Learning a Chinese Musical Instrument

[trisha2766]

I've always wanted to learn how to play the pipa or erhu too! I think the pipa would be much easier for me since I used to be able to play the guitar. I don't know if I could play a bowed instrument very well.

I may have to ask around this summer and see if there is anyone around here who can give me a few lessons!

[miss_China_so_much]

I love love love 古筝 and 古琴, not a fan of 琵琶 nor 二胡. I have a very good friend who used to play 古筝 in a famous music group.

Sorry, know nothing about shipping and course availability

[roddy]

Yueni, I came across this topic while looking for something else, and as you've been around lately - how's the music going?

[yueni]

Oh man, it's been terrible. I brought my pipa back with me, but I simply didn't have time to practice in graduate school and I think everything I've learned, I've 还给老师了. 

 

Perhaps one day I'll return to China and pick music lessons back up!

[querido]

Guzheng.

I've been studying guzheng for two months. I'm following the course that starts here, with tabs and videos. It starts so easily that "anybody" could do it, and it continues to such a high level that I can't imagine finishing it. (Their forum needs help, by the way.)

 

As a former guitar player, the strings being arranged so that the thumb reaches for a *higher* note, with lower notes farther away, is a big problem at first. For now I must play strictly visually as when I want to enjoy playing by ear or improvising I get lost, *poof*. This is slowly improving. Think I'll avoid guitar, though.

 

I did not fingerpick on guitar so the guzheng picks are a challenge at first. I worried that they'd be uncomfortable and feel clumsy. But during a long practice session they get "transparent" and feel really strong.

 

My friend has one that's no longer than an acoustic guitar (but its string spacing is also compressed). The store associated with the above links sells some (with standard string spacing) 135cm/53in long, about six inches longer than a bass guitar. They provide audio samples for all of them too. 

[edelweis]

  that's great querido !

now we want a video

[querido]

Oh, I owe the forum at least three recordings now. Brain is stretched thin. :-)

"Lesson 1" included about seven drills and five songs but they're very simple.

The two songs in Lesson 2 sound like real music, though, and I'm starting that lesson now.

 

Anyone interested in guzheng and looking for lessons should check out that course.