Hi James, Thank you so much for your thoughtful and heartfelt comment! It’s wonderful to connect with someone who has such a deep appreciation for music, art, and culture across traditions. I’m honored that my Guqin practice resonated with you, and I appreciate your kind words about my playing-it means a lot coming from a classical pianist with your level of experience and dedication. To address some of your wonderful questions and thoughts: Comparison to Western Instruments: Your comparison of the Guqin to a hybrid of the harp and cello, played horizontally, is insightful! It is indeed an ancient instrument with a range that may seem modest compared to the piano or harp-it spans about four octaves. However, its expressive power lies in the subtlety and nuance of tone, achieved through a combination of plucked notes, glissandi, and harmonics. Robert van Gulik’s book "The Lore of the Chinese Lute" offers a fascinating exploration of the Guqin’s historical and cultural context, which you might enjoy. Notation and Memorization: The Guqin uses a unique form of musical notation called Jianzi Pu (简字谱), which combines numeric symbols with ancient fingering instructions rather than pitch and rhythm notation. It guides players on string position, finger movement, and technique. This particular piece, Mist and Clouds Over the Xiang River (瀟湘水雲), is considered one of the most challenging in the Guqin repertoire. It comprises 18 sections, and my teacher and our small Zoom class have spent over a year learning just the first third of it. I do play from notation during practice sessions but aim for memorization as I internalize each section. Harmonics (Chime Tones): You are absolutely correct about the harmonics (we call them fan yin, 泛音). The Guqin's harmonics are one of its most captivating features, produced by lightly touching specific points along the strings. In this piece, the harmonics symbolize the ethereal and fleeting nature of mist and clouds, beautifully tying the music to its poetic theme. It’s wonderful that you picked up on this detail! Acquiring a Guqin: I acquired my Guqin from a specialized maker who crafts high-quality instruments with exceptional resonance. If you’re interested in learning more about the Guqin or finding an instrument, I highly recommend visiting my teacher's website: guqin.org. It’s an incredible resource for information about the Guqin, its history, notation, and even online classes. Thank you again, James, for your thoughtful engagement and questions. It’s always a joy to share and exchange with fellow enthusiasts of music and culture. I’m thrilled to hear you’ll be keeping an eye out for more of my Guqin videos-your encouragement is truly motivating! Wishing you continued joy in your artistic and musical explorations, Henry

You can do it!

That is what exactly her Gongbi style Chrysanthemum flower is about. No, it is not more difficult than free-hand style.

@blueheronarts what I mean is planting 種菊花，not drawing 工筆

That should work. I have tried with Chinese mineral pigments that we carry at our BHA site.

@@blueheronarts Thanks for this. Sadly Blue Heron doesn't ship to Malaysia. Great video by the way.

Great great video. He goes fast! I have to stop it and replay. Did you translate it? Fantastic!! You are so talented. I have the paints and packets but did not know what to do with any of them. Now I See!!!

Served and the protected the shit out of them.

@@JigmeP Silicone heat-sensotive adhesive film with release paper

Thanks 🤗

Thank you for your comment. Tip: you may select slower playback speed in the video setting.

You're welcome 😊