符，便是整个浩瀚的宇宙

光明行：二胡独奏曲，作于１９３１年春，是一首振奋人心的进行曲，旋律铿锵有力，气势豪迈，节奏富有弹性。刘天华创作此曲时曾说：“因外国人都谓我国音乐萎靡不振，故作此曲以证其误”。

在这首曲中，他借鉴了西洋音乐的进行曲曲式和转调手法，但音调风格仍然完全保持了民族音乐的语言特色，并在技法上创新立异地把小提琴跳弓、颤弓用到二胡上。调性明亮，音区的递换也极富色彩。林石城在1958年将此曲改编成琵琶曲。

乐曲浅析

乐曲敏捷欢快，生气勃勃，表达了勇往直前的进取精神和对光明前途的乐观自信。

全曲采用复三部曲式结构，除引子和尾声外，共分四段。

引子节奏有力齐整犹如步伐，然后是小军鼓的敲击节奏和昂扬的音调；

第二段旋律优美流畅，运用内外弦不同的特性在Ｇ、Ｄ调上分别重复主题，使音乐形象更为饱满，开朗；

第三段采用重复、模进等手法，表现人们踏着矫健的步伐,昂首前进。

尾声则利用颤音的特殊效果再现第二段的主题并加以扩展，最后又出现模拟军号声的主三和弦分解旋律，使全曲生气勃勃，充满积极向上，不断进取的乐观精神和探索光明的坚定信念。

Sun Wenming’s “Song of Flowing Waves” (Liú bō qǔ 流波曲)
二胡曲，盲艺人孙文明的流落异乡困苦生活的自我写照，乐声凄苦缠绵深沉，表现感情真挚。

　　流波曲：二胡曲，是盲艺人孙文明的代表曲，是他流落异乡困苦生活的自我写照，把自已比作默默流逝的水波，借琴声倾吐痛苦的心声，凄苦缠绵深沉，表现感情真挚。

　　乐曲结构短小，结构布局合理，特性音调贯穿全曲，起到点题作用，并以此把全曲划分为五个段落：

　　第一段旋律向上引发，旋即下落，表达了欲诉还休的痛苦。

　　第二段在高音区上作多次八度来回跳跃，抑扬有致，深沉悱恻。

　　第三段是进一步发展了前段的乐思，表达了作者对现实生活的愤懑不平。

　　第四段进入高音区，是一个展开性段落，因受阿炳曲《二泉映月》的影响，出现与其相似的旋律。

　　第五段融合了一、二段的特性音调，以第一段的末句作为乐曲的终止。全曲节奏舒缓，首尾呼应。

A musician must be a stubborn optimist who is willing to spend hours, weeks, even months on the dull problems of technique.

In a performance, the heart, mind, and hands must all work together.

The heart should be filled to overflowing with wonder and beauty; the mind must learn to communicate these emotions; the hands must obediently, and under all conditions, execute the musical ideas that heart and mind command.

We must be able to imagine every tone, every phrase, the whole composition as we wish it to sound and we must be able to project the piece so that the listener receives precisely the impression we wish to create.

We must practise in order to develop flexibility, sensitivity and maximum mastery of our instrument. We practise to become competent, which in turn, if we concentrate, will make us confident.

Alfred Cortot once said, “Music is poetry. Once you have played, it’s over. You can never express the same thing twice in the same way.”

The first rule of practising is to ‘LISTEN‘ and to learn from all sources with an open, investigating mind and with the determination to make a piece ’sound right’ regardless of the means required to achieve this end.

We must think of our instruments as part of us – an extension of our equipment to express musical thought. We cannot play for an audience unless, or until, we have confidence in ourselves

Concentrate for the full length of the musical line, without interruption.

Determine the mood to be expressed and make every detail point towards it.

Find the focal point or climax of a phrase or section in order to give direction to your musical thought.

You must also, at all times, give the music direction – make it ‘go’ somewhere. A melody without direction is purposeless. Every sound must be beautiful.

Always use the imagination to help create a mood. When a musician uses their imagination, they stop playing mere notes – they make music.

“Never must your fingers stand in the way of your artistic interpretation,”

Imagine yourself as the audience

Don’t get discouraged during any part of the learning process. “The darkest hour is that before the dawn.” DONT GIVE UP!(: