Thank You!!!

Hi all, it has been a long since I update my Blog. I was so busy with the preparations for the concert and my work. That day.......22nd July 2007.........was one of my unforgetable concert which I ever had........My students and friends were there to give me their fullest support. For students, I sincerely hope that this concert can inspire them to learn Chinese Music with more of their heart. For friends, it was a chance for me to show them that it is my work loh.

Sigh..... Actually after 21 years of playing Chinese Music, especially the recent 7 years, I begin to have no feelings for my performances. It is just like people (audiences) paying money to come and see the concert, and it is my job to play the music to them.

This concert is considered to be a special one, because my buddy (best friend) was playing solo together with me. We practice together, eat and even "sleep" together, just to prepare for the concert. Our aim is to put up the best show for those who bought tickets from us. I want to say "Thank You" to my Buddy...... Thanks Mr Lee!!!

On that day, my students.... Ms EiKo, Garret, Huishan, JoJo, Huiying, Jack, Amos, Rene, Hanrong and many more were there.... my friends.....Alice, Sherlyn, Jessica, SzeYing, Weichuan, Kangwei, Aunt Monica, May, Paul, Jamie, and also parents of my students were there. Really hope that they had enjoyed themselves in the concert. And thanks to those who sent greetings via sms to me. Really felt the warmth from your heart. Some of the songs maybe a bit "too deep" and boring, but all of them are my favourite chinese erhu musical works.

Once again, Thank you for the beautiful flowers from all of you and hope to see you again in the next concert at Explanade in December.

Cheers......

Concerts

There are two upcoming concerts organised by Chua Chu Kang C.C. Keat Hong C.O. The first one will be in May and the second one will be in July. I will be having solo for the July concert which will be featuring the different types of "HuQins", such as, GaoHu, ErHu, ZhongHu, ZhuiHu, JingHu, and Jing ErHu. I will be playing JingHu, ZhuiHu and GaoHu, and the rest will be played by some other talented friends of mine.

Details for the concert in May:

Date/Time 日期/时间 Date 日期:
6th May 2007 二零零七年 五月六日Time 时间: 5:00 pm 下午五时正

Venue 地点:
The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Lee Foundation Theatre 南洋李氏基金剧场NAFA Campus 3, 151 Bencoolen Street, Singapore 189656 NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre

Price 票价:
Tickets are selling at $12. Free Seating.
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Details for the concert in July:

Date/Time 日期/时间Date 日期:
22nd July 2007 二零零七年 七月二十二日Time 时间: 1700 hrs

Venue 地点：
Victoria Concert Hall 维多利亚音乐厅

Tickets prices are selling $15.
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If you need any tickets, please feel free to drop me an email or give me a call if you have my number, and hope to see you there.

Thanks in advance...........

About My Learning History....

I started learning ErHu at the age of 9 from Mr Chuan Joon Hee, ZhongHu Musician for Singapore Chinese Orchestra. In 1989, I joined Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra and started my learning from the orchestra conductor Mr Sim Boon Yew PBM. In 1991, I joined the National Music Competition – ErHu Junior Category and was awarded with the Merit Award. In 1995, I took part in the Chinese Instrumental Grading Examination jointly organized by Singapore Nanyang Academy Of Fine Arts and China Central Conservatory of Music, and was awarded with the Grade 8 Certifcation. In 1997, I served my National Service in the SAF Music and Drama Company. During my service, I was appointed concurrently as the Music IC, Sectional Principal and Concertmaster.

In 1999, under the financial assistance from the National Arts Council and Chua Chu Kang Community Club, I pursued a General Advanced Certification Course for ErHu Profession in Shanghai Conservatory of Music (China) for a period of one year, under the tutelage of renowned ErHu Educator, Profession Wang YongDe. I was also taught on the pedagogy of ErHu Teaching. During my stay in Shanghai, I was appointed the Orchestra Leader for the Foreign Students Traditional Ensemble, and was concurrently elected as a committee member for the Foreign Students Committee. I also learnt from renowned ErHu Maestro Mdm Min HuiFen. At the same time, I learnt Chinese Orchestral Conducting skills from distinguished conductor Mr Song GuangHai.

I am proficient in playing many types of HuQins, such as GaoHu, ZhongHu, BanHu, ZhuiHu, JingHu. In 2001, under the accompaniment of Chua Chu Kang C.C. Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra, I successfully performed a ZhongHu Concerto “A Tribute for Martyr Lim Bo Seng”. In 2004, during the Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra 30th Anniversary Celebration Concert, I also successfully performed the ErHu Duet Concerto “Yu, Ge, Lie”. All my performances were very well received.

In 2006, I took part in the Chinese Instrumental Examination organized by National University of Singapore Centre For The Arts, and was awarded the Diploma In Erhu with Distinction. Currently, I am the ErHu Trainer for NUS Centre For The Arts, String Instructor for Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra and various secondary and primary schools.

Learning Chinese Music

Like all other classes of music, Chinese Orchestra music is an art form. A music appreciation programme in Chinese Orchestra will develop the pupils in the heart, the mind and the soul. Appreciating Chinese Orchestra music will expose pupils to craftsmanship. Pupils will learn to differentiate good work from the mediocre. Practices, performances, ensemble activities and examinations will help build discipline and self-confidence in the pupils. Through the various stages of learning music, the pupil will also learn about commitment and the value of seeing things through. As a means for self expression, Chinese Orchestra music will foster creativity and imagination in the pupils. Finally, the pupils will derive tangible benefits from the Chinese music appreciation programme in the enhancement of motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Studies have shown that this will in turn provide positive stimulus to parts of the brain involved in the processing of languages and reasoning, boosting reading/listening skills and improving concentration levels of the pupils.

ErHu 二胡

The ERHU is a two-stringed fiddle that evolved from the xiqin 奚琴 (first played by the Xi, a nomadic people said to be the ancestors of the Mongols). It has two steel strings (originally silk, and generally tuned a fifth apart) between which a bow of bamboo and horsehair is permanently fixed, a hexagonal wooden sound box covered in front with python skin, and a long thin neck with two tuning pegs. The sound box rests upon the player' s lap, with the neck pointing upwards. Because of its mellow but plaintive tone, well matching the traditional singing style of the Chinese, the ERHU was once used mostly by street buskers and in traditional operas. However in the 1920s, through the efforts of the classically-trained musician Liu Tianhua 刘天华(1895 - 1932) and the blind busker Hua Yanjun 华彦钧 ("Ah Bing" 阿炳, 1895 - 1950), the ERHU was modified and developed into a versatile and impressive solo instrument with a wide range of playing techniques. Their compositions for the ERHU include some of the classics of Chinese music, and the ERHU soon became arguably the most popular and representative of Chinese instruments. Besides being ideal for tragic or poignant melodies, the ERHU's emotional depth now also extends to lively and playful pieces, and it can even be used to imitate the neighing of a horse. Talented ERHU soloists abound, and the ERHU players make up the core of a Chinese orchestra just as the violinists do in the symphony orchestra. The ERHU also has relatives in Korea (the haegum, which still uses silk strings) and Japan (the kokyu). Some of the most classic and well liked ERHU repertoires are, 《赛马》、《良宵》、《二泉映月》、《江河水》and many more.

Chinese Bowed String Instruments

Chinese bowed string instruments are classed under the generic term huqin 胡琴("barbarian stringed instrument"), reflecting the historical fact that this type of instrument was originally used by the nomads of Mongolia and Manchuria. The basic huqin is believed to have first appeared in China in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD), supposedly as a modification of the xiantao (sanxian) with a strip of bamboo used as a bow in place of the original plectrum. However, it only became widely popular in the Song Dynasty (960 -1279 AD), gradually developing into many variants. There are now more than 36 recorded types of huqin, but only a few are regularly used in the Chinese orchestra. The gehu, matouqin, cello and double bass are also often included in this section, although they can actually be played by both bowing (arco) and plucking (pizzicato).

Chinese Music

Chinese music is as old as the Chinese civilization. As early as 17th – 11th centuries BC, Chinese musical instruments already existed, as evident in those excavated from archaeological sites of the Shang dynasty. Then, it was believed that music purifies one’s souls, as well as reflects the harmony of the universe. It was therefore used frequently in many imperial court ceremonies and rituals. Since then, Chinese music has built upon its traditional ensemble format to evolve into Chinese Orchestra music, fusing the unique sounds of Chinese musical instruments with the depth and scale of the Western symphony orchestra. The typical modern Chinese Orchestra now comprises four major sections: (i) Woodwind, (ii) Bowed-String, (iii) Pluck, and (iv) Percussion. Most Chinese music has also expanded from the basic pentatonic (i.e. five-tone) scale to the heptatonic (i.e. seven-tone) scale.

Today, Chinese music has taken on a renewed role of being recognised as a distinct part of the cultural identity of the Chinese community. The fact that many Chinese musical instruments shared similarities with many traditional instruments of other communities also reflected the value of continuous cultural exchanges in Chinese history.