“I’ve played it before, but not very well.”
Although he had no particular interest in the guqin, he was forced by his parents to learn it when he was young, which consumed a lot of his childhood time. The reason I say "consumed" is because he didn't like the guqin very much.
There is a reason for this. The timbre of the guqin is dull and the volume is low. Except for the dongxiao, it is rarely played in an ensemble with other instruments. When playing solo, it cannot be heard clearly if the distance is a little far.
Also, the guqin's music style is relatively slow, with few fast-paced pieces. Its melodic nature is also relatively weak, and its level of dullness is several times greater than that of other instruments.
The key is, it's too damn hard to learn.
Therefore, Zhang Shixun's guqin was the worst among all the instruments he learned.
When Zhao Ji heard him play, he immediately became excited and kept saying to Li Shishi, "Shishi, hurry up! Go get the zither, get the zither!"
Li Shishi covered her mouth and laughed, "Master, don't worry, Master Zhang won't run away."
He said this, but stood up, called Xue Zida and Xue Zixiao, and went to get the zither himself.
On this side, Zhao Ji enthusiastically asked people to move the wine table to the side against the wall and put up a piano table.
Ding Dusai had been standing obediently beside Zhang Shixun. Seeing Zhao Ji so anxiously urging Li Shishi to get the zither, he felt a little worried for Zhang Shixun. He quietly tugged at his sleeve and asked quietly, "Sir, are you able to do this? I'm worried about you."
Zhang Shixun saw her somewhat nervous expression, winked at her, and said, "Sister, although I haven't touched the zither for a long time, but with my ability, I should be better than many people."
Seeing the two whispering, Zhao Ji was very curious and asked, "Miss Saisai, what are you talking about with Brother Zhang? Can you tell me?"
When Ding Dusai heard Zhao Ji ask her, her face turned even redder and she stammered, "Well... I didn't say anything. I was a little curious, so I asked him how he played the zither."
"Oh! How did he answer?" Zhao Ji was very interested.
Ding Dusai didn't dare not answer, and said: "He said... he said..."
"Haha! If you are a child, don't force yourself to say it." Zhao Ji said cunningly.
"No!" Ding Dusai quickly defended himself, saying, "Actually, he didn't say anything. I asked him how he played the piano, and he said he hadn't touched the piano in several years, and also said..."
"What else?" Zhao Ji couldn't help but be curious.
Ding Dusai glanced at Zhang Shixun, gritted his teeth, and said, "It should be better than many people."
Zhang Shixun looked at Ding Dusai with a wry smile, looking helpless.
Are you selling me out just like that?
"Hahaha!" Zhao Ji couldn't help but burst into laughter when he saw their expressions.
Zhang Shixun bowed and said, "Excuse me, Senior. Madam Ding asked me privately, so I took the opportunity to brag a little. Hehe! Men, sometimes, like to brag, don't you agree?"
When Zhao Ji heard him defending himself in this way, he laughed even more happily.
Probably few people would speak so casually in front of Zhao Ji.
While they were talking, Li Shishi and others brought the zither.
Zhao Ji waited for them to put the zither in place, then looked at Zhang Shixun and said, "Brother Zhang, since you've already boasted in front of Saisai, show us your zither skills and let me judge whether you're just bragging."
Since he was already in a desperate situation, Zhang Shixun did not refuse. He asked the waitress to bring a basin of water for him to wash his hands. Then he walked over to the piano table and sat down. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes to adjust his breathing, and looked solemn, like an old monk sitting still.
Zhao Ji, Li Shishi and others were all experts and were not at all offended by Zhang Shixun's performance.
Zhang Shixun adjusted his breathing, opened his eyes, and began to tune the strings. As soon as he plucked a note, he couldn't help but praise: "What a great instrument!"
"Haha! You know what you're talking about! This is a famous Tang Dynasty zither, called 'Spring Thunder.'"
Zhao Ji stood up and walked slowly to the piano table.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shixun hurriedly lowered his head to take a look, and saw that the words "Spring Thunder" were indeed engraved on the neck of the zither, and on the left and right sides of the dragon pool were engraved the words "Its sound is deep and powerful, its rhyme is harmonious and vigorous" in official script.
Li Shishi helped Zhao Ji move a chair over. After Zhao Ji sat down, he saw Zhang Shixun looking at it intently and said proudly, "This zither is a treasure in the Baiqin Hall of Xuanhe Hall and can be said to be the best."
"Well, since it is a famous zither, the legend must be true. Let me experience it for myself." Zhang Shixun tuned the strings and began to play.
As the sound of the piano began, Zhao Ji's expression immediately became solemn. The more he listened, the more surprised he became. At the end, he couldn't help but stand up and walk to Zhang Shixun's side, concentrating on his fingering and playing very seriously.
After the song was over, Zhang Shixun looked up and said with a smile, "I haven't played the piano for a long time. My fingering is not very good. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, sir."
"Although some parts are a little awkward, your skills are not bad. The fingering is so novel that I have never seen it before." Zhao Ji said, and couldn't help asking: "What technique did you use in the previous part?"
"Which part are you referring to?" Zhang Shixun stood up and asked Zhao Ji to sit down.
Zhao Ji played the part he was about to ask about and said, "That's it."
"Please play it again, sir." Zhang Shixun said.
Zhao Ji showed no sign of impatience as he played it again and said, "When I played, the overtones were obviously not as good as yours. Why is that?"
When Zhang Shixun heard his question, he couldn't help but admire Zhao Ji, who was indeed an expert in this field.
Zhang Shixun naturally also takes seriously those who take learning seriously.
He patiently answered Zhao Ji's question: "The three timbres of harmonics, pressed notes, and open notes correspond to heaven, earth, and man. Harmonics correspond to heaven, and the sound is ethereal and ethereal. In fact, your harmonics are already quite good, and the ethereal charm is fully expressed. The only problem is that the volume is slightly lacking."
"I also feel that the volume is insufficient, but I can't find the reason." Zhao Ji was delighted to hear him point out his shortcomings so accurately. He then asked, "How can I produce louder overtones?"
Zhang Shixun said: "This is easy to say, but difficult to do."
"Tell me about it."
Zhang Shixun said, "To play harmonics well, you need to rely on the strength of your right hand's fingers. This requires more practice on your part. In addition, the position of your left hand must be accurate, and the frets must be aligned correctly to produce a clear sound. When playing, at the moment the right hand strikes the string, use the tip of your left hand to lightly tap the frets. It should be quick, but also have the right timing. This is something you have to experience yourself."
Zhao Ji tried playing the qin a few times, but with no apparent effect, he shook his head and said, "It's just as you said, easier said than done."
Zhang Shixun saw that he was a little disappointed, so he said, "Sir, there is a technique when playing harmonics..."
When Zhao Ji heard this, he was overjoyed and urged, "Hurry up and tell me!"
"When playing harmonics, the right hand should pluck the strings closer to the yueshan point, so it is easier to get a crisp sound." Zhang Shixun bent down and moved his fingers to the right place.
Zhao Ji tried playing a few times and the effect was really good. He was overjoyed and played the song again from the beginning. When the song was finished, everyone shouted "Good!" in unison.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com