[Experience of Guqin Teaching and Promotion] Experience of Guqin Lecture

Guqin is the oldest stringed instrument in China. For a long time in history, guqin art has been one of the compulsory courses for knowledgeable people. A large number of Qin Shu, folk stories and literary works related to Qin Dynasty have been accumulated in past dynasties. Qin opera works and playing methods have been passed down from generation to generation. This has accumulated a profound social and historical foundation for the inheritance and teaching of Guqin. However, it also adds some negative and even metaphysical things to guqin, so that many people still lack a correct understanding of its cultural and social functions. On the one hand, many people do not distinguish between Qin and Zheng, and lack a basic understanding of guqin; On the other hand, some people artificially mystify guqin and unilaterally publicize its profoundness and learning difficulty. Therefore, how to better popularize the knowledge of guqin, carry out guqin teaching, and make this ancient art contribute to the modern harmonious society is a problem worth pondering and trying.

First, the advocacy and implementation of Guqin social activities

The inheritance of any art is inseparable from the mass base of society, and so is the Guqin, which is on the verge of being lost for a period of time. In this regard, in 1950s, the older generation pianists Guan Pinghu, Cha Fuxi, Pu Xuezhai, Liu, Zhang Ziqian and others all made great efforts for the spread and development of guqin, and all walks of life gradually began to pay attention to guqin. Before and after Guqin's application for World Heritage, with the advocacy and promotion of some contemporary experts, some public Guqin activities gradually became active, and Guqin activities gradually became extensive and long-term.

(1) An elegant collection of public guqin-regular or irregular gathering of piano friends has a long history. We hold "Beijing Guqin Elegant Collection" once a month, and hold 12 times a year. Since 2000, nearly 100 performances have been held with more than10,000 participants. The content of the collection is rich and colorful: there are musicians' lectures, musicians' performances, guqin lovers' performances, piano song and dance performances and so on.

Many guqin lovers come to Jiya Day every month. These people were purified by the sound of the piano, and many friends learned the knowledge of guqin here and began to practice it. It can be said that such an elegant guqin collection is indeed a pure land in today's commodity tide, and it is the most influential and longest-lasting guqin public welfare collection in China. Ji Ya laid a broad and solid social foundation for the popularization and teaching of Guqin.

Guqin lovers also actively participate in meaningful activities in society. Before and after the success of Guqin's application for World Heritage, we held a charity performance for disaster relief, a performance with disabled children, a large-scale performance of 56 Guqin from 56 ethnic groups to welcome the 56th anniversary of the founding of the Party, the celebration of the first anniversary of Guqin's successful application for World Heritage, and the celebration of the first anniversary of the countdown to the Olympic Games. The vast number of guqin lovers have enhanced their national pride and cultivated patriotic sentiments.

(B) Guqin into the campus

It is necessary to let Guqin enter the university campus, hold public lectures and public performances on Guqin, and let students learn Guqin knowledge and feel its infinite charm.

Since 200 1, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Renmin University, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Communication University of China, Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Guangxi Art College, Zhejiang Textile and Fashion Institute, Lanzhou University of Technology, Yantai University and many other institutions of higher learning have held many public lectures and performances on guqin: apart from guqin solo, we also showed students guqin songs and dances, as well as guqin and harpsichord. Because the expression of guqin in history is not limited to solo, guqin music, ensemble of guqin and other musical instruments are also common forms widely recorded in literature, such as Zhuangzi? There is a record in Fisherman: "Confucius swam in the shaded forest, so he didn't sit on the apricot altar, but his disciples were studying, and Confucius was playing strings and drums." Historical records? Le Shu recorded: "So Shun played the banjo, and the poem" South Wind "ruled the world". Most of the ancient piano scores handed down from ancient times are accompanied by lyrics, which shows the popularity of ancient piano songs. The form of ensemble of guqin and other musical instruments is also very common in ancient paintings handed down from ancient times. In the Song Dynasty, the "Qin Ruan Er Nong Pu" appeared. Through these rich performance forms and guqin lectures, the relatively monotonous guqin lectures themselves become rich and vivid, and the students who participated in them have a strong response, which also makes people deeply feel the love of contemporary college students for guqin art and their thirst for guqin knowledge. Every Guqin lecture was packed. Teachers and students listened carefully, scrambled to ask questions, and improvised poems during the interaction to express their joy and experience.

(3) Reclamation of Guqin blank area.

Guqin has been popularized and taught in Beijing for many years, but there are still many guqin lovers all over the country, especially in some remote areas. Many people have been wandering around Guqin for a long time because they can't find a Guqin teacher. Therefore, it is very necessary to set up some guqin training courses with low fees and formal teaching in these areas. Facts have proved that this is a very good form of guqin popularization and communication. In recent years, we have paid attention to and implemented Guqin popularization and teaching activities in areas with poor Guqin activities, such as Gansu, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Qinghai, Ningxia, Hainan Island, Guizhou, Jilin, Jiangxi, Anhui and Shantou. Supporting guqin activities there and training guqin teachers for some areas that are extremely short of guqin teachers are warmly welcomed by local departments and guqin lovers.

(four) the national guqin exchange and mutual learning.

The popularization and inheritance of guqin depends on the mutual exchange and learning between friends and students in various regions of the country. Only in exchange and exhibition can it be compared and improved, and it is also inseparable from the guidance of authoritative experts in practice. In 2002, more than 100 players from all over the country participated in the Guqin Group Competition of the National Youth National Musical Instrument Solo Competition sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. Only two years later, in the first national Guqin competition in 2004, more than 200 players from all over the country took part in the competition. Under the evaluation of experts in the industry, they have broadened their horizons and learned knowledge by communicating with players from all over the world, and their piano skills and skills have been greatly improved. In August 2006, Tianjin held the first Chinese Guqin "Youlan? Piano performance at Yangchun Art Festival (only for women); In August 2007, Hangzhou held the second Chinese Guqin "Youlan? Piano performance at Yangchun Art Festival (male voice only); In August 2008, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education jointly hosted the National Finals of "Star Torch-Selection of Young Artists in China", which provided many adults, young people, teenagers and children with opportunities to exchange and learn.

The national guqin grade examination is also a good way of communication and exercise, which can enable students to improve the performance level of guqin step by step and continuously. Since 200 1, in the semi-annual guqin exam of "National Social and Ethnic Musical Instrument Art Level Examination" approved by the Ministry of Culture, the Beijing Examination Area has participated in the 15 exam so far, with a cumulative number of more than 500 people. The youngest is five years old and the oldest is seventy-three. Grading tests in China (Shanghai, Kunming, Sichuan, Nanjing, Changshu, Xuzhou, Chifeng, Harbin, Handan, Yantai, etc.). ) have also developed healthily. After piano students passed the exam, their piano skills and skills have been greatly improved.

Second, the popularization and teaching of guqin should start with dolls.

Throughout today's music scene, the age span of national musical instruments players is often very large-guzheng, pipa, erhu, bamboo flute and so on. These players are both young and old, and there are many immature children, some of whom still have a fairly high level of performance. Guqin, an excellent musical instrument, was rarely played by children for various reasons in previous years.

Anyone who has played musical instruments knows that learning a musical instrument from an early age will benefit people for life, and it also has the foundation of gradually reaching a higher level. At the same time, a music art category will become full of vitality and vitality with the participation of children. The popularization and teaching of contemporary guqin should also start with dolls.

Some people think that children are not suitable for learning guqin because their knowledge and experience are not enough to understand its profundity. This seems reasonable, but a little analysis is biased, because according to this statement, children don't need to read The Analects of Confucius, The Book of Songs and Tang poetry and Song poetry at all, because the sentences in The Analects of Confucius and the artistic conception described in Tang poetry and Song poetry are also very profound and elegant. Is it because the child is inexperienced and can't understand? That was not the case. Confucius said, "It is based on poetry, ceremony and music." These three factors are the basis of education, and they are also the signs of whether a person has received a good cultural quality education. China's traditional culture is characterized by its strong integrity and subtle functions. Many famous modern pianists have been influenced by family and environment since childhood and made great achievements in learning piano. There are also allusions in the historical materials that recorded Cai Wenji and other ancient piano players learning piano since childhood. The story of "Three Major Movements in Meng Mu" is a household name, which is the most important link in early childhood education. Creating a good cultural learning atmosphere for children is very beneficial to their growth.

At the same time, from another perspective, these children who are eager to learn guqin are descendants of the Chinese nation, and the cultural accumulation and genetic imprint of their ancestors have been deeply imprinted on the children and left in their subconscious. Children's hearts are pure, and sometimes they can feel the information left by their ancestors' music works more than adults. Facts have also proved that they can not only learn guqin, but also master it well.

Of course, first of all, we should be guided by theory. In the process of popularizing and spreading children's guqin, there must be a textbook that adults can understand and children can understand. The book "Children Learn Guqin" makes Guqin teaching intuitive and simple, and enhances children's confidence in learning Guqin through vivid and easy-to-understand introduction of Guqin, standardized and meticulous fingering demonstration, especially piano music demonstration on DVD.

In the teaching process, it is also very important to step by step from shallow to deep. It is extremely difficult to teach children to learn guqin. Some children are only four or five years old and their hands are soft and tender. It is difficult to master the correct hand shape and have certain strength. The first problem to be solved is to let the children's hands relax fully ―― this is the basis for practicing any musical instrument. Strive for strength in pine, seek skills in pine, pine is the ground, and all technologies are buildings on the ground. Losing pine trees, pursuing strength and technology is equal to seeking the final result.

Guqin's left hand presses the strings in such a way that the skin directly touches the strings, and the strings are pressed to the panel, so it makes a sound. Children (especially young children) have small hands, weak hands and small nails. The correct hand shape is easy to master and has certain strength, so you need to walk in two or three steps when practicing with your left hand. Practice step by step, exert your strength, and always pay attention to the shape of your fingers. When the hand shape is basically fixed, we will ask for the solidity of "accepting everything according to the order" and the freedom of singing. When the right hand plays the string, it is required to flick the string. When the finger movement method and hand shape are basically determined, the finger gradually has a certain strength, and then gradually exerts its strength, and finally reaches the firmness of "snapping the string". Children's nature is to imitate and love beauty. Let children feel that the sound of the guqin is beautiful, the style of the piano is beautiful, and the posture (piano capacity) of playing the piano is also dignified and beautiful. The piano is dignified, the hands are elegant, and touching music is played with moderate movements. Gradually, from mastering the basic posture and fingering, children can play simple guqin music and then play some traditional famous songs, which makes them have a strong interest in guqin.

Sharp tools can do a good job. People of different ages use different guqin. Children aged five to six to ten can use a small piano (knee piano-the effective chord length is about 98 cm), and older children can use an ordinary piano (the effective chord length is about 1 10 cm). When you use the piano, you should choose a professional guqin with regular, excellent and beautiful timbre ―― cultivate the correctness of ear sound discrimination from an early age; The volume should be louder ―― children's hands are weak, and they will feel satisfied when playing; The most important thing is not to resist your fingers (the strings are too far away from the piano panel to be pressed), so as to avoid the children pressing the strings too hard and causing hand tension.

At the same time, in the teaching process, with the deepening of research, the focus of professors should gradually shift from piano skills to piano skills. Children are still young and can start with learning skills. Learning piano music should have a certain speed-to interest them, but also step by step-and not blindly catch up with the progress, resulting in a weak foundation. From mastering the basic fingering to being able to play simple guqin music, and then playing some traditional famous songs, children can gradually become interested in guqin. When teaching children to learn Guqin music, if there are words, such as "Guan Shanyue" and "Three Stories of Yangguan", please let them learn to sing. This is very helpful to master the meaning (ideological content), rhyme (starting, inheriting, turning and combining) and board (light, heavy, slow and urgent) of piano music. In this process, the tradition of guqin is very important. When practicing guqin music, we must respect original works and traditional styles, and let children listen, watch and learn as much as possible from the precious things of the older generation. As a guqin, it is most important to keep the existing things and not let them be lost.

The sound of the piano comes from music and the shape of the piano comes from martial arts. Many predecessors have practiced martial arts ―― heart, mind and spirit are connected; Shoulders, elbows and wrists are in harmony. Hands, eyes, posture, steps, and proper manners. This kind of exercise can greatly enhance the coordination of body movements, which is conducive to grasping the dignity of the piano, the elegance of the hand and the proper control of strength. Therefore, children who study piano should also be encouraged to participate in activities such as martial arts, dance, physical training and gymnastics. We should also seize the opportunity of teaching classical literature, history, calligraphy and painting in Guqin teaching, and strengthen children's understanding of the integrity of China's traditional culture, so that children can better understand the artistic conception in piano music from an early age and become a cultured and connotative pianist when they grow up. More attention should be paid to cultivating children's national pride. At the same time, creating as many practical opportunities for children to participate in various meaningful activities in society is of great practical significance to the spread and education of children's guqin.

Inheriting guqin is not to force people to learn guqin, but to let friends who like guqin but can't learn it find a place to learn it. Of course, more people, especially children, learn piano, just like sand piles. The bigger the base, the higher the top, so as to produce some high-level guqin talents.

Third, the prospect of guqin teaching and inheritance

Since Guqin was listed in the List of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Human World by the United Nations, people have paid more and more attention to Guqin. Guqin should become one of the basic knowledge of everyone in China, just like Tang poetry and Song poetry and calligraphy. Without a broad social foundation, the healthy development of any art and cultural form will be limited. Therefore, the spread of Guqin culture has a long way to go, which requires the guidance of the government and society, as well as the spontaneity and efforts of the people. A musician once suggested that the most classic guqin playing video should be played in the middle school music class for one hour, so that everyone who has received nine-year compulsory education in China can see the appearance and playing method of guqin in class and hear the most representative piano music, such as Guangling San, You Lan, Running Water, Three Lanes of Plum Blossoms and Three Layers of Yangguan, which are all very good. In addition, guqin appreciation courses can be added in primary and secondary schools, guqin can be listed as an elective course in major universities, and TV stations can specially offer guqin lectures and teaching columns. While continuing to increase the social awareness of Guqin, we should attract energetic young people to participate and give full play to the advantages of modern media. We should actively provide convenience for professional violinists with rich knowledge and experience, so that they can make greater achievements in the arrangement of piano theory and the excavation of piano music. Improving in popularization, popularizing under the guidance of improvement, and always paying attention to the basic education of Guqin will be very beneficial to the protection and inheritance of Guqin, a human cultural heritage, and make this ancient China art develop healthily and vigorously.

Yang Qing: China National Instrumental Music Society

Editor in Chief of Planning: Wang Xianping