Reporter (hereinafter referred to as the record): Professor Zhao, you are an authority in my country's national music industry. On the Internet, there are many Erhu lovers who call you Qinfo. Excuse me, what is the concept of this Qin Buddha?

Zhao Hanyang (hereinafter referred to as Zhao): I have won the award. I am actually just an ordinary erhu teacher, and I can't talk about authority. The concept of piano and Buddha was proposed by Mr. Zhao Xiaosheng, a well-known piano educator and composer. In his book "The Way of Piano Performance", he divided the learning process of instrumental music into three levels: "skill, art, and Tao". The performers in these three levels are "the violinist, the violinist, and the guillotine". When a performer has reached the research level of "The Way of Playing", we say that he has cultivated into a "Qin Buddha". That's about what it means.

Note: Now with the improvement of people's living standards, the number of people studying music is increasing year by year. Among the vast number of music learners (especially young learners), there are more and more people who want to become performers in the future. Parents of children, in particular, have high expectations for their children. We especially want to ask Mr. Zhao to talk about what is the secret of success as a performer?

Zhao: Yes. Many parents bring their children to me for appraisal, just to make sure their children have a future in music performance. Many students also asked me how to become a performer. This should be said to be a very complex issue, and everyone's path to success is completely different. Some people say that the determinant of success is talent, so if a person does not have a musical talent like Mozart, he will not learn music? Some people say that the determinant of success is hard work, but we clearly see that many people have worked hard all their lives and achieved nothing. Some people say that success lies in the guidance of famous teachers, but each famous teacher has a lot of unsuccessful students. Some people say that success depends on chance, but in the same opportunity environment, there are more people who fail than those who succeed. It should be said that these are important factors for success, but I don't think they are the decisive factors.

Q: So what determines the success of a performer?

Zhao: Based on my observation and research on many performers over the years, plus my own experience, I have summed up the secrets of performers' success in 20 words. I firmly believe that almost all teenage friends who learn instrumental music, who can earnestly implement these twenty words, will succeed will be the inevitable result.

Note: Wow! There is a surefire recipe for success! Mr. Zhao, please tell us which 20 words it is. I believe that all music students who are eager to succeed are like me and can't wait to know the secret.

Zhao: Well, I will divide these twenty words into five sentences. The first sentence is called "Be determined from a young age". Most successful people have set great ambitions since childhood. Legend has it that when Zhu Yuanzhang was working as a cow herder, he decided to become emperor. In the same way, most people who become performers have made great aspirations in their hearts at the early stage of learning music. In this life, they must learn the musical instrument in their hands to the level of invincibility in the world. If they do not achieve their goals, they will never give up. the driving force. Since then, this great ambition has been "burned" so that he can't eat well, sleep erratically, and can't rest in peace for the rest of his life. In order to realize this wish, no matter how hard you suffer, you will not frown, and no matter how hard you suffer, you will not change your path.

Note: Oh! I have never understood why some people have such a tenacious will and perseverance in order to do one thing. Mr. Zhao, you must have suffered a lot in learning the piano, right?

Zhao: Yes. Humans are always lazy. To force out a person's potential, either rely on external forces. For example, if a wolf is chasing you, you must run very fast. This is the reason why some musical geniuses succeed only under the strong coercion of their parents. Or rely on internal force, this internal force is the ambition set up in the heart of the learner since childhood. In the era when we were learning the piano, generally speaking, our parents would not force us. Everything was up to us. Back when I was fifteen or sixteen years old, in order to be able to go to Shanghai to learn the piano without burdening families with financial difficulties. Once, I heard that a convoy was going to Shanghai to deliver goods. In the cold winter, they arrived at the convoy at six o'clock in the morning and sat in a car without a hood. There were no highways back then, and it took more than five hours of bumpy rides to get to Shanghai. Along the way, he became pale with motion sickness, and his hands and feet froze in the cold wind. When I arrived in Shanghai, I didn't care about eating, so I walked for more than an hour to the teacher's house to ask for advice for a while. Why ask for advice instead of class? Because the teacher didn't teach the class at all, but if I had any questions, I asked, and after a few pulls, it was over. Then find one of the cheapest snack bars on the street and grab a bite that won't cost you more than twenty cents. At three o'clock in the afternoon, I rushed back to the place where the convoy loaded the goods, and then sat on the high goods, and returned to Changzhou after another five hours of bumps. When I entered the transport team compound, I could hardly get out of the car, so I almost fainted in the car. It was so painful, but I had no regrets at all. A month later, when I found out that the transport team was going to Shanghai to ship goods again, I followed it again without hesitation. For what? It's to realize the big dream in your heart.

Note: At that time, learning the piano was so hard. It is conceivable that if there is no strong spiritual support in the heart, no one may be able to persevere. Mr. Zhao, you just said that "no matter how much you suffer, you won't change your path." In the process of learning the piano, did you suffer any humiliation?

Zhao: Yes. During the "Cultural Revolution" in the 1970s, I was a student in the Changzhou City Art Troupe. I was criticized by the city's cultural system as a typical example of taking the path of the white school because I kept the violin in my hands all day long. The crime is "as long as the erhu has two strings, not a single line of class struggle". For three days, the two heads were as small as being criticized in the band, and as large as being checked in the whole cultural system. When my name is mentioned, everyone will say, "Oh, that's the typical Bai Zhuan." Fortunately, I was born in a new society, in a working-class family, which is regarded as a contradiction among the people, and the key is to save it. Otherwise, it is unknown that I will be sent to rural reconstruction. Just in order to realize the big wish in my heart, I checked and did it, and the qin also practiced, and I really did not repent. In 1977, when our country resumed the first college entrance examination, I was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music and became a "hero", which aroused the emotion of some colleagues: "Hey, everyone said that he is a typical white school, but now it seems that there are really no white diamonds. what!"

Q: Weren't you afraid at that time?

Zhao: Scared! But as soon as I got down, there was always a voice in my heart shouting: "Why don't you go to practice the piano? Don't you want to realize your dream?" And as soon as I practice the piano, I forget everything, even my fears.

Q: So are other successful performers doing the same thing?

Zhao: When I was chatting with many performers, when we talked about the topic of "in order to finally realize one's own aspirations", they all said: "Even if you endure hardships and endure humiliation, you are all willing." I found that these performers turned out to be Everyone is like that.

Q: So, what is the second sentence of the secret to success?

Zhao: The second sentence is "reinvent yourself". Because no matter what occupation you are engaged in, you are required to become the special talents needed for this occupation. Otherwise, you won't be able to reach the apex of this major. This includes the necessary temperament, character, psychological quality and so on. For example: if you want to be a TV host, you must have the unique temperament, cultivation, language ability, reaction ability, etc. of the host; if you want to be an actor, you must have the desire to perform, transformation, etc. The ability of the character, the inner emotion of the instantaneous impulse, etc. Then, if you want to become an instrumental musician, you must have a cheerful personality, an elegant temperament, a smart state of mind, and an uncontrollable impulse once you are on the stage. However, instrumental music learners are generally not born with all these characteristics, or are a little introverted, or a little rigid in thinking, or nervous when they are on stage, or have no enthusiasm in their hearts. In short, maybe you are not engaged in playing this material. At this point you are faced with two choices: either give up the performance profession; or reinvent yourself and transform yourself into a special material for the performance profession, there is no third way to go.

Reporter: As the saying goes: "Nature is hard to change", is it difficult to change yourself?

Zhao: It is indeed difficult. This process may be a painful one, but in order to realize your ambition, you must do it no matter how hard it is. How to do it? In a word, it is to force yourself to do what you think you should do but dare not do. In fact, when I was seventeen or eighteen years old, my personality was relatively introverted. At that time, I was in the Changzhou City Art Troupe, and I was very nervous when I was just put on the erhu solo program. Before the performance, I was so nervous that my whole body was trembling, hoping that the theater would lose power or something to cancel the performance. Of course, this is not possible. When it was time for me to play, I gritted my teeth and forced myself to "swallow, swallow, swallow" and strode onto the stage, and then said to myself, "There is no way out now, pull it!" Terrible, the second time was better. Later, I went on stage a lot, but I became "addicted". I didn't play solo for a few days, but I felt that something was missing. Another example: When I was in class, I asked the students to sing the score with emotion, but the students were always embarrassed to sing. Back then, when my professional tutor asked me to sing sheet music, I also had a mental barrier. Later, when I understood the importance of this kind of singing, I forced myself to sing, and sang emotionally. Now, in front of a room full of students and parents, I will dance and sing the score with all my heart, not only without any psychological barriers, but also with a euphoria after expressing my emotions after singing. In fact, there is nothing we can't do, there are things we just don't do.

Q: If I am a student, what should I do?

Zhao: First, you observe the performers to see what kind of people they are; then, you “play” a performer, and you force yourself to do whatever you think the performer should do, but you dare not do it Do it, you just think that you are "playing" the role of a performer. After "acting" a few times, you'll feel like you can do it all, and it's kind of fun. In this way, you will step by step towards success.

Reporter: Oh, I see that. So what is the third sentence of the secret to success?

Zhao: The third sentence is "try your best". It is to do my best and work hard to realize the ambition in my heart.

Reporter: In the end, what is the best way to do it?

Zhao: A person will always have inertia. If possible, he will always find a reason to make himself more comfortable. For example: when it’s a festival, people will think, it’s time for a holiday to rest for a day; when it’s raining, people will think, it’s raining outside, so I can’t let me go to this concert even in the rain; I have a cold , people will think, I am sick, so I should not practice the piano. Or else: I originally wanted to practice the piano, didn't my classmates ask me to play? I can’t refute my friends; I wanted to do my homework, but everyone in the dormitory went to the movies, and I was scared in the room by myself, so I had to go with them, and so on. If you want to find a reason for yourself to avoid hard work, you can always find a reason. This is called not trying, and doing all you can is to do everything you can and firmly to do what you plan to do. Recall that in 1966, two factions in our hometown of Changzhou fought with each other. Sandbags were piled up on the streets and machine guns were mounted. All the people were afraid to go to the streets, the streets were empty and there was no one. And the teacher and I agreed to go to the teacher's house to take an erhu class the next day. On the day of class, I went out with the erhu on my back, walked all the way from the street to the teacher's house, and walked back after the class. I never felt afraid in my heart. Pass.

Reporter: Ah, that is too dangerous. What should I do if something goes wrong!

Zhao: Thinking about it now is a bit risky, but "trying hard" means "as long as I don't die, nothing can prevent me from doing what I plan to do". So what about dead? It's okay to die, it's a hundred to die. For example, there is another thing, in 2001, during the evaluation of professional titles of the college, according to the regulations, we must pass the national professional title foreign language A-level examination. And my foreign language foundation is relatively poor. I belong to the kind of incomplete 26 letters. Everyone thinks that I will definitely not pass this test, and I also think that I may not be able to pass this test in my life. But no matter what, you always have to fight to decide whether you will win or lose. I went to sign up for a remedial class. In the cold winter of March 9th, I went to the remedial class by bicycle at 7:30 every morning. It was just dawn, and the wind was blowing on his face, paining like a knife cutting his face. And in class, I couldn't understand a word of what the teacher taught me, and none of the exercises I did were correct. I secretly made up my mind that I had to fight it once. So every day, except for daily work, eating, and sleeping, I spend all my time reading English books. If you don't understand, ask someone everywhere for advice. I don't know how I got here in those months. Later, things got better gradually, I could understand the lessons, and I could do two-thirds of the exercises correctly. On the day of the exam, although I was nervous, I was not afraid anymore. After reading the test paper, many questions can be understood. When I got the points, I was surprised to find that I passed the test. I was qualified to study abroad with this foreign language A-level certificate, so my senior professional title was also passed in this evaluation. And there are some colleagues who have better foreign language foundation than me, and so far, because they have not passed the foreign language test, their job title evaluation has been stranded.

Reporter: With this kind of fighting spirit, what else can't be successful?

Zhao: No! You're only half right, there are people who work hard all their lives and get nothing in the end. This brings us to the fourth phrase of the secret of success, "think hard."

Q: Why do you need to think hard?

Zhao: Any knowledge in the world, once you go deep into it, is like walking into a complicated labyrinth. Every path may be a path to success or a path of no return. Although a teacher points you in a direction, you need to take each step by yourself. And the closer you get to success, the more confused the road will be, and you will often stay in place for a long time. Sometimes, I see success in front of me, but when I walk over, I find that it is a wall; sometimes, I look at a wall in front of me, but when I hit it, it turns out to be a piece of paper, and I pass the test inadvertently. If you just walk desperately in the maze, don’t think hard and find a breakthrough for success, you may keep going in circles in the maze, how can you succeed? I started learning erhu at the age of eight, and by the age of thirty-eight, I had not found the path to success. Many people (including many pundits) have concluded that I have chosen the wrong career in my life and cannot succeed. But I don't give up. Since I haven't reached the Yellow River yet, why are I crying? After more than 30 years of contemplation, I finally wrote the book "Erhu Techniques and Tips for Playing Famous Songs" in 1999, revealing the mystery of the sense of music in erhu performance. Theoretically, a pass will naturally improve the performance by a level.

Q: So to what extent does it take to be diligent in thinking?

Zhao: I have to think about the erhu problem all the time. Even in my dreams, I often dream of a grandfather with a white beard coming to teach me how to play the qin.

Note: Oh? Is there really such a miraculous thing?

Zhao: Actually, this is a process from quantitative change to qualitative change. It is precisely because I have been thinking during the day, accumulated a lot of information, and slept at night.

After that, the brain has been rearranged and coded, so that it "understands" some performance problems. I believe that no matter anyone, as long as they are diligent in thinking, such miraculous things will happen.

Note: I found that erhu performers are very smart. Does learning erhu require a lot of talent?

Zhao: Of course, having talent will help a lot to success, but it is by no means the decisive factor. I have seen many erhu performers who are not very talented. Just say me, my talent in music is not particularly good, the reason why I can achieve a little bit is because of the points I mentioned earlier.

Note: Mr. Zhao, in your life experience, have you ever thought about doing something else?

Zhao: This is the fifth secret I want to say: "hold it for a lifetime". I think erhu music is a vast ocean, and even if we devote our whole life to this profession, we still cannot master it 100%. If we are half-hearted, play erhu for a few years, run sales for a few years, come back and play erhu for a few more years, and then go out to be an agent for a few years, it will never reach the peak of erhu music.

Reporter: So, erhu learners can't change careers in a lifetime, right?

Zhao: No, on the contrary, there are many composers, conductors, singers, and musicians who studied erhu, and they have made greater achievements than being erhu performers after changing careers. big relationship. But "there is no turning back when you open the bow", when an erhu learner changes his profession to pursue other professions, he is unlikely to come back and reach the pinnacle of erhu performance. I have no objection to starting with learning erhu and changing careers to other majors in a few years. I just say to those performers who regard the erhu as a second life: if you want to reach the highest point of erhu music, then you must dedicate your life energy to it, and do not require it to bring you great utilitarian return. Because, relying on the erhu to make a name, you might as well act as a sketch; relying on the erhu to make money, you might as well start a company. The process of pursuing the highest peak of erhu music is a process of self-satisfaction, self-intoxication and self-improvement.

I believe that anyone can achieve that splendid page in their life as long as they earnestly follow the five tips mentioned above.

Note: Thank you, Teacher Zhao, for paving a golden road for our music learners.

Zhao: Thank you all! Good luck to all music lovers.