How to choose guqin

Guqin, also called lyre, is one of the oldest stringed instruments in China. It is the first of the "four arts" of China's Qin, Qi, calligraphy and painting, and is highly praised by scholars in past dynasties. Guqin is the only national musical instrument in China that has been listed as a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Henan has always been in a leading position in the protection, inheritance and development of guqin art, forming a unique Zhongzhou school.

Guqin is the oldest national musical instrument in China with a long history. Originally known as "Qin", it was renamed "Guqin" at the beginning of this century to distinguish it from other musical instruments. Guqin, as an ancient musical instrument, has an ancient, clear, rich, mellow and simple sound. People say that the "four virtues" (lightness, looseness, crispness and smoothness) and "nine virtues" (strangeness, antiquity, transparency, moistening, quietness, roundness, uniformity, clearness and fragrance) are the ancient people's summaries of the timbre of guqin.

As early as the Confucius era, Qin became a compulsory musical instrument for literati and became the first of the four arts. Guqin has always been a symbol of China culture and ideal personality.

Nowadays, Guqin art is revived, and more and more people begin to learn and love Guqin. Art colleges all over the country have also set up guqin majors, which has effectively promoted the popularization and development of guqin culture.

Because the production and selection of guqin are very professional, many beginners are at a loss when choosing guqin and don't know how to choose it correctly. Many people spend money, but they get a piano that they can't play, which wastes precious time and money. Let me systematically talk about the selection of guqin.

First, the selection of guqin must first understand the basic knowledge of guqin plate, gray tire and paint surface.

1, let's talk about plates first: there are many materials for making pianos at present. In ancient times, there were many pianos with sycamore as the face and catalpa as the bottom, followed by excellent guqin with Chinese fir as the face. For example, the famous Leiqin in the Tang Dynasty, Cunninghamia lanceolata was selected. The Story of Ji Lang (14) said: "Wei Lei's piano doesn't have to be a child. In a snowstorm, he went to Emei alone, put on his hat, walked into the deep pine, listened to its melodious voice and cut it. More exciting than children. " The "pine" here means "Emei pine", which means Emei fir. Platanus acerifolia (white paulownia) is now rare and difficult to find. At present, paulownia trees are mainly paulownia trees (some places also use paulownia trees). Paulownia has a short timbre life because of wood problems, so it is often used as a piano material for middle and low-grade guqin. However, the top grades of modern pianists are mostly made of old Chinese fir. When buying a guqin, the material of the piano is one of the factors to be considered. Of course, it is not enough to have good piano materials. Good materials are not necessarily good pianos.

2. The next thing to consider is Qin's gray tires: before the Ming Dynasty, Qin's gray tires were mainly antler cream or babao gray, with a loose voice and conductivity. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, in order to consider the cost, folk Qin Qin basically began to use a large amount of tile ash and a small amount of antler cream as tires. Although the timbre is also easy to loosen, the paint ash is easy to fall off and has a short life, which is disliked by Qin collectors. At present, the low-grade piano market is full of guqin with tile ash and antler cream or pure tile ash or no gray tire at all. This kind of guqin is cheap, but the player doesn't like it. Grey tires are also an important consideration for buying guqin.

3. Selection of paint surface: China traditional paint film is hard and shiny, with good corrosion resistance, heat resistance, water resistance, oil resistance and various organic solvents resistance, and good electrical insulation performance. Today, we are lucky enough to touch the old piano that has been used for thousands of years. The role of painting is undeniable. Big paint has its advantages and disadvantages, and the price is different, so it's ominous here. Of course, at present, low-grade guqin also has synthetic paint and pure chemical paint, which can reduce some costs and have strong price competitiveness.

Second, the essential elements of musical instruments

Guqin, as a musical instrument, can definitely play. Therefore, an excellent guqin is not resistant to fingers, sounds and boards. Because of the differences in performance styles and dynamics between North and South, some detailed data are not the same. Then there is the sound. As an exercise, it can basically meet the practice. However, as a good friend with piano players, timbre can not be ignored, because it is directly related to the cultivation of piano players' interest. A qualified guqin should have uniform timbre and volume of scattered sound, stressed sound and overtone sound. Guqin's voice should have a sinking feeling, as long as it lasts. These necessary conditions for purchasing guqin cannot be ignored.

Third, the north-south region of Guqin.

1. Before buying guqin in the north, what you need to know is that after the southern guqin arrived in the north, the guqin was transferred from a humid environment to a dry environment, because of the changes in air humidity and temperature, the wooden and painted surfaces of the guqin were easily cracked. Qin friends who plan to buy the southern guqin should pay attention to protect their own piano, don't be exposed to the air for a long time, and try to put it in a piano bag or box after playing. It is best to have a humidifier at home to ensure a certain humidity to slow down or avoid minor problems with the piano body. Qinchuan, in particular, is the wettest place in the world, so we should be extra careful when we come here. The northern piano friend must be prepared to love him when he buys the southern piano!

Musicians in the south should know that the north is dry before buying the famous guqin in the north. There will be an adaptation period after the piano arrives in the south, during which the timbre may be slightly dull. Putting some desiccant in the box will help restore the timbre. It won't be long before you love playing, and the piano has adapted to the southern environment.

Fourth, the choice of piano players.

Everyone in the guqin industry knows that a good guqin is basically made by individual pianists, and a good timbre inevitably requires the piano to be hand-made. Pure handwork is bound to be related to the internal structure of the piano. How to choose your favorite guqin? Ask professionals about the characteristics of each piano player and the timbre characteristics of the piano. In this way, you will find the guqin that suits you.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) cost performance

Many piano buyers will fall into the price misunderstanding. Some people think that the more expensive the piano, the better, while others think that the cheaper the price, the more cost-effective. In fact, both views are naive. The important thing to buy products is cost performance. It's just cheap and the quality is average, but it's not cost-effective, but it's just expensive and the quality is average, which is even worse. I often encounter such a problem: "A pianist's 1500 is Chinese fir. Why does a pianist have more than 6,000 Chinese fir trees? " The problem is that my eyes only focus on the price and wood, without considering the quality, which makes me dizzy. Others asked, "Is Tongmuqin better or Chinese fir?" This problem ignores the piano level of every piano teacher. The work of the same person is definitely better than that of Laoshan. But different pianists can't be compared, because pianists with high level often make pianos with the worst materials much better than guqin made by ordinary pianists with the best materials. When choosing a guqin, first determine the price you can afford, and then choose a famous and well-received pianist at this price, so that the quality can be guaranteed.